Ultimate Texas Hold’em is one of the most popular casino poker games out there. Found in both live and online casinos, Ultimate Texas Hold’em resembles the classic game of Texas Hold’em in many ways, although the actual gameplay is quite a bit different.
If you are looking for a simple poker game you can play against the house at any time, keep reading and find out everything you need to know to play Ultimate Texas Hold’em.
In this Ultimate Texas Hold’em guide, we will teach you the basic Ultimate Texas Hold’em rules, hand rankings, game flow, and some basic strategy to follow at the tables.
What Is Ultimate Texas Hold’em?
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is a poker game derived from Texas Hold’em that uses some of the same betting mechanics as the popular “Cadillac of Poker.”
The main difference between the two games is that Ultimate Texas Hold’em is played against the dealer, rather than among the players.
If you have never played a casino poker game and have only ever played games like NLH or PLO, this mechanic may be a bit confusing at first.
In Ultimate Texas Hold’em, each player at the table competes only with the dealer. The goal is to make the best possible poker hand, according to the standardized poker hand rankings.
In order to beat the dealer, you must make a better poker hand, made up of any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards dealt on the table.
Unlike Texas Hold’em, Ultimate Texas Hold’em doesn’t let you bluff or force the dealer to fold their cards. Instead, all you can do is place bets when you believe your hand is good, and go to a showdown.
To get there, you must go through several dealing and betting rounds, which we explain in the next section.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em Gameplay: Betting Rounds Explained
Each hand of Ultimate Texas Hold’em is made up of four rounds in total. The first round starts as soon as you are dealt your hole cards, while the final round ends with you and the dealer showing your hands.
Let’s start at the beginning and walk you through each round of an Ultimate Texas Hold’em poker hand.
Step 1. Place Your Bets
A hand of Ultimate Texas Hold’em starts with players placing their bets. Whether you play online or at a live casino, you will be asked to place an Ante bet and a Blind bet. Both bets must be equal in value, and you can’t get dealt cards before you have placed these bets.
In addition to these two bets, Ultimate Texas Hold’em tables also have a slot for the Trips bet, which is an optional side bet that pays anytime you make three-of-a-kind (trips) or better, regardless of the outcome of the hand.
Once you have placed your Ante and Blind, as well as Trips if you so choose, the dealer will proceed to deal the hole cards.
Step 2. Check Your Hole Cards
Once the bets are placed, the dealer will deal two cards to each active player at the table, as well as himself. The hole cards are dealt face down.
When you get your hole cards, you will have the option to look at them and either check or place a bet equal to 3x or 4x your ante.
If you don’t like your hand, you can simply check and see the flop. If you like it, place a 3x or 4x bet to increase your potential winnings.
Of course, you only see two of the seven cards at this point, but playing the 4x bet with your strong holdings is the best strategy you can play in this game.
Step 3. Assess Your Hand on the Flop
Once all preflop bets have been placed, the dealer will put out the first three community cards, called the flop.
If you already placed a bet before the flop, you will not have any betting options on the flop. If you didn’t place any extra bets yet, you will once again have the option to bet your hand.
Since you now have a more complete picture of the hand, you can either check your option once again or place a bet worth 2x the ante.
If you started with a weak holding but have improved to a hand you like on the flop, you should bet 2x now and maximize your win.
Step 4. The Turn and River Cards
Next up, the dealer will deal the turn and the river simultaneously. This is a significant difference from Texas Hold’em Poker, where the turn and the river are dealt separately.
With the turn and the river dealt, you will have a full picture of the hand, as all five community cards will be visible.
If you have placed a bet before this stage, you won’t have any further betting options. If you haven’t, you will need to make your decision on whether to play the hand or not.
This time around, checking is not an option. You will have to either place a bet worth 1x your ante bet or fold your hand.
If you choose to fold, you won’t be able to win on the Ante or Blind bets, although the Trips bets will be paid in accordance with their paytable.
Step 5. It’s Time for a Showdown
Once all the betting is completed and all the cards are on the table, all that’s left is to compare poker hands and unveil the winners.
If you haven’t folded your hand, you will get to turn over your hole cards, and the dealer will do the same. At this point, the hands will be compared, and you will receive payouts in accordance with the different paytables for each bet.
Next up, we take a look at all the potential payouts you can expect when playing Ultimate Texas Hold’em.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em Payouts
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All in all, there are four types of bets you can make in Ultimate Texas Hold’em. The Ante and Blind bets are obligatory preflop bets, the Trips bet is an optional preflop bet, and the Play bet is a bet you can make preflop, on the flop, or on the river.
Each of these bets carries a different payout structure and potential wins, so let’s take a look at what you can expect to win from each.
Ante Bet Payouts
The Ante bet is the most basic bet in Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Before you can play a hand, you have to place an Ante bet, and the value of this bet dictates the value of your Blind and Play bets.
Once the hand reaches a showdown, your hand is compared to the dealer’s. If the dealer’s hand is better, they win your Ante bet. If your hand is better, you win even money on the Ante bet, as long as the dealer qualifies.
In order for the dealer to qualify, they must have at least one pair. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, your Ante bet is considered a push, and you get the money back, even if you do have a stronger hand.
Blind Bet Payouts
Unlike the Ante bet, which can only pay double money, the Blind bet can be quite a bit more lucrative if you can make a very strong poker hand.
The Blind bet only pays if you have a Straight or better, and pushes if you beat the dealer with a hand weaker than a Straight. If you lose to the dealer, you lose the Blind bet.
The Blind bet payouts in Ultimate Texas Hold’em depend on the hand you make. The following table shows all the wins you can expect:
| Poker Hand | Blind Bet Payout |
| Royal Flush | 500:1 |
| Straight Flush | 50:1 |
| Four-of-a-Kind | 10:1 |
| Full House | 3:1 |
| Flush | 2:1 |
| Straight | 1:1 |
| Other Hands | Push |
Play Bet Payouts
While you can’t reach showdown in Ultimate Texas Hold’em without placing a Play bet at some point in the hand, you can choose when to do it, and the value of the bet fluctuates based on that decision.
Before the flop is dealt, you can place a Play bet worth 3x or 4x the Ante bet based on just your hole cards. If you skip betting preflop, you can bet 2x on the flop or 1x on the river.
Regardless of which point you choose to place a Play bet, this bet pays double money if you beat the dealer. So, if you bet 4x, you can expect an 8x return, and if you bet 1x, you can expect a 2x return.
Trips Bet Payouts
The last bet worth considering is the Trips bet, an optional site bet that offers extra payouts for all hands better than two pair.
In order to qualify for a Trips payout, you need to make three-of-a-kind or better, but you don’t have to beat the dealer. In fact, you will even receive the Trips payout if you fold your hand on the river.
If you do make a qualifying hand and have an active Trips bet, you can expect the following payouts:
| Poker Hand | Trips Bet Payout |
| Royal Flush | 50:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 |
| Four-of-a-Kind | 30:1 |
| Full House | 9:1 |
| Flush | 7:1 |
| Straight | 4:1 |
| Three-of-a-Kind | 3:1 |
Ultimate Texas Hold’em Strategy
When it comes to Ultimate Texas Hold’em strategy, the rules you need to follow in this game are pretty simple. Yet, players often make critical mistakes, which can increase the house edge and cost money in the long run.
The only decision you get to make in this game is when to place the Play bet, which makes it essential to understand the math and follow the rules at all times.
To always make the right play, you need to understand which hands to raise preflop, and how to play the later rounds, so we have prepared a quick rundown.
Tip 1. Preflop Ultimate Texas Hold’em Strategy
The first decision point in an Ultimate Texas Hold’em hand comes when you are dealt your hole cards. At this point, you get to check, bet 3x the Ante, or bet 4x the Ante.
To start with, remember that the 3x bet should never be used. If you have a hand that’s good enough to Play, you should always bet 4x. If not, you should check.
The hands you should bet 4x with include pocket pairs starting with 33, all Aces, all Kings starting with K5, suited K4, K3, and K2, all Queens starting with Q8, suited Q7 and Q6, JT, and suited J9 and J8.
If you are dealt any other hand, no matter how suited, connected, and pretty it may look, your most profitable play is to check and see the flop.
Tip 2. Postflop Ultimate Texas Hold’em Strategy
If you haven’t placed the Play bet before the flop, you will get two more chances to do so. The first chance comes once the flop is dealt, when you can bet 2x the Ante if you like your hand.
The flop strategy is fairly straightforward. You should always place the 2x bet if you have two pair or better, a pair made up of one hole card and one flop card, or a flush draw with a ten or better in the hole.
If you don’t have any of these hands, you should check and see the remaining two community cards. Don’t bet with straight draws or overcards, as the odds simply aren’t in your favor, and you can still place a 1x bet on the river.
When you reach the river, and still have a decision to make, you should bet if you have a pair made up of a hole card and a community card, or if the dealer has a maximum of 21 outs to beat you.
Counting the dealer’s outs can be a bit tedious at start, but once you get a hang of it, you will be able to make the right decision quickly in real time.
Tip 3. Ultimate Texas Hold’em House Edge and Side Bets
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is one of the best games you can find in a casino, as long as you play it using the right strategy.
The house edge in Ultimate Texas Hold’em is around 2% when you play correctly, but can climb to as high as 14% if you simply bet 4x on every hand.
Furthermore, anytime you deviate from the optimal strategy in any way, you increase the house edge slightly. For example, if you are dealt a pair of Aces and decide to check it, you will be giving up some of the value of that hand.
As long as you stick to the simple strategy advice we gave in the previous sections, the house edge will sit at around 2% for all Ante, Blind, and Play bets.
When it comes to side bets, their house edge is higher, and betting heavily on Trips or other side bets, like the progressive jackpot side bet, is not recommended.
If you do decide to place some side bets, remember to make them smaller than your base bets, as their effect on your bankroll can be devastating if you bet too aggressively.
Play Your First Ultimate Texas Hold’em Poker Hand
It’s time to take the strategy you learned here to the Ultimate Texas Hold’em tables and experience the game for yourself.
You can try Ultimate Texas Hold’em for free in many online casinos to practice playing optimally, or sign up with a real money casino to try the game for real money.
In either case, remember that Ultimate Texas Hold’em is one of the games with the highest RTP and lowest house edge in any casino, just so long as you stick to the right strategy and don’t make any unwarranted mistakes.