Ultimate Texas Holdem: The Beginner’s Guide

There’s no denying that Ultimate Texas Holdem is fast becoming one of the most popular Texas Holdem variations. It blends skill, intensity and excitement with the speed and accessibility of other online casino games, so it’s not hard to see why so many people want to learn how to play it.  So where’s the best place to start?

In this guide, you’ll get a rundown of the game as well as its rules. You’ll also learn about odds, payouts and how to improve your odds of winning. This is definitely the right place if you want to learn about Ultimate Texas Holdem! 

Ultimate Texas Holdem Rules

Ultimate Texas Holdem shares many similarities with regular Texas Holdem, however the biggest difference is that you play exclusively against the dealer in Ultimate Texas Holdem. What’s more is that the table used is of a layout similar to a blackjack table. Although you play against the dealer in Ultimate Texas Holdem, several players are able to play against them at the same time. . There are three betting areas marked ‘Trips’, ‘Ante’, ‘Blind’, and ‘Play’ in front of each player, which directly affect Ultimate Texas Holdem payouts, but we’ll get into that later. 

Let’s take a closer look at how to play Ultimate Texas Holdem. This is how a round pans out:

Ultimate Texas Holdem Payouts

Just as with other Texas Holdem variations, you’re likely to win if you have a strong hand. Knowing whether you have a strong hand or not entails learning about poker hand rankings prior to playing. In the case of Ultimate Texas Holdem payouts, the stronger the hands you make, the higher the payout on Blind bets:

According to the Ultimate Texas Holdem rules, the Ante and Play bets always pay out at 1:1, provided that your hand wins and the dealer qualifies. The Trips bet follows a complex Ultimate Texas Holdem payout structure. The main takeaway is that a Trips bet is won by the value of your hand, regardless of whether you win the round or not.

Ultimate Texas Holdem Odds

There are so many different hand combinations in Ultimate Texas Holdem that the odds of forming a winning a hand are quite low. In fact, you’re more likely to fold than anything else. Some 19% of hands aren’t worth playing in the first place. With that being said, the house edge in Ultimate Texas Holdem stands at just 2.18% – lower than that the house edge in a casino game such as roulette, for instance. 

Ultimate Texas Holdem Strategy

Seeing as you’re not attempting to beat other players as you would in other Texas Holdem variations, the strategy that you need to apply in Ultimate Texas Holdem is different. Another element of the game requiring a different strategy is the lack of a bluff, which means that neither the player nor the dealer are in positions to affect the outcome of a hand. 

Considering that you get the highest payout by making a Play bet pre-flop, the most effective Ultimate Texas Holdem strategy is to bet four-times your Ante when you have good hole cards. The hole cards you should definitely raise on pre-flop are:

While other hole cards may turn into winning hands, a basic Ultimate Texas Holdem strategy would advise you not to raise your bet on the pre-flop. If you have anything other than these combinations, you should check or fold.

Now that you’ve learned how to play Ultimate Texas Holdem, why not try it for yourself with one of Betsson’s online games?