Ultimate Texas Hold’em was released during the height of the poker boom. The game is distributed by SHFL. It is a great table game for poker players.
The concept is based entirely on Texas Hold’em. A player takes his two cards and five from the community board to make the best five card hand. The only difference is that each player at the table is heads up against the dealer. Players do not bet against each other.
The hand starts with a wager placed on the ante and blind. The amount must be equal. There is also an optional trips bonus bet.
Each player at the table is dealt two cards. The dealer also receives two cards. All are dealt face down.
A player has two options when the cards are first dealt. He may raise four times his ante bet or check. Some tables have the option of raising three times the ante here but there is no reason to ever do that. If the hand has an advantage then you should always get the maximum allowed amount of money out there. Three cards, called the flop, are exposed after this decision.
A player that checked the flop has the option of raising two times the ante or checking. The next two cards, called the turn and river, are exposed. A player that did not previously raise this hand must either match his ante or fold. A player that folds loses his ante and blind bet. The trips bet can still play if the board makes three of a kind or better without any additional cards.
The dealer shows his hand. The dealer must have a pair to qualify. This includes if the board makes one pair. If the dealer does not qualify, all players receive their ante back as it pushes. If the dealer qualifies, the ante is in action.
The dealer’s hand is then compared to the hand of each player that did not fold. If the dealer did not qualify, the raise is still in action. If the player’s hand beats the dealer’s hand, the raise is paid. If the dealer wins, the raise loses. If the player and the dealer have the same hand, the bet pushes. If the dealer qualified then the ante also wins, loses, or pushes in the same manner.
Blind Bet
One way to think of the blind bet is it being a forced side bet. The blind bet loses if the dealer beats the player. It pushes in most cases when the player beats the dealer. It also pushes on a tie. There are bonus hands that make the blind bet pay. To qualify for a blind bonus, the hand must be a winner. The blind pay table is:
- Royal Flush: 500-1
- Straight Flush: 50-1
- Four of a Kind: 10-1
- Full House: 3-1
- Flush: 3-2
- Straight: 1-1
Trips Bet
The Trips side bet is optional. It pays regardless of whether the player’s hand wins or loses. It even pays if the player folds and the board makes three of a kind or better. The pay table for the Trips bet is:
- Royal Flush: 50-1
- Straight Flush: 40-1
- Four of a Kind: 30-1
- Full House: 8-1
- Flush: 6-1
- Straight: 5-1
- Trips: 3-1
