Much like the poker room version of the game, Ultimate Texas Hold’em offers players plenty of chances to flex their strategic muscles. The fact that there are several decision points during each hand complicates things greatly, and perfect, optimal strategy can be rather complicated. Remember that if you want to get better at developing your strategy in Ultimate Texas Holdem, practice and practice until you get a better feel of the game. That way it will be much easier for you to make the right moves.

However, it’s fairly simple to come up with a plan that will stop you from making any major mistakes. We’ve presented one here that should help you get started, allowing you to approach the table with confidence, knowing that you are playing well enough to avoid leaving very much money on the table in the long run.

Should You Make the Initial 4x Raise?

First, we need to decide whether or not we are going to make the initial 4x raise with our initial hand. We recommend raising with any of the following hands:

• Any Ace

• King-Three or higher

• Queen-Seven or higher

• Jack-Nine or higher

• All Pairs, Except for Twos

If you get to the flop (the first three community cards) without raising, you’ll have another chance to make a Play bet for 2x your Ante. You should do so any time you have the following:

• A pair that uses at least one of your hole cards
  (again, excepting the case where you have a pair of twos as your hole cards and nothing else)

• Any hand of two pair or better

• Four cards to a flush, if one of your hole cards is at least a ten

Fold or Play on the River?

If you still haven’t made a bet by the time you get to the river (when all five community cards are dealt), you’ll need to decide whether or not to fold or make the small Play bet. At this point, it is safe to make the bet if you have at least a pair that uses at least one of your hole cards. If you do not have that strong a hand, try to count how many single dealer cards could possibly beat you. If the total number of possible cards is 20 or less, you should make the bet; if it is 21 or more, it is time to fold.

If you are having trouble doing the math on this final decision, it is okay to estimate; anything around the cutoff point will be a fairly marginal situation. However, you do not want to pass up a situation where you have a big edge, or bet one when it is almost certain that the dealer has you beaten, so try to at least make a rough assessment of where you stand if you did not connect with the board at all.

Overall, the house edge in this game is only about 2.19%, which is very competitive when compared to the whole range of casino games. Using this strategy won’t get the casino’s advantage quite that low, but we’re confident that it will keep it well under 3%, meaning you won’t be giving up much by following only these simple suggestions.

Payouts in Ultimate Texas Holdem differ depending the kind of bet you make (Ante/Play bets vs Trips bets). Let’s take a closer look at the different payout combinations on offer for each type of bet.

Ante and Play Bets

The Ante and Play bets pay out rather simply: if the player wins, they receive even money on their wagers. The Blind bet, however, is a bit more complicated. If the player has made a winning hand of less than a straight, then the bet will only push. However, all stronger hands pay the player based on their strength, according to this pay table:

Trips Payouts

You can also make an optional Trips bet at the start of each hand. This bet pays out based solely on the strength of your hand, and it doesn’t require you to beat the dealer in order to win. In fact, even folding your hand does not prevent you from winning money on this side bet. The Trips pay table can vary, but one popular one looks like this:

In some online casinos, there is also a progressive side bet that players can play for one dollar. The specifics of these bets vary, but they will usually require a royal flush in order to win the full jackpot – sometimes on the first five cards the player sees (their hidden cards plus the first three community cards), or at the end of a hand.

You can improve your Ultimate Texas Hold’em strategy and odds of winning by following our expert tips.

Our top five tips are:

• Practice with Free Ultimate Texas Hold’em

  Free online Ultimate Texas Hold’em games are the perfect way to get to grips with the game. You can hone your skills and get used to the different types of bets without risking any of your own money. We have a free game right here on this page that you can use to practice Ultimate Texas Holdem with no download or registration needed.

• Bet 4x When Dealt a Strong Hand

  Every Ultimate Texas Holdem expert will advise you to bet 4x pre-flop when you are dealt a strong hand. Such hands include those that contain an Ace, K-5+, Q-8+, J-10+, or any pairs. These pocket cards will place you in a very strong position to beat the dealer, so capitalize by making the aggressive play.

• Don’t Make a 3x Raise

  Unless your balance is running low and you can’t afford to do so, always raise by 4x rather than 3x. All leading Ultimate Texas Hold’em experts agree that there is no value in raising by 3x. In the long run, you will be leaving a lot of money on the Ultimate Texas Hold’em table if you raise 3x pre-flop instead of 4x.

• Place Trips Bets Sparingly

  A Trips bet is simply a side bet that is made in addition to your Ante bet. By playing it, you are increasing the size of your total bet for each hand. The house gains an edge of 1.9% when you place a Trips bet, which emphasizes that it’s a bet that the online casino wants you to make. Don’t overplay this side bet.

• Raise Hands Greater Than Trips

  Whether you are on the turn or making your final decision at showdown, Ultimate Texas Hold’em strategy advises to always raise when your hand is better than a three of a kind. A raise is always the value bet in this position. The dealer would need to have an extremely strong hand to beat you.