Ultimate Texas Holdem Strategy for Beginners

Ultimate Texas Holdem Strategy Guide: Rules for Winning

Don’t let the above title fool you – there’s no way to guarantee a profit in any casino game. But if you play your cards right, a good Ultimate Texas Holdem strategy can drop the house edge to 0.526%. Play it wrong, and the house edge will start at 2.85%, increasing with every bad decision made.

The first thing you need to know is that there’s a big difference between Texas Holdem Poker and Ultimate Texas Holdem. The former is a player-vs-player game that often involves bluffing and outwitting your opponents through mental aptitude.

Despite its similar appearance, Ultimate Texas Holdem is completely differently. This is a house-banked game that offers to such psychological advantage. It’s player-vs-dealer, and only the best hand wins. Therefore you’ll need a completely different Ultimate Texas Holdem strategy to win more often.

Ultimate Texas Holdem Rules

The rules of the game are simple, especially if you already know how to play Texas Holdem poker. Here’s a quick rundown of game play.

   – 1 standard 52-card deck I used, reshuffled after every hand.
   – Player makes equal Ante and Blind bet to start.
   – Player and dealer each dealt 2 hole cards (face down); player may look at own cards.
   – Player will either Check or Raise, with Raise equal to 3x or 4x the Ante.
   – Three community cards are dealt (face up).
   – If Player checked before, he may Check again or Raise 2x the Ante. If a Raise was already placed, no further bets can be placed.
   – Final two community cards are dealt.
   – Player must Raise equal to Ante if he’s checked on both previous rounds, or Fold. If a Raise was already placed, no further bets can be placed.
   – Player and Dealer set highest ranking hands from their own hole cards and community cards.
   – Highest ranking hand wins. Dealer must have Any Pair or better to “qualify”.

Ultimate Texas Holdem Payouts

Remember, there are three bets that may (or may not) win here; the Blind, the Ante and the Raise. The relative payouts and dealer hand qualifications are as follows.

   – If the Player wins and the Dealer qualifies, Blind, Ante and Raise bets win.
   – If the Player wins and the Dealer does not qualify, Blind and Raise bets win; Ante is a push.
   – If the Dealer wins and qualifies, Blind, Ante and Raise bet are lost.
   – If the Dealer wins and does not qualify, Blind and Raise bets are lost; Ante is a push.
   – In the case of Tie, all bets push regardless of dealer qualification.

Blind Bet Pays: Ante and Raise bets are always paid even money. Blind bets pay according to the following pay table, based on the player’s progressive hand ranks.

   – Royal Flush Pays 500 to 1
   – Straight Flush Pays 50 to 1
   – Four of a Kind Pays 10 to 1
   – Full House Pays 3 to 1
   – Flush Pays 3 to 2
   – Straight Pays 1 to 1
   – All Others are a Push

Ultimate Texas Holdem Strategy

The biggest takeaway from the rules section is that the amount a player is allowed to Raise will decrease with each passing round of play. Either way, a Raise (aka Play Bet) must be made at some point, or the player must fold.

There’s a very basic chart players can use to ensure they are always making the right move. Note that this is an Ultimate Texas Holdem strategy for beginners, and that more advanced tactics can be applied later.

Note: If you’re dealt a pair in the hole, always Raise pre-flop unless they’re 2s (Raise after flop if 2s). For all other hands, follow this Ultimate Texas Holdem strategy chart. If your hand still falls into the “N” column after all community cards are dealt, fold.