Ultimate Texas Hold'em

Overview

Ultimate Texas Hold'em is a casino version of Texas hold'em played against the dealer. Players do not compete with each other: each compares the hand only with the dealer's hand.

• A 52-card deck is used, shuffled before every hand.
• Each player and the dealer get two face-down cards; five community cards are dealt to the board: the flop (three cards), then the turn and the river (one each; in this game they are usually turned over together).
• The player's hand and the dealer's hand are the best five of seven cards: the two hole cards and the five community cards. A hand may use both hole cards, one or none (playing the board).
• Hand rankings are standard poker rankings (see Poker Hand Rankings).

Bets

• Ante and Blind: two mandatory bets placed before the deal; the Blind always equals the Ante.
• Trips: an optional side bet on the player's own hand; it pays for three of a kind or better and the dealer's hand does not affect it.
• Play: the bet the player makes during the hand. The earlier it is made, the larger it can be: 3 or 4 times the ante before the flop, 2 times after the flop, exactly 1 times after the turn and river. The Play bet can be made only once per hand.

Game procedure

• Players place the Ante and an equal Blind, and Trips if they wish.
• The dealer deals two face-down cards to each player and to the dealer.
• Before the flop: the player may make a Play bet of 3x or 4x the ante, or check.
• The dealer turns over the flop, three community cards. A player who has not bet yet may make a Play bet of 2x the ante or check again.
• The dealer turns over the turn and the river, the last two community cards. A player who has not bet yet must either make a Play bet of exactly 1x the ante or fold, losing the Ante and the Blind.
• The dealer reveals the hole cards, determines the dealer's hand and whether it qualifies, then settles each player: first the hand comparison (Ante, Blind, Play), then Trips.

Dealer qualification and settlement

The dealer opens (qualifies) with a pair or better. If the dealer does not qualify, the Ante is returned to the player (push), while the Blind and Play are settled as usual by comparing hands.

Trips is settled separately, on the player's hand only.

Blind pay table

The Blind wins only when the player beats the dealer. The Blind bonus pays on a straight or better; if the player wins with a lower hand, the Blind pushes. Pay tables vary between casinos; a typical table, also used in the trainer, is shown below.

Trips pay table

Trips pays on the player's best five-card hand regardless of the dealer's hand, of whether the dealer qualifies and of whether the player wins. In many casinos Trips wins even after a fold. A hand below three of a kind loses the Trips bet. Pay tables vary between casinos; the trainer's table is shown below.

Special cases

• If the best hand for both the player and the dealer is the five community cards (playing the board), it is a tie: Ante, Blind and Play push.
• Ties are decided on the best five cards; the sixth and seventh cards never count, not even as kickers.
• If the dealer does not qualify but the player's hand is lower, the player still loses the Blind and Play; only the Ante is returned.
• After the flop the Play bet can only be 2x and after the river only 1x: 3x or 4x is allowed only before the flop.

Example hands

PlayerBoardDealer

PlayerBoardDealer

PlayerBoardDealer

PlayerBoardDealer

Rules and pay tables are checked against wizardofodds.com. Casinos may differ — see Variants and differences.