How to Win at Live Ultimate Texas Hold'em

Ultimate Texas Hold'Em is yet another Poker variant you can play online.

The live dealer version of the game is available at Evolution-powered online casinos. What makes this Poker variation stand out from the crowd is the Trips Bonus Bet that can earn you a prize regardless of the dealer's hand. We all love to win at casino games, and if you have been wondering how to beat Live Ultimate Texas Hold'em, you have come to the right place.

Live Ultimate Texas Hold'em Rules and Gameplay

Evolution created Ultimate Texas Hold'em Poker in partnership with Scientific Games.

The game is streamed live from their studio in Latvia 24/7 and hosted by real-life dealers. With a single 52-card deck in play, the game starts with a player placing an Ante and a Blind bet of the same value. Once they have placed their bets, the dealer deals two cards to the player and themselves. The dealer's cards will be placed face-down, so you won't be able to make further decisions based on them.

After you have received your cards, you should make your next move – to check or to continue playing. If you decide to play, you have to options: to raise your Ante bet 3x or 4x. After you have made that move, the dealer will place three community cards on the flop. If you have checked, you can go for a 2x raise or check after the tree community cards are revealed. The dealer then places two more community cards in the centre of the table. If you have checked twice, you have to choose from a 1x Play bet or fold. You will lose both your bets if you fold, though.

The main goal of the game is to create a 5-card hand that is better than the dealer's. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better. In case the dealer does not qualify but still has a better hand than the player, the player gets their Ante bet back while losing their Play and Blind bets. If the dealer does not qualify and the player's bet beats them, the player's Ante bet is a push, the Play bet earns them 1:1 while the Blind bet pays according to the Blind paytable we will attach later in the text.

All your bets are lost if the dealer qualifies and beats your hand. On the other hand, if the dealer qualifies and you have a better hand, you will win a 1:1 prize on your Ante and Play bet while the Blind bet pays according to the Blind paytable.

Hand Rankings and Blind Bet Paytable

In the game of Live Ultimate Texas Hold'em, hand rankings are as follows:

  • Pair
  • Two Pair
  • Three of a Kind
  • Straight
  • Flush
  • Full House
  • Four of a Kind
  • Straight Flush
  • Royal Flush

The players' and the dealer's hands are compared based on these card rankings, and the Blind table is used when the player wins with a better hand.

Royal Flush 500:1
Straight Flush 50:1
4 of a Kind 10:1
Full House 3:1
Flush 3:2
Straight 1:1
All other winning hands Push

Trips Bonus Bet Explained

Ultimate Texas Hold'em offers more betting options than other Poker variants. One of them is a side bet called Trips Bonus.

With it, the player predicts that they will make the 5-card poker hand by combining their two cards and three of the five cards on the flop. To win on this bet, the player needs to create a three of a kind or better hand. Trip Bonus bet payouts are awarded as follows:

Royal Flush 50:1
Straight Flush 40:1
4 of a Kind 30:1
Full House 8:1
Flush 7:1
Straight 4:1
3 of a Kind 3:1

 

The great news is that you can win with the Trips Bonus bet even when the dealer has a stronger 5-card hand.

Live Ultimate Texas Hold'em Strategy

At Ultimate Texas Hold'em, you need to make the most important decisions based only on the two cards you receive. The first thing you should know is whether to raise your Ante bet 3x or 4x or check. So here is a strategy you can apply before flop cards are dealt. You should raise your Ante bet 4x when you receive a pair of 3s or higher, a Q and a 6 of the same suit or higher, a J or an 8 of the same suit or higher, an unsuited Q and 8, an unsuited K and 5 or any Ace. In all other situations, you should check or fold.

If you have checked and three flop cards are revealed, you should raise your Ante bet 2x with two pairs or better, a pair made of one hole card and one community card above two 2s (a hidden pair) and four cards to a flush. Finally, when you see all five community cards, you should raise your Ante bet with a hidden pair or better.

To minimise the house edge, you should follow the optimal strategy. In this case, the house edge on the Ante bet would be around 2.2%, while the house edge on the Ante and Blind bets would be slightly over 0.50%. When it comes to the Trips Bonus bet, it comes with a house edge of 3.50%, which indicates that playing it is a risky move to make. However, you can give it a shot from time to time for a chance to win up to 50:1 even if the dealer beats your hand.

A Few More Tips

Just like other live dealer games, Live Ultimate Texas Hold'em can be played with real money only. Due to all the different moves you can make per round, make sure not to get overwhelmed by the game and keep an eye on your bankroll. Make sure to place smaller bets so that you can play the game longer for more opportunities to win. What's cool about this Poker variant is that the Blind bet, which is mandatory, can earn you a top payout of 500:1, so you don't have to go for the Trips Bonus side bet.