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Ultimate Texas Hold \"Em (3x)

Introduction

I want to express my skepticism regarding the existence of this game. I received unreliable information from a post in my forum at Wizard of Vegas the game. This experience highlights the importance of verifying information online, even if it seems credible thanks to a 99.996% well-informed contributor. I have invested a considerable amount of time on this page, so I will keep it available, but I suggest you skip it.

This page discusses a variation of Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em® in which players can only increase their bet up to 3 times before the flop. You can find this version at the Scarlet Pearl casino in Biloxi, MS. For the classic edition that allows a raise of 4 times before the flop, please refer to my page on Ultimate Texas Hold \"Em .

Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em® is a poker-themed casino game where players can make one raise at any point in the hand. The earlier the raise occurs, the more substantial it can be. Unlike other poker-style games, actions after the ante still remain valid, even if the dealer does not open. The genesis of this game is credited to Roger Snow from Shuffle Master. A variation of this game, with slight rule modifications, is distributed by Galaxy Gaming and is known in some areas as Heads Up Hold \"Em . Evolution Gaming a provider of live dealer games for online casinos, refers to this game as 'Extreme Texas Hold 'Em' in certain jurisdictions for legal purposes.

ULTIMATE TEXAS HOLD 'EM® is a trademark owned by Bally Gaming, Inc., and is displayed here with their consent.

Where to Play Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em Online for Real Money

How To Video

The following video demonstrates the standard version of the game, where players can raise up to 4 times before the flop.

Rules

Below are the rules for what I consider the less favorable 3x version of Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em, which is covered on this page.

  1. The game is played with a standard deck consisting of 52 cards.
  2. Players need to place equal bets on both the Ante and Blind, and they can also choose to place an optional Trips bet.
  3. Each participant receives two face-down cards, and the dealer also gets two. The player is allowed to peek at their own cards.
  4. Players may either check or place a Play bet that is three times the Ante.
  5. The dealer will reveal three community cards.
  6. If the player checked previously, they can make a Play bet equal to twice their Ante. If they have already made a Play bet, they cannot place another.
  7. Two additional community cards will be revealed.
  8. If the player checked two times earlier, they are then required to either make a Play bet equal to their Ante or fold, resulting in the loss of both Ante and Blind bets. If the player has previously raised, they cannot bet more.
  9. Both the player and the dealer will aim to create the best possible hand using a combination of their two cards and the five community cards.
  10. The dealer must hold at least a pair to qualify for the opening.
  11. The following chart outlines how winnings are calculated based on the Blind, Ante, and Play bets, taking into account who wins and whether the dealer qualifies.

    Scoring Rules

    Winner Dealer Opens Blind 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
  12. Winnings from Ante and Play bets pay out at a rate of 1 to 1. Winning Blind bets are paid according to the specified pay table.

    Blind Bet Pay Table

    Player Hand 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
    All other Push
  13. The Trips bet pays out according to the poker hand value of the player, independent of the dealer's hand. More information about the Trips bet pay table can be found on my standard page. Ultimate Texas Hold \"Em .

Analysis

There are 52 different outcomes possible for each hand. The table below lists the probability of each outcome and its contribution to the overall return when optimal strategies are applied. A raise of 3x is categorized as a 'large raise,' a 2x raise as 'medium,' and a 1x raise as 'small.'

Return TableExpand

Raise Dealer
Qualifies
Player Hand Winner Pays Combinations Probability Return
Large Yes Less than straight Player 4 3,140,424,343,760 0.112909 0.451635
Large Yes Straight Player 5 195,058,020,480 0.007013 0.035065
Large Yes Flush Player 5.5 199,160,655,360 0.007160 0.039383
Large Yes Full house Player 7 261,421,403,040 0.009399 0.065793
Large Yes Four of a kind Player 14 21,003,399,360 0.000755 0.010572
Large Yes Straight flush Player 54 1,444,036,640 0.000052 0.002804
Large Yes Royal flush Player 504 556,552,440 0.000020 0.010085
Large No Less than straight Player 3 1,317,173,128,560 0.047357 0.142070
Large No Straight Player 4 64,386,219,840 0.002315 0.009260
Large No Flush Player 4.5 41,791,833,360 0.001503 0.006762
Large No Full house Player 6 0 0.000000 0.000000
Large No Four of a kind Player 13 0 0.000000 0.000000
Large No Straight flush Player 53 180,911,880 0.000007 0.000345
Large No Royal flush Player 503 86,472,360 0.000003 0.001564
Large     Push 0 223,641,379,520 0.008041 0.000000
Large Yes   Dealer -5 3,192,698,833,800 0.114788 -0.573941
Large No   Dealer -4 66,873,993,600 0.002404 -0.009617
Medium Yes Less than straight Player 3 2,415,318,761,280 0.086839 0.260516
Medium Yes Straight Player 4 158,035,798,360 0.005682 0.022728
Medium Yes Flush Player 4.5 183,447,763,404 0.006596 0.029680
Medium Yes Full house Player 6 320,575,227,408 0.011526 0.069155
Medium Yes Four of a kind Player 13 20,440,911,312 0.000735 0.009554
Medium Yes Straight flush Player 53 3,016,851,612 0.000108 0.005749
Medium Yes Royal flush Player 503 147,692,880 0.000005 0.002671
Medium No Less than straight Player 2 1,207,385,216,712 0.043410 0.086819
Medium No Straight Player 3 53,068,201,380 0.001908 0.005724
Medium No Flush Player 3.5 45,718,738,920 0.001644 0.005753
Medium No Full house Player 5 0 0.000000 0.000000
Medium No Four of a kind Player 12 0 0.000000 0.000000
Medium No Straight flush Player 52 397,598,400 0.000014 0.000743
Medium No Royal flush Player 502 11,938,680 0.000000 0.000215
Medium     Push 0 214,144,135,720 0.007699 0.000000
Medium Yes   Dealer -4 2,047,325,382,988 0.073608 -0.294433
Medium No   Dealer -3 11,023,268,784 0.000396 -0.001189
Small Yes Less than straight Player 2 1,600,861,520,204 0.057556 0.115113
Small Yes Straight Player 3 421,268,280,080 0.015146 0.045438
Small Yes Flush Player 3.5 202,016,746,236 0.007263 0.025421
Small Yes Full house Player 5 46,108,374,192 0.001658 0.008289
Small Yes Four of a kind Player 12 961,429,692 0.000035 0.000415
Small Yes Straight flush Player 52 2,023,968,588 0.000073 0.003784
Small Yes Royal flush Player 502 46,580,760 0.000002 0.000841
Small No Less than straight Player 1 816,981,676,824 0.029373 0.029373
Small No Straight Player 2 145,034,240,580 0.005214 0.010429
Small No Flush Player 2.5 43,096,215,600 0.001549 0.003874
Small No Full house Player 4 0 0.000000 0.000000
Small No Four of a kind Player 11 0 0.000000 0.000000
Small No Straight flush Player 51 279,004,320 0.000010 0.000512
Small No Royal flush Player 501 6,914,880 0.000000 0.000125
Small     Push 0 455,005,062,076 0.016359 0.000000
Small Yes   Dealer -3 3,115,133,127,184 0.112000 -0.335999
Small No   Dealer -2 60,518,663,424 0.002176 -0.004352
Fold -2 5,498,509,547,520 0.197690 -0.395380
Total   27,813,810,024,000 1.000000 -0.096655

The lower right cell shows a house edge with an expected loss of 9.67% per Ante bet. For example, if you wager $100 initially on both the Ante and Blind, you can anticipate losing about 9.67 cents on average. However, to assess the risk involved, I think it's more pertinent to examine the Element of Risk. On average, the total amount staked at the hand's conclusion is 3.67 times the ante bet, resulting in an expected loss of 9.67% divided by 3.67, which equals approximately 2.63%. The standard deviation in relation to the Ante is 4.94. element of risk As a comparison, in the classic version of Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em, where players can increase their bets 4 times before the flop, the house edge stands at 2.19%, and the element of risk is merely 0.53%. This indicates that in this 3x version, players are likely to lose up to five times more.

The following is a detailed 'Wizard Strategy' for playing Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em®.

Wizard Strategy

Large Raise : The table below presents the scenarios in which a 4X raise should be made.

Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em strategy for 3x pre-flop

<strong>Medium Raise</strong> : Execute the 2X raise with any of the following hands:

Four cards towards a flush, with a concealed 10 or higher in that flush.

  • Two pair or better.
  • Hidden pair*, except pocket deuces.
  • * A hidden pair refers to any pair that includes at least one of your hole cards (thus hidden from the dealer).

Small Raise : Place a 1X raise with any of the scenarios listed below; otherwise, fold:

When I say 'out,' I'm referring to a dealer's hole card that would lead to your loss. Let's consider an example here.

  • Hidden pair or better.
  • Less than 21 dealer outs beat you.

Example

In the aforementioned example, there are 15 possible cards that can pair with the dealer and cause you to lose (three of each: K, 7, 2, A, and 10). Additionally, the two ranks of jacks and queens can outkick you. Since all four jacks and queens are available, that adds 2x4=8 more cards that will beat you. Therefore, we reach a total of 15 + 8 = 23. We don’t count the three remaining nines because they will only result in a push. Hence, with only 23 outs available (21 or more), we opt to fold.

Using the calculator, we can see that the expected value of raising with this hand is -2.136364, which is worse than the -2 from choosing to fold.

BTW, using my Ultimate Texas Hold \"Em® A common query pertains to card combinations that might surpass the player's hand. For instance, if the dealer receives two spades that could complete a flush, the answer is that it doesn't because factoring in double-card combinations that would give the dealer a winning hand complicates the strategy.

The second and third points of decision-making incorporate the strategy developed by James Grosjean, whose work I respect greatly. If you seek an even stronger strategy, I highly recommend his approach over the simpler methods I have provided.

For rules and analytical discussion on various side bets, including the Trips bet, please reference my page on standard.

All Side Bets

You can play for free while utilizing an advice feature to correct any mistakes you might make. Ultimate Texas Hold \"Em

Internal Links

External Links

  • Wikipedia — Entry on Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em.
  • Discountgambling.net Shufflemaster's Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em® page.
  • — Enjoy this licensed demo game available on our partner site Latest Casino Bonuses.
  • Demo game regarding this 3x version can be discussed in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.
  • Discussion Discover mathematically sound strategies and insights for casino games such as blackjack, craps, roulette, and many others available to play.