Ultimate Texas Hold’em is a popular card game created by Bally Technologies at the height of the poker boom in 2009.
You can play this poker-style game at the best online casinos in Michigan, including BetMGM, Caesars Palace, DraftKings, and FanDuel.
This guide explains how to play Ultimate Texas Hold’em, the different betting options at your disposal, and our top tips for success.
What is Ultimate Texas Hold’em?
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is a poker-style game in which you compete against the house. The idea is to build a better five-card hand than the dealer, using your two cards and the five community cards. The game uses a 52-card deck, which is shuffled at the end of each round.
This game has a low house edge, but you need to know when to fold and when to raise the ante. Below, we explain how to maximize your chances of success.
How to play Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Ultimate Texas Hold’em follows a similar format to poker-style games such as Jacks or Better, three card poker, and Caribbean Stud. However, Ultimate Texas Hold’em is slightly more complex than those games, and it also gives you the chance to bet aggressively if you like. Follow these steps to get started.
1. Choose your bet size
Head to the table games section of your online casino and click the Ultimate Texas Hold’em game. You will then be presented with the table and a variety of chips.
To begin the game, you need to make equal bets on the ante and the blind. For example, if you select the $5 chip and lay it down on the “Ante” section, a $5 bet will also appear on the “Blind” section, taking your total risk to $10.
2. Receive your hand
When you have placed your chips on the table, click “Deal.” You will receive two cards face up, and the dealer will receive two cards face down.
At this point, you can assess the strength of your hand. Hands are ranked from best to worst as follows in Ultimate Texas Hold’em:
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- Pair
- High card
3. Choose your next move
After receiving your two starting cards, you can choose one of three options:
- Check | You do not risk any more money.
- 3x | Make a play bet of 3x the ante. For example, if your ante bet is $5, you will wager $15.
- 4x | Bet a play bet of 4x the ante.
If you make a play bet, all five community cards will be dealt, and your hand will be evaluated against the dealer’s hand. The round then ends.
Alternatively, if you opt to check, three community cards will be dealt. This is known as the flop. You then have two options:
- Check | You do not risk any more money.
- 2x | Make a play bet of 2x the ante.
If you make a play bet, the remaining two community cards will be dealt, and your hand will be evaluated against the dealer’s hand. The round will then end.
Alternatively, if you decide to check, the remaining two community cards will be dealt. That means you will be able to determine the strength of your hand. At this point, you have a final choice:
- 1x | Make a play bet of 1x your ante.
- Fold All | Surrender your ante and blind bets, in which case the round ends and you lose your money.
If you make the play bet, the dealer’s cards will be turned over, and your hand will be evaluated against the dealer’s hand.
4. Bets are settled
When the dealer’s cards are revealed, there are five potential outcomes.
| Dealer Has a Pair or Better | Who has the stronger hand? | Blind bet result | Ante bet result | Play bet result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Player | Win | Win | Win |
| No | Player | Win | Push | Win |
| Yes | Dealer | Lose | Lose | Lose |
| No | Dealer | Lose | Push | Lose |
| Yes or no | Tie | Push | Push | Push |
A push means you neither win nor lose. You get your money back. As you can see, the best outcome is that the dealer does not have a pair or better and you have the stronger hand. That means all three of your bets will pay out.
5. Collect your winnings
If you win, the funds will be added to your cash balance immediately. The ante and play bets always pay out at 1:1. However, the blind bet will pay out according to the strength of your hand, as seen below:
- Royal flush (500:1)
- Straight flush (50:1)
- Four of a kind (10:1)
- Full house (3:1)
- Flush (3:2)
- Straight (1:1)
If your hand is weaker than a straight but beats the dealer’s hand, your blind bet will be graded as a push. That means you get your money back, neither winning nor losing.
Trips bet
This is an optional side bet, which you can make at the start of each round. It will pay out according to the value of your hand, irrespective of the dealer’s hand.
That means the trips bet can pay out even if you have a weaker hand than the house. These are the payouts:
- Royal flush (50:1)
- Straight flush (40:1)
- Four of a kind (30:1)
- Full house (8:1)
- Flush (7:1)
- Straight (4:1)
- Three of a kind (3:1)
Virtual Ultimate Texas Hold’em vs. Ultimate Texas Hold’em Live
Light & Wonder, formerly known as Scientific Games, owns Ultimate Texas Hold’em. The company purchased Bally Technologies for $5.1 billion in 2014.
It offers a virtual Ultimate Texas Hold’em game, which is powered by random number generators (RNG). The Michigan Gaming Control Board tests the RNG tools to verify that they provide random, accurate, fair results.
Light & Wonder has also teamed up with Evolution Gaming, which has a live dealer studio in Detroit, to create a live version of Ultimate Texas Hold’em. You can play Ultimate Texas Hold’em Live with an actual dealer based in Evolution Gaming’s studio. The gameplay is the same, but no RNG software is required and you can interact with the dealer throughout by using a chat box.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em strategy
There are seven scenarios in which it is advisable to raise 4x at the first betting round. Do so if you have any of these hands:
- Ace-high or better
- Suited King-high
- Unsuited King-5 or better
- Suited Queen-6 or higher
- Unsuited Queen-8 or better
- Suited Jack-10 or better
If you check at the first betting round, three community cards will be dealt. You will then be given the option to raise 2x the ante bet. There are two situations in which you should raise 2x:
- You have two pairs or better.
- You have a hidden pair (one of your cards and one community card) that is better than deuces (a pair of 3s or higher).
- You have four of the five cards needed to create a flush. One of your two starting cards must also be 10 or better.
In the final betting round, all five community cards will be revealed. There are two situations in which you should go for the small raise of 1x your ante at this stage:
- You have a hidden pair or better.
- Fewer than 21 of the dealer’s face down cards would cause you to lose.
Tips for Ultimate Texas Hold’em players
- This game has a house edge of just 0.53%, but only if you make the optimal decisions when it comes to the large raise, medium raise, and small raise.
- Practice Ultimate Texas Hold’em for free in demo mode while mastering the strategy laid out above, and you can then switch to real money play.
- The trips side bet has a 3.5% house edge, which is significantly higher than the base game, so it is best avoided.
- Claim bonuses and promotions at your online casino, but check the terms and conditions to see if Ultimate Texas Hold’em contributes to the wagering requirements.
Where to play Ultimate Texas Hold’em for free
The best online casinos in Michigan allow you to play virtual Ultimate Texas Hold’em in demo mode. You can practice with fun money and switch to real money at any point. These are the best sites to learn the ropes.
- BetMGM | You can play virtual Ultimate Texas Hold’em for free in demo mode before playing the virtual game or the live dealer version for real money at BetMGM.
- Caesars Palace Casino | Virtual Ultimate Texas Hold’em is playable from $0.10 to $300 at Caesars Palace Casino, and Michiganders can try it out for free in demo mode.
- DraftKings Casino | The virtual game has bet limits of $0.20 to $400 at DraftKings, and the live dealer version is playable from $0.50 to $1,000. There are also four progressive jackpots—Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega. They are optional, requiring a separate $0.25 bet on each round.