Jackpot Hold 'Em

Introduction

Jackpot Hold'em® brings a unique twist to traditional poker, allowing players to make a raise at any moment throughout the hand. The earlier a player opts to raise, the larger the potential increase. Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em In this variant, players have the opportunity to view one of the flop cards prior to making the significant raise. However, this advantage comes with a limitation, allowing a 3x raise only on the big raise instead of a 4x option.

The game is distributed by AGS .

Rules

These guidelines presume the participant has a fundamental grasp of the Texas Hold'em game mechanics.

1. The game is conducted using a standard deck of 52 playing cards.
2. Players are required to place equivalent bets on both the Ante and the X-TRA Bonus, and they also have the option to make an additional Player Bonus bet.
3. Initially, two cards are dealt face down to the player, who is permitted to examine them.
4. Along with this, the first card from a three-card flop is revealed face up.
5. At this stage, the player has the option to either check or place a Play bet worth three times the Ante.
6. The dealer then reveals the remaining two flop cards.
7. If the player opted to check earlier, they can make a Play bet that is twice their Ante. However, if the player has already placed a Play bet, they cannot wager further.
8. The game concludes with the unveiling of the final two community cards.
9. If the player checked twice prior, they must either place a Play bet equal to their Ante or forfeit their Ante and X-TRA Bonus bets. If they had already raised, they cannot place any additional bets.
10. Both the player and dealer will form their best possible hand by utilizing their two cards and the five community cards available.
11. The dealer is required to have at least a pair in order to qualify.
12. The table below outlines how the X-TRA Bonus, Ante, and Play bets are calculated based on the winner and whether the dealer qualifies.

    Scoring Rules

    Winner	Dealer Opens	X-TRA Bonus	Ante	Play
    Player	Yes	Win	Win	Win
    Player	No	Win	Push	Win
    Dealer	Yes	Lose	Lose	Lose
    Dealer	No	Lose	Push	Lose
    Tie	Yes or No	Push	Push	Push

13. Successful Ante and Play bets yield a payout of 1 to 1, while X-TRA Bonus bets pay according to the detailed pay structure that follows.

    X-TRA Bonus Pay Table

    Player Hand	Pays
    Royal flush	500 to 1
    Straight flush	50 to 1
    Four of a kind	10 to 1
    Full house	4 to 1
    Flush	2 to 1
    Straight	1 to 1
    All other	Push

14. The Player Bonus bet payout is determined by the strength of the player’s hand, independent of the dealer's hand value, outlined in the corresponding Trips bet pay tables.

Strategy

Below is a strategy for the initial decision point, crafted by Steve Howe and generously shared with me by AGS. I must admit, I'm unsure about what he precisely means by 'reach for straight.' According to Steve, making mistakes with this strategy leads to a 0.1875% increase in the house edge.

Place a 3X raise if you hold any of the following cards; if not, opt to check:

• three-of-a-kind
• 3-suited Q+ hole cards
• any hole cards paired with flop
• A w/ 5 or better hole cards
• K w/ 8 or better hole cards
• JT+ or QT+ hole cards when aiming for a straight with the flop.
• pocket 5's or better
• Any Ace-high hole cards when pursuing a straight following the flop.

Regarding medium and small raises, players can generally feel secure applying these strategies in Ultimate Texas Hold'em. The specific tactics may differ because the X-TRA bonus payout table diverges from that of the Blind payout table, yet these differences are significant mainly for player hands that achieve a flush or higher.

Base Game Analysis

The subsequent table illustrates all the potential outcomes of the game, detailing the payouts, the number of combinations out of all possibilities, the probability, and their contributions to the overall return. The bottom right cell indicates a house edge of 2.38%, which is computed as the ratio of expected player loss relative to the Ante bet. During the hand's conclusion, the average combined wager encompassing the Ante, X-Tra Bonus, and raise will total around 3.66 units. The risk factor, calculated as the ratio of expected player loss to the average bet, stands at 0.65%.

Written by: Michael Shackleford