Ultimate Texas Hold'em: Rules, Payouts and Strategy Chart
October 24, 2026
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is a casino table game built on Texas Hold’em, but you play against the dealer instead of other players. Everyone gets two cards, five community cards are shared, and the best five-card hand from seven cards counts. There is only one decision that costs money, a single Play bet, and the earlier you make it, the bigger it can be: up to 4x your Ante before the flop, 2x after the flop, 1x on the river. This guide covers the rules, how every bet is settled, the Blind and Trips pay tables, a chart of the starting hands worth a 4x bet, the flop and river decisions, and the house edge.
How to play Ultimate Texas Hold’em
- Place the Ante and the Blind. Both are compulsory and must be the same amount. You can also add the optional Trips side bet.
- The deal. You and the dealer each get two cards face down. You look at yours.
- Before the flop: check, or make a Play bet of 3x or 4x your Ante.
- The flop (three community cards). If you checked, you can check again or bet 2x the Ante. If you already bet, you do nothing more for the rest of the hand.
- The turn and river (the last two community cards). If you checked twice, you must now either bet exactly 1x the Ante or fold, losing the Ante and the Blind.
- The showdown. The dealer turns over their two cards. Both sides make the best five-card hand from their two cards and the five on the board. The dealer needs a pair or better to “open” (qualify).
You make at most one Play bet per hand, so the whole game is about when to make it. Hands rank as in normal poker; our poker hands guide has the full order.
How the bets are settled
| Result | Ante | Play | Blind |
|---|---|---|---|
| You beat a dealer who opens | Pays 1:1 | Pays 1:1 | Pays from the Blind pay table |
| You beat a dealer who does not open | Returned (push) | Pays 1:1 | Pays from the Blind pay table |
| Dealer beats you | Loses (returned if the dealer does not open) | Loses | Loses |
| Tie | Push | Push | Push |
| You fold | Loses | – | Loses |
Two rules catch new players. First, a dealer who fails to open only affects the Ante; your Play bet is still settled against the dealer’s hand. Second, the Blind only pays on a straight or better. If you win with less, such as two pair, the Blind is returned.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em payouts
The Ante and the Play bet pay 1:1. The Blind pays on the strength of your winning hand:
| Your winning hand | Blind pays |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | 500 to 1 |
| Straight flush | 50 to 1 |
| Four of a kind | 10 to 1 |
| Full house | 3 to 1 |
| Flush | 3 to 2 |
| Straight | 1 to 1 |
| Anything lower | Push |
The Trips side bet
Trips pays on your own final hand only: three of a kind or better wins, whatever the dealer holds, and even if you fold. Your seven cards make three of a kind or better about 1 time in 6.5 (15.27%). Four pay tables are in use, and the difference between them is worth checking before you bet:
| Your hand | Chance | Table 1 | Table 2 | Table 3 | Table 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 1 in 30,940 | 50:1 | 50:1 | 50:1 | 50:1 |
| Straight flush | 1 in 3,591 | 40:1 | 40:1 | 40:1 | 40:1 |
| Four of a kind | 1 in 595 | 30:1 | 30:1 | 30:1 | 20:1 |
| Full house | 1 in 39 | 9:1 | 8:1 | 8:1 | 7:1 |
| Flush | 1 in 33 | 7:1 | 6:1 | 7:1 | 6:1 |
| Straight | 1 in 22 | 4:1 | 5:1 | 4:1 | 5:1 |
| Three of a kind | 1 in 21 | 3:1 | 3:1 | 3:1 | 3:1 |
| House edge | 0.90% | 1.90% | 3.50% | 6.18% |
The chances come from all 133,784,560 possible seven-card hands. The full house and flush lines decide the edge: Table 1 pays 9:1 and 7:1 on them and costs under 1%, while Table 4 pays 7:1 and 6:1 and costs almost seven times as much.
Examples: one hand, four outcomes
You bet 10 on the Ante and 10 on the Blind, no Trips.
- You hold A-K and bet 4x (40) before the flop. You finish with a flush; the dealer has a pair. Ante +10, Play +40, Blind 3:2 = +15. Total: +65.
- Same bet, you finish with a pair of kings and the dealer has only ace-high. The dealer does not open: the Ante is returned, Play +40, and the Blind is returned because a pair is less than a straight. Total: +40.
- Same bet, the dealer makes two pair. You lose the Ante, the Blind and the Play bet. Total: -60.
- You check twice and fold on the river. You lose the Ante and the Blind. Total: -20.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em strategy
The strategy below is the simple version published by the Wizard of Odds (Michael Shackleford). It covers each of the three decision points.
Before the flop: when to bet 4x
- Any ace, suited or not.
- Any pair from 3-3 up. Check with 2-2.
- King: K-5 or better of any suits; K-4, K-3 and K-2 only when suited.
- Queen: Q-8 or better of any suits; Q-7 and Q-6 only when suited.
- Jack: J-10 of any suits; J-9 and J-8 only when suited.
- Check everything else. The optimal strategy never uses the 3x option: when a hand is worth a bet before the flop, it is worth 4x.
That is 500 of the 1,326 possible starting hands, or 37.7%.
On the flop: when to bet 2x
- Two pair or better.
- A hidden pair, meaning a pair that uses at least one of your own cards, except pocket twos.
- Four to a flush when you hold a 10 or higher of that suit.
- Otherwise check.
On the river: bet 1x or fold
Bet 1x with a hidden pair or better. Otherwise count the dealer’s outs: the single cards the dealer could hold that would beat you. Bet if there are fewer than 21; fold if there are 21 or more.
Example: the board is K-9-5-3-2 with no flush possible.
- You hold 8-6. Your hand is K-9-8-6-5. Any of the 15 remaining kings, nines, fives, threes and twos pairs the dealer, and any ace, queen, jack or ten (16 cards) gives the dealer a higher high card. That is 31 outs: fold.
- You hold A-7. Your hand is A-K-9-7-5, and only the 15 pairing cards beat you: bet 1x.
House edge and odds
- House edge: with perfect play, 2.185% of the Ante per hand. Because an average hand puts 4.15 times the Ante on the table across the Ante, Blind and Play bets, that is 0.53% of everything you bet.
- The simple strategy above gives a house edge of 2.43% of the Ante (0.58% of the total bet), only slightly more than perfect play.
- The dealer fails to open on 17.4% of hands, about 1 in 6, because seven cards contain no pair that often.
- Trips costs 0.90% to 6.18% depending on the pay table, as shown above. It is a separate bet and does not change how you should play the main game.
How often each final hand turns up from your seven cards:
| Final hand | Chance |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | 0.003% |
| Straight flush | 0.028% |
| Four of a kind | 0.168% |
| Full house | 2.60% |
| Flush | 3.03% |
| Straight | 4.62% |
| Three of a kind | 4.83% |
| Two pair | 23.50% |
| Pair | 43.82% |
| High card | 17.41% |
Ultimate Texas Hold’em online
The game is available in two forms: a live dealer table, where a real dealer deals on a video stream and you make your decisions within a timer, and RNG versions that run as software at your own pace. Online pay tables can differ from the land-casino table above, so open the game’s help screen before your first hand and check the Blind and Trips lines. 22bet lists Evolution’s live Ultimate Texas Hold’em table in its live casino and JILI’s RNG Ultimate Texas Hold’em among its card games. The same lobbies carry Casino Hold’em and Texas Hold’em Bonus; our live poker guide explains how those games differ. Its card games also include Betsoft’s Pai Gow Poker, where you split seven cards into a five-card and a two-card hand.
Play responsibly
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is for players aged 18 and over. Every hand starts with two compulsory bets, and a 4x raise puts six times your Ante on the table, so stakes add up faster than the minimum suggests. Set a budget before you play and stop when it is spent.
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Ultimate Texas Hold'em FAQ
How do you play Ultimate Texas Hold'em?
Place equal Ante and Blind bets, get two cards, then make one Play bet at the point you choose: 3x or 4x the Ante before the flop, 2x after the flop, or 1x on the river (or fold). Your best five-card hand from seven cards is compared with the dealer’s.
What does the dealer need to qualify in Ultimate Texas Hold'em?
A pair or better. If the dealer does not qualify (does not “open”), only the Ante is returned; the Play and Blind bets are still settled against the dealer’s hand. This happens on about 17.4% of hands.
When should you bet 4x in Ultimate Texas Hold'em?
With any ace, any pair from 3-3 up, K-5 or better (K-2 to K-4 suited), Q-8 or better (Q-6 and Q-7 suited) and J-10 (J-8 and J-9 suited). That is 500 of the 1,326 starting hands.
What is the house edge in Ultimate Texas Hold'em?
2.185% of the Ante with perfect play, or 0.53% of the total amount bet per hand. A simple strategy gives 2.43% of the Ante.
What does the Blind bet pay?
When your hand wins: royal flush 500:1, straight flush 50:1, four of a kind 10:1, full house 3:1, flush 3:2, straight 1:1. Anything lower is a push.
How does the Trips bet work?
It pays on your final hand alone if it is three of a kind or better, even if you fold or lose to the dealer. Its house edge is 0.90% to 6.18% depending on the pay table.
Can you bet 3x before the flop?
Yes, the rules allow 3x or 4x. The optimal strategy never uses 3x: a hand worth betting before the flop is worth the full 4x.
Can you play Ultimate Texas Hold'em online?
Yes, as a live dealer game and as an RNG game. 22bet lists Evolution’s live table and JILI’s RNG version. Check the pay table in the game help before you play.