To
play, players make equal-sized bets in both the
Ante and Blind circles, and an optional Trips
bet if they so choose. Two cards are then dealt
face down to each player and to the dealer. Players
can then check or make a Play bet equal to 4X
their Ante. Then the dealer turns over three community
cards, known as the flop.
The
player who had previously checked, can either
check again, or make a Play bet equal to 2X his
or her Ante. Any player, who had already made
a Play bet, can bet no further. The dealer now
reveals the final two community cards.
Any
player, who had previously checked through the
river, must now bet 1X the Ante or fold, losing
both the Ante and Blind bets.
The
dealer now reveals the two hole cards and the
player and dealer both make the best possible
hands using any combination of their own two cards
and the five community cards.
If
the player's hand beats the dealer's, both the
Play and Ante bets are paid at even money. If
the dealer's hand beats the player's, the player's
wagers lose. If the player and dealer tie, then
the Ante, Blind, and Play bets will all push.
There
is a kicker, David, and that is that the dealer
needs at least a pair to qualify. If the dealer
doesn't qualify, he returns the player's Ante,
but all other wagers receive action. Qualifying
only matters for the purposes of the Ante bet.
Regarding
the Blind bet, if the player has the higher hand,
the Blind bet will pay according to a Blind Bet
paytable posted on the game. If the dealer has
the higher hand, the Blind bet loses.
The
Trips bonus bet pays according to the value of
the player's hand according to the table's paytable,
regardless of the value of the dealer's hand.
As
for strategy, David, because you are playing heads-up
against the dealer, allow yourself to play a bit
looser than you would on a live game of Texas
Hold'em.
Also,
since you can make just one raise at any allowable
time during the course of the hand, the earlier
the raise is made, the higher it may be. So, David,
make the 4X pre-Flop wager with any two-card hand
that has a pair of threes or higher, an ace, a
king suited with any other card, a queen suited
with six or higher, a jack suited with 8 or higher,
an unsuited king with a five or higher, and an
unsuited queen with an eight or higher.
Dear
Mark: I'm in love with Ultimate Texas Hold'em.
I do have one question though regarding one of
the bets on the layout. The game offers an optional
side bet called the Trips bonus bet. Is it worth
playing, and by that I mean is it under your recommended
two percent casino advantage? Jim S.
The
optional Trips bonus bet you speak off pays odds
if the player's final five-card hand is a three-of-a-kind
or better regardless of the value of the dealer's
hand. Although the paytable listed on the layout
varies from casino to casino, if you find one
that pays Trips 3 to 1, Straight 5 to 1, Flush
6 to 1, Full House 8 to 1, Quads 30 to 1, Straight
Flush 40 to 1, and Royal Flush 50 to 1, the house
edge is 1.9%, and obviously under my recommended
"only make bets that have less than a 2%
casino advantage."
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