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Ultimate Texas Hold’em takes the popular player-vs-player poker format – and makes this into a casino table game. This game involves hole cards, a flop, turn and river. Unlike the original game, you are playing against the house, and not the other players.
With 3 chances to bet on every hand, the rules are more complex than for other casino table games. You can bet more on early streets than on later ones in Ultimate Texas Hold’em. The ability to ‘check’ is also part of the game. This keeps players involved until the end of each hand.
This page covers Ultimate Texas Hold’em (UTH) in depth. Below you will find the rules, set out as a single hand of the game. House edge and the popular ‘Trips’ side bet are covered after that. Strategy, legal online UTH games and a detailed FAQ are also included.
UTH rules: How Ultimate Texas Hold’em works
You need to place 2 bets to be dealt into a hand of Ultimate Texas Hold’em. These bets are of equal size. One is the ‘Ante’ and the other is the ‘Blind’. You also get the option to place a 3rd bet, ‘Trips’. This is a side bet. It is covered in the section below.
UTH is played with a single deck of cards, which is shuffled between deals.
Each player and the dealer are each dealt 2 ‘hole cards’ face down. You only get to look at your own cards. Sharing of hands between players is not allowed. 5 community cards are also dealt, these are all face-down at the start of the hand.
There are three possible betting rounds in each hand. Note that you only get to bet once, after which you simply wait for the outcome.
- Pre-Flop: Based on your hole cards you can choose to bet 3x or 4x your ante, or check (bet nothing and wait for the flop).
- On the Flop: Once the flop of 3 community cards is revealed, you get a second chance to bet. You can choose to bet 2x your ante – or check once again.
- After the River: Next the final two community cards are revealed. You now get to choose between betting 1x your ante – or folding your hand (losing both the Blind and Ante).
Next the dealer and players reveal their hands. There is a dealer qualification requirement. The dealer needs 1 pair or better to ‘Open’ (qualify). Your hand and the dealer’s best 5-card poker hand using any combination of the community cards and hole-cards will then be compared.
Here are how the bets are paid:
- Player Wins + Dealer Opens: Blind/Ante/Play all paid
- Player Wins + Dealer Does Not Open: Blind and Play bets paid, Ante is a Push
- Dealer Wins and Opens: All Blind/Ante/Play all lose
- Dealer Wins and Does Not Open: Blind and Play bets lose Ante is a Push
In the event of a tie all bets are considered a push.
Winning Ante and Play bets are paid at 1-to-1. Blind bets are different. They are paid depending on the strength of your poker hand. Note that anything below a straight is a push.
- Royal Flush: 500-to-1
- Straight Flush: 50-to-1
- 4 of a Kind: 10-to-1
- Full House: 3-to-1
- Flush: 3-to-2
- Straight: 1-to-1
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Strategy for Ultimate Texas Hold’em
To play optimally, a strategy card is recommended for this game. The requirements for whether to play, check or (after the river) fold are different as you go through the hand. There are some simple rules of thumb which will help with most of your decisions.
- Before the flop: Bet 4x with any pair, any ace, any suited king, King/5 unsuited or better, Queen/8+ (unsuited) and Queen with a 6 or 7 if suited, Jack + 10 unsuited, Jack with an 8 or 9 if suited. Every other hand is a check.
- On the flop: Bet 2x with any pair that includes one of your own hole cards, except for 2-2. 2 pairs or better or 4 to a flush (4 suited cards) where one of your own cards is at least a 10 of that suit. Otherwise check.
- After the river: Bet 1x with any hand better than a pair that includes one of your own hole cards. You should also bet where the dealer has less than 21 ‘outs’ to beat your hand. This is not always clear, with a judgement of how easily you could be beaten by high cards in the dealers hand a reasonable substitute.
UTH is not a game that works by ‘playing blind’ (betting regardless of your hole cards). With so much information available via the community cards, betting before you see them gives the casino a big house edge.
UTH side bets: Trips and progressive jackpots
Unlike many other casino table games, Ultimate Texas Hold’em already include a bonus payout. The mandatory ‘Blind’ bet pays up to 500-to-1 for a Royal Flush. There is also a popular ‘Trips’ side bet. Prizes for this will vary between casinos. Some, including Caesars Entertainment properties, tie a progressive jackpot to this bet.
To play you simply need to place a bet on the ‘Trips’ square before the cards are dealt. If the best hand possible using your own hole cards and the community cards is 3 of a kind or better, you will get paid according to this pay table:
- Royal Flush: 50-to-1
- Straight Flush: 40-to-1
- 4 of a Kind: 30-to-1
- Full House: 9-to-1
- Flush: 7-to-1
- Straight: 4-to-1
- 3 of a Kind: 3-to-1
All other hands lose this bet. The Trips side bet is completely separate from the hand against the dealer. You could lose the main hand against the dealer, and still get paid on this side bet.
House edge for Ultimate Texas Hold’em
This game is much harder to play ‘perfectly’ compared to other casino table games. While the headline house edge is around 2.2% for your Ante and Blind bets, that assumes a perfect decision every time.
You also need to consider the variable amounts you are betting. A pre-flop Play bet will be 4 units. While the edge on those bets is 0.5%, you’ll be betting 4x your Ante – adding 2% house edge in terms of a single unit.
As usual the Trips side bet has a bigger edge for the casino. This is also a more volatile bet, only paying out for those rare 3 of a kind or better hands.
Where to legally play Ultimate Texas Hold’em online?
There are currently 4 states with legal online casinos where you can enjoy playing UTH online. With many other states legalizing sports betting and others considering casino games, it is hoped that this list will expand soon. The current states with regulated online casinos are:
Online casinos in these states offer table games including UTH via mobile phone (and iPhone) casino apps or on desktop computers via their browser-based casino clients. The casinos have geolocation technology which ensures they only allow gaming from inside state lines.
You’ll find software-based table games at all online casinos. As well as Ultimate Texas Hold’em there are blackjack tables, roulette wheels, 3 Card Poker games and many other variations of popular casino games. Most of the games at all online casinos are slots. These combine the popular games from live casinos with slots developed for casino apps.
Live dealer online UTH games
Live dealer rooms are popular at online casinos. These stream real games in real time from studios based at brick and mortar casinos. You can bet using an overlay, dragging and dropping chips as if you were sat at a real table. A big advantage of these games is the social interaction. You can text chat with the dealers and other players while you enjoy a game.
Blackjack and roulette are the most popular games at live dealer online casinos. Casino poker variations including UTH and 3-Card Poker can be found in some rooms.
Keep in mind that the bets are a little bigger in live dealer casinos compared to the software versions. You will need to bet before a timer runs down. If you reach the river without responding in time, then you will automatically fold.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em and casino bonuses
There are many bonuses and free-play incentives at legal online casinos in the regulated states. You can take advantage of these by clearing them playing UTH or other table games. Typical bonus offers include small amounts of free play (no deposit needed), or a matched bonus based on your first deposit.
For table games, you need to check which games can be used for bonus clearance. A common way that casinos encourage players to clear bonuses on slots is to ‘weight’ the table games. This means that not all of the money you bet on UTH would be counted towards clearing the bonus. Weightings will vary between casinos. This means it can be worthwhile checking the terms and conditions of each bonus before you sign-up.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em FAQ
How big a casino bankroll should I have to play UTH?
You’ll be betting more units playing a hand of Ultimate Texas Hold’em compared to other casino poker variations. If you play the optional Trips side-bet, there are 3 units bet at the start of a hand. Betting pre-flop will then require 4 more units.
With 7 units per hand, you’ll need a bigger bankroll than the recommended 20 bets for most casino table games. 50 units ($250 at a $5 table) is enough to ride out the swings of this game. Balancing the requirement for a bigger bankroll, when the hands do go your way, you have the potential to win big.
Key to casino bankroll management is only betting money that you can afford to lose.
Is cheating at Ultimate Texas Hold’em possible?
No. The only way you could get an advantage in this game is by seeing the dealer’s hole-cards before they are revealed after the community cards were dealt. This would require marked cards or collusion with the dealer – and would be fraudulent.
Player collusion will give you an idea of which of your outs are still in the deck (for example if you were drawing to a flush). This is against the rules in casinos and is not possible online. Knowing this information would only reduce the house edge – not eliminate it.
With the single deck of cards shuffled between deals, card-counting is not possible.
Can I play UTG online?
Yes. You can legally enjoy Ultimate Texas Hold’em online in states which have legal/regulated mobile casinos. The current list is PA, NJ, MI and WV. With gambling regulation rapidly expanding, it is hoped that more states will join this list soon.
What are the pros and cons of online Ultimate Texas Hold’em and live games?
Online UTH games can be enjoyed for smaller stakes than the live equivalent. Software based games have stakes starting at under a dollar. You can enjoy these casinos on the move (via an Android or iPhone Casino app) or a desktop.
Live games include a much bigger social element. You can also find side bets with giant progressive jackpots at some live casinos.
How does UTH compare to Texas Hold’em poker
The original form of Texas Hold’em poker is a player-vs-player game. This is a game of skill and chance, with a big bluffing element. To win a pot you either show down the best hand – or get your opponent to fold.
UTH is very different from the game invented from poker in Texas. It uses a similar format, but is a casino gambling game with a long-term edge in favor of the house. The shared element is that the best 5 card poker hands are made from your hole cards and the 5 community cards.
Wrapping up: Ultimate Texas Hold’em
UTH is a popular game at both live and online casinos. Strategy is relatively complex compared to other casino table games. This keeps things interesting for players. A big attraction in Ultimate Texas Hold’em is that you can win extra for making the best poker hands.
Keep in mind that you’ll bet up to 4 units extra to raise on many hands. This means a bigger starting bankroll (or smaller bets) is needed compared to other casino poker games.
Driven by the popularity of televised poker, Texas Hold'em (more commonly, ‘Hold'em’) has become the world’s most popular poker game, both in live casinos and online at PokerStars. We’ll go into more detail below, but here are the key points you need to know:
- Every player is dealt two cards, for their eyes only
- The dealer spreads five cards - three at once, then another, then another - which can be used by all players to make their best possible five-card hand
- Before and after each card(s) is revealed, players take turns to bet. To stay in the hand and see the next card, all players must have put the same amount of chips in the pot as each other
- The best poker hand wins the pot
It’s a simple game to learn, yet has the potential to be played with a seemingly infinite variety of strategies, tactics and nuance.
The Rules of Texas Hold’em
Before you begin playing Hold'em, you'll want to learn the rules. In Hold'em, each player is dealt two private cards (known as ‘hole cards’) that belong to them alone. Five community cards are dealt face-up, to form the ‘board’. All players in the game use these shared community cards in conjunction with their own hole cards to each make their best possible five-card poker hand. In Hold'em, a player may use any combination of the seven cards available to make the best possible five-card poker hand, using zero, one or two of their private hole cards. To view the rankings of poker hands, visit the poker hand ranks page.
The four major variations of Hold'em are distinguished from each other by their betting limits:
- Limit Texas Hold'em: There is a pre-determined betting limit on each round of betting.
- No Limit Texas Hold'em: A player can bet any amount, up to all of their chips.
- Pot Limit Texas Hold'em: A player can bet any amount, up to the size of the pot.
- Mixed Texas Hold'em: The game switches between rounds of Limit Texas Hold'em and No Limit Texas Hold'em.
Each of these Hold'em variations are available to play on PokerStars for free (play money) or for real money.
How to Play Texas Hold'em
To learn to play Hold'em using a hands-on method, PokerStars offers free poker games in the poker room. To start practicing your poker skills, just visit the free poker download page, install the award-winning poker software, and you'll be learning Hold'em in no time.
However, if you'd rather familiarize yourself with the rules of Hold'em first, then these instructions should help.
The Blinds
In Hold'em, a marker called ‘the button’ or ‘the dealer button’ indicates which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. Before the game begins, the player immediately clockwise from the button posts the 'small blind', the first forced bet. The player immediately clockwise from the small blind posts the 'big blind', which is typically twice the size of the small blind, but the blinds can vary depending on the stakes and betting structure being played.
In Limit games, the big blind is the same as the small bet, and the small blind is typically half the size of the big blind but may be larger depending on the stakes. For example, in a €2/€4 Limit game the small blind is €1 and the big blind is €2. In a €15/€30 Limit game, the small blind is €10 and the big blind is €15
In Pot Limit and No Limit games, the games are referred to by the size of their blinds (for example, a €1/€2 Hold’em game has a small blind of €1 and a big blind of €2).
Depending on the exact structure of the game, each player may also be required to post an ‘ante’ (another type of forced bet, usually smaller than either blind, posted by all players at the table) into the pot.
Now, each player receives his or her two hole cards. Betting action proceeds clockwise around the table, starting with the player ‘under the gun’ (immediately clockwise from the big blind).
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Player Betting Options
In Hold'em, as with other forms of poker, the available actions are ‘fold’, ‘check’, ‘bet’, ‘call’ or ‘raise’. Exactly which options are available depends on the action taken by the previous players. If nobody has yet made a bet, then a player may either check (decline to bet, but keep their cards) or bet. If a player has bet, then subsequent players can fold, call or raise. To call is to match the amount the previous player has bet. To raise is to not only match the previous bet, but to also increase it.
Pre-Flop
After seeing his or her hole cards, each player now has the option to play his or her hand by calling or raising the big blind. The action begins to the left of the big blind, which is considered a ‘live’ bet on this round. That player has the option to fold, call or raise. For example, if the big blind was €2, it would cost €2 to call, or at least €4 to raise. Action then proceeds clockwise around the table.
Note: The betting structure varies with different variations of the game. Explanations of the betting action in Limit Hold'em, No Limit Hold'em, and Pot Limit Hold'em can be found below.
Betting continues on each betting round until all active players (who have not folded) have placed equal bets in the pot.
The Flop
Now, three cards are dealt face-up on the board. This is known as ‘the flop’. In Hold'em, the three cards on the flop are community cards, available to all players still in the hand. Betting on the flop begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button. The betting options are similar to pre-flop, however if nobody has previously bet, players may opt to check, passing the action to the next active player clockwise.
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The Turn
When the betting action is completed for the flop round, the ‘turn’ is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in Hold'em (and is sometimes also called ‘Fourth Street’). Another round of betting ensues, beginning with the active player immediately clockwise from the button.
The River
When betting action is completed for the turn round, the ‘river’ or ‘Fifth Street’ is dealt face-up on the board. The river is the fifth and final community card in a Hold'em game. Betting again begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button, and the same betting rules apply as they do for the flop and turn, as explained above.
The Showdown
If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete, the last person to bet or raise shows their cards, unless there was no bet on the final round in which case the player immediately clockwise from the button shows their cards first. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. In the event of identical hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands. Hold'em rules state that all suits are equal.
After the pot is awarded, a new hand of Hold'em is ready to be played. The button now moves clockwise to the next player, blinds and antes are once again posted, and new hands are dealt to each player.
Limit, No Limit, Pot Limit and Mixed Texas Hold'em
Hold'em rules remain the same for Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit poker games, with a few exceptions:
- Limit Texas Hold'em
Betting in Limit Hold'em is in pre-determined, structured amounts. Pre-flop and on the flop, all bets and raises are of the same amount as the big blind. On the turn and the river, the size of all bets and raises doubles. In Limit Hold'em, up to four bets are allowed per player during each betting round. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap (final raise). - No Limit Texas Hold'em
The minimum bet in No Limit Hold'em is the same as the size of the big blind, but players can always bet as much more as they want, up to all of their chips.
Minimum raise: In No Limit Hold'em, the raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act bets €5 then the second player must raise a minimum of €5 (total bet of €10).
Maximum raise: The size of your stack (your chips on the table).
In No Limit Hold'em, there is no ‘cap’ on the number of raises allowed. - Pot Limit Texas Hold'em
The minimum bet in Pot Limit Hold'em is the same as the size of the big blind, but players can always bet up to the size of the pot.
Minimum raise: The raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act bets €5 then the second player must raise a minimum of €5 (total bet of €10).
Maximum raise: The size of the pot, which is defined as the total of the active pot plus all bets on the table plus the amount the active player must first call before raising.
Example: If the size of the pot is €100, and there is no previous action on a particular betting round, a player may bet a maximum of €100. After that bet, the action moves to the next player clockwise. That player can either fold, call €100, or raise any amount between the minimum (€100 more) and the maximum. The maximum bet in this case is €400 - the raiser would first call €100, bringing the pot size to €300, and then raise €300 more, making a total bet of €400.
In Pot Limit Hold'em, there is no ‘cap’ on the number of raises allowed. - Mixed Texas Hold'em
In Mixed Hold'em, the game switches between rounds of Limit Hold'em and No Limit Hold'em. The blinds are typically increased when the game switches from No Limit to Limit, to ensure some consistency in the average pot size in each game. The betting rules on each round follow the rules for that game, as described above.
In the PokerStars software, it’s not possible to bet less than the minimum or more than the maximum. The bet slider and bet window will only allow you to bet amounts within the allowed thresholds.
Learn How to Play Texas Hold'em for Free
If you want to learn how to play Hold'em, then download the PokerStars software and join any of the free poker games where you can play online against other players. Unlike our real money poker games, since there is nothing at stake, you can be comfortable learning the ropes of the game and all the rules of Hold'em. We hope to see you in our poker room, and good luck at the tables!
As well as Texas Hold’em, we also offer many other poker variants. See our Poker Games page to learn more.
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