Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is a ShuffleMaster table game based on the popular poker game. The description and rules of the game are found online. I didn’t find a basic strategy anywhere for the game, so I devised one myself using my own analysis program.
The game is very popular, because the house edge is reasonable, and because of the trips bet pay table. Most of the post-flop decisions are fairly normal (bet when you have something, otherwise check). However, there are some situations on the flop where you need to check bottom or small pocket pairs. Conversely, there are times when you bet a draw, or a good kicker. On the river, my strategy table tells you when to call 1x with good kickers.
Basic Strategy Card for Ultimate Texas Hold'em.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em Basic Strategy
I find that people play quite differently from basic strategy. Granted, my site is the first to publish strategy for post-flop play, but I thought that people would instinctively figure it out. From what I’ve seen, people are very reluctant to raise pre-flop (4x) without a big pocket pair, or at least Ace + face. They’re very surprised to see me raise with J8s, or K5o. On the flop, people check pairs, waiting to just call on the river. Conversely, on the river, people frequently call with a bad kicker. Many of these mistakes cost 20% or more of the ante, or $1 of $5. So, to help out the fans of this game, I’m writing this basic strategy tutorial. Near-optimal play is very simple, and easy to master. With a little experience, you’ll play faster than the dealer. At a 2.2% (of the ante) house edge, the game is very cheap, since your average 4.2 unit bet reduces the house take to 0.5% of your action. It’s better than most blackjack games.
Preflop (4x)
It’s very simple to make the optimal pre-flop decision. If your starting hand is equal to, or better than the hands listed in the above table, you raise 4x, and you wait to see if you win. If your starting hand isn’t good enough to raise, then just check, and wait for the flop.
The hands that are good enough to raise 4x:
- pair of 3′s or higher
- Ace + anything
- any suited King, or King and 5 or higher
- Queen and 6 suited, or Queen and 8 or higher
- Jack and 8 suited, or Jack and Ten
It’s really important to raise your 4x preflop opportunities. The “play” bet is where you make all your money
| Bet | Required | Amount | Return | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ante | yes | 1x | -16.6% | dealer must qualify for player to win push if dealer doesn’t qualify (and player didn’t fold) |
| Blind | yes | 1x | -31.5% | pays winning hand on straight or better a.k.a. the “Rake” bet built-in “bonus” bet pays 500x for a Royal Flush, etc. |
| Play | player decision |
4x@preflop 2x@flop 1x@river |
+45.9% of ante | This is the player advantage bet, you should always bet when indicated, to overcome the Rake |
| Trips | optional | table limits | -1.904% for standard paytable | Not bad as far as “bonus” (“sucker”) bets go. |
The table below shows a few pre-flop decision points, and the difference between raising 4x and just checking. My program comes up with the exact same EVs as The Wizard of Odds, as we’re probably doing the exact same recursive calculations. It takes me about 16 hours to calculate each of these preflop points, and it took the Wizard 2 months of compute time to calculate the EV over each of the possible starting hands (pairs, suited & offsuit combinations).
| hand | EV(check) | EV(4x) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| As 2s | +0.1665 | +0.3999 | raise with Ace anything |
| Kh 2h | -0.0799 | -0.0745 | raising K2s beats checking by 0.54% of the Ante bet |
| Kh 8d | -0.0040 | +0.1663 | checking makes it a loser; raising 4x makes it a winner |
| Qh 8d | -0.0926 | -0.0694 | raising Q8o beats checking by 2.3% of the Ante bet |
| Kh 5d | -0.1511 | -0.1176 | raising K5o beats checking by 3.35% of the Ante bet |
Flop (2x)
Betting Pairs
Generally, you bet (2x) any pair you’ve made on the flop. The only time you’d check your pair is if the board is suited, and you have a pair, no flush draw, and your kicker is smaller than the board (it’s pretty rare). Also, you should check your small pocket pair (4′s or smaller) if the board is paired, and all the board cards are bigger than your pair. And, you should check your pocket pair if the board is suited, unless you have a flush draw, or there are smaller cards on the board, as described in the strategy table. But other than those rare cases, you’re betting 2x on any pair you make.
| hand | board | EV(check) | EV(bet) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2h 3d | Ah Kc 2s | -0.3492 | -0.2442 | bet any pair (non pocket) on an offsuit board |
| 2h 3d | Ah Ac 2s | +0.3974 | +0.5080 | bet any pair (non pocket) on a paired board |
| 2h 2c | Kc Qc 4c | -0.1657 | -0.1405 | bet any pair with a flush draw |
| 3c 5d | 3h 2h Th | -0.4781 | -0.4463 | bet mid or top pair on a suited board |
| 6c 9c | Ad Jd 6d | -0.5031 | -0.4768 | bet bottom pair on a suited board w/ 6th nut kicker |
| 3c 3d | 7h 7d Th | -0.1361 | -0.2446 | check pair < fives on paired board with no board undercards |
Betting Kickers
If you’re holding high cards (like Ace, or other “nut” kickers), and you didn’t 4x raise preflop, you can still 2x bet on a paired flop according to the basic strategy table. E.g., if you’re holding an Ace, and the board is paired, you should bet 2x now. But if the board isn’t paired, even if you have AK, you can’t bet your hand.
| hand | board | EV(check) | EV(bet) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ah Kd | 4h 5s 9s | -0.6489 | -0.6570 | non-paired board, check nut kickers |
| Kh Jd | 5h 5s 9s | -0.3978 | -0.3927 | paired board, bet 2nd and 4th nut kickers |
| Ah 6d | 5h 5s 9s | -0.2430 | -0.1773 | paired board, bet 1st nut kicker |
Betting Straight Draws
Generally, you will only consider betting outside straight draws of JT98 or better. If the board isn’t paired or suited, then you can bet any JT98 or better draw, except the “idiot-end” (you have 98). If the board is paired, you can bet a T987 draw if your cards are T9, otherwise the first rule applies. If the board is suited, you can’t bet any straight draw unless you also have a flush draw. Also, only bet the straight draws mentioned when both your hole cards play, or your kicker is an overcard to the board.
Interestingly, you should bet a gutshot to an A-high straight when you have nut kicker. This is a combination kicker & straight draw bet, and while it doesn’t occur very frequently, it’ll probably occur to you that betting it is better than checking.
| hand | board | EV(check) | EV(bet) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9s Td | Jh Qs 3s | -0.0060 | +0.0887 | bet low end of QJT9 outside straight draw |
| 9s 8d | Jh Ts 3s | -0.1644 | -0.1922 | check low end of JT98 outside straight draw |
| 9s Td | Jh 8s 3s | -0.0076 | +0.0470 | bet any JT98 outside straight draw other than “idiot-end” |
| 9s Td | 7h 8s 3s | +0.0113 | -0.0483 | check any straight draw less than JT98 |
| Ks Qd | Th 2h Jh | -0.2475 | -0.2495 | on a suited board, check all straight draws w/o flush draw |
| 3d Qd | Js Th 9c | -0.3452 | -0.4325 | check QTJ9 unless both hole cards are higher than 9 |
| Ks 3c | As Qh Td | -0.4229 | -0.3918 | bet a combination nut kicker and gutshot straight draw |
Betting Flush Draws
If the board isn’t paired or suited, can bet any 4th nut flush draw or better. Also, bet any 5th nut flush draw if there are any board cards smaller than your lowest card. The same goes for paired boards. Bet any 4th nut flush draw, or 5th nut draw and both your cards are higher than the board singleton.
When the board is suited, you may bet your flush draw depending on how high it is, and whether you have a kicker, pair, or other draw. If you are drawing to 2nd nut or better, you don’t need anything else to bet. If you’re drawing to 3rd nut flush, you need an board undercard, i.e., at least one card on the board is smaller than your kicker.
For lower flush draws, you need a good kicker to bet the flop. The example below shows 5th nut flush draw & 3rd nut kicker is good enough to bet. Note that failing to bet 5th nut flush draw & 2nd nut kicker will cost you almost 10% of your ante, i.e., $.50 for a $5 ante. That’s significant. As you can see, the house makes a very healthy profit on misplayed hands.
Finally, bet any pair with any flush draw.
| hand | board | EV(check) | EV(bet) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qh 5d | 4h 7h 9h | +0.1697 | +0.2098 | bet 3rd nut flush draw with any board under card |
| Qh 3d | 4h 7h 9h | +0.1089 | +0.1067 | check 3rd nut flush draw with no board under cards |
| 7h Td | Ah Kh 8h | -0.0255 | -0.0082 | bet 5th nut flush draw with 3rd nut kicker |
| 7h Jd | Ah Kh 8h | +0.0660 | +0.1546 | bet 5th nut flush draw with 2nd nut kicker |
| Th 3h | 8h 2h Qs | +0.1807 | +0.1939 | bet 5th nut flush draw & any board undercards to your smallest card |
| 3h 2d | 2h 8h Th | +0.1614 | +0.3131 | bet any pair with any flush draw |
| Th 5h | 3h 3d 4h | +0.5343 | +0.5437 | bet 5th nut flush draw w/ overs on paired board |
Betting Combination Draws
On non-suited boards, you should bet most flush draws accompanied by open-ended straight draws.
| hand | board | EV(check) | EV(bet) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8h 5h | 6d Kh 7h | +0.9417 | +1.0705 | bet flush draw & outside straight draw |
| 4h 6h | 5d Kh 3h | +0.9441 | +0.9551 | bet flush draw & outside straight draw |
| 3h 6h | 5d Kh 4h | +0.8933 | +0.8829 | check this combo draw (holding a 3) |
| 8c 5h | 6h Kh 7h | +0.4793 | +0.4091 | on suited board, check combo draws |
| Th 2s | 8h 9h 7h | +4.5938 | +4.5869 | check 5th nut flush w/ straight draw on suited board |
| 6h 5h | 3h 3d 4h | +5.1212 | +5.1371 | on paired board, bet outside straight flush draw w/ >65 in hand |
| 6h 5h | 8h 8d 7h | +4.9893 | +5.0284 | on paired board, bet outside straight flush draw w/ >65 in hand |
River (1x)
Made Hand on Board
If there’s a made hand on board (straight, flush, full house, straight flush), call to play the board for a probable push.
Beating the Board
If the board isn’t a scare board as described below, call any time you beat the board (by more than just kickers). This means call if you made any pair that plays. You don’t need to worry about any gutshot boards (there are 4 cards that make a dealer straight). The following example shows you should still call with deuces against a gutshot board:
| hand | board | EV(fold) | EV(call) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2d 2h | 8c 9c 6c 5s Ah | -2.0000 | -1.9182 | bet under pair on a gutshot board |
Scare Boards
A scare flush board contains 4 cards to a flush (9 cards that make the dealer a flush), and a scare straight board contains a 4 card outside straight (8 cards make a dealer straight). If the scare board is also paired, you may call with nut kicker. Otherwise, you need at least bottom pair and 3rd nut kicker to call.
| hand | board | EV(fold) | EV(call) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Th 3s | 8c 9c 6c 3c Ah | -2.0000 | -1.9788 | scare board, bet bottom pair & 4th nut kicker |
| 7h 3s | 8c 9c 6c 3c Ah | -2.0000 | -2.0333 | scare board, fold bottom pair & 5th nut kicker |
| Kh Qs | 8c 9c 6c 3c Ah | -2.0000 | -2.2242 | scare board, fold nut kickers |
| Ah 2s | 3c 9c Jc 4c 4s | -2.0000 | -1.7485 | bet nut kicker on paired scare board |
| 2s 3h | Ks Qd Jh Tc Ts | -2.0000 | -2.1242 | cannot play scare board even if paired and 2nd nut board kicker |
In the first case, we have Th 3s, so we beat the board with a pair of 3′s. Our Th kicker is 4th nut (K = 1st, Q = 2nd, J = 3rd, T = 4th), so we can call. The expected value (EV) of this call is -1.9788, which is better than folding (-2 = lose ante and blind bets). Of course, we have to risk another bet to gain an additional (2-1.9788 = 2.12%) on this average losing hand. But, I find most people don’t have a problem calling the river with this hand, so I probably don’t need to convince you any further that its a good call.
In the next example, we’re holding 7h 3s, which is just one kicker level lower (we have bottom pair with 5th nut kicker). However, the hand is not good enough to call with, and we should fold it. If we call, we’re giving the casino an additional average edge of (2-2.0333 = 3.33%) on the ante. Just fold it, since the dealer just needs a flush card, or any higher pair card, or even the same pair with a better kicker.
In the last example, we have the top 2 kickers with Kh Qs against the scare board. But its still not enough, and calling is a big mistake, yielding an additional whopping (2-2.2242 = 22.42%) house edge on average for the call. For a $5 ante bet, calling gives the house an average $11 for the hand, while folding gives them only $10. I think some people might make this lay down, but few probably know how bad it is to make the call.
Gutshot Boards
When the dealer can make a gutshot straight from the board, you need at least 1st and 4th nut kickers to call.
| hand | board | EV(fold) | EV(call) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kd Qh | 4s 5h 6d 8c 9d | -2.0000 | -2.1727 | check gutshot board without 1st and 4th nut kickers |
| Ad Jh | 4s 5h 6d 8c 9d | -2.0000 | -1.9788 | bet gutshot board with 1st and 4th nut kickers |
| 2d 2h | As Kc Qd Jh 9s | -2.0000 | -1.8333 | bet any pair against a gutshot board |
| 2d 3h | As Kc Qd Jh 9s | -2.0000 | -2.1242 | cannot play unpaired gutshot board itself |
| 2s 3h | As Qd Jh Tc Ts | -2.0000 | -1.8576 | play paired gutshot board with 2nd nut kicker |
Calling with Kickers
On the river, you may call with just a kicker, depending on how high it is, and what the board looks like.
No pair board
When there’s no pair on the board, you may call with 2nd nut kicker if either both your cards play, or there is no possible flush on board. If there’s a possible flush, then you need nut kicker to call. You can never just play the board. In this case, the most you can win is the 1x call bet, since you can not win the ante bet with nothing. You are hoping to push the ante if the dealer doesn’t qualify, even if he outkicks you. The payoff is good if you win, since you’ll win the 1x bet, and save the Ante and Blind.
| hand | board | EV(fold) | EV(call) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jh 2c | Kc Qc 4d 8s 7h | -2.0000 | -1.9101 | call with 2nd nut kicker on nothing board |
| Ah 2c | Kc Qc 4d 8s 7h | -2.0000 | -1.6313 | call with 1st nut kicker on nothing board |
| 2c 3d | Ad Kc Qs 9d 8h | -2.0000 | -2.2131 | cannot just play unpaired board |
| Js 2c | Ad Kd 8d 6h 5s | -2.0000 | -2.0707 | Can’t call 2nd nut kicker when possible flush on board |
| Js 2c | Ad Kd 8c 6h 5s | 2.0000 | -1.9990 | Ok to call 2nd nut kicker when no possible flush on board |
| Js 9c | Ad Kd 8d 6h 5s | 2.0000 | -1.9657 | call 2nd nut kicker against possible flush when both cards play |
One pair board
When there’s a single pair on the board, the kicker requirements are lowered, because the dealer already qualifies, and you’re getting 4:1 on your call (2*ante + blind + 1x call) vs. folding. In this case, you need only 3rd nut kicker. You can play the board when the board kicker (the 5th card) is at least 2nd nut. E.g., if the board is 6s 6h Kh Qs Jd, you can call and play the board. In this case, the 5th card is a J, and the board kicker is 2nd nut. The only higher kicker the dealer may play is an Ace. That’s the only way you’ll lose. However, note that 3rd nut board kicker is not sufficient to call. E.g., if the above case was 6s 6h Kh Qs Td, the dealer can beat you with an Ace or a Jack. The following table shows that playing the board 6s 6h Kh Qs Td is a mistake that will cost you 12.42% of the ante, which is huge.
| hand | board | EV(fold) | EV(call) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3d 2d | 6s 6h Kh Qs Jd | -2.0000 | -1.8576 | paired board, play board (2nd nut kicker) |
| 3d 2d | 6s 6h Kh Qs Td | -2.0000 | -2.1242 | paired board, don’t play boad (3rd nut kicker) |
Two pair board
When there’s two pairs on board, at least 7′s up, the calling requirements of your hand is only 5th nut kicker. If the two pair on board are 6′s up or worse, you need 4th nut kicker to call. In any case, you can call to play the board when the 5th card (board kicker) is 3rd nut. (I.e., there’s only 2 kickers the dealer can have to beat the board.)
Trips board
If there are trips on board, the calling requirements of your hand is only 4th nut kicker. You can play the board when its kicker is 3rd nut (there are only 2 kickers the dealer can win with). In the following examples, we see the power of the kicker. When we have 4th nut kicker, calling gains us (2 – 1.6798 = 32.02%) of the ante, which is huge. On the other hand, making the mistake of calling with 5th nut kicker would cost us 10% of the ante, which is a lot.
| hand | board | EV(fold) | EV(call) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Td 2d | 6s 6h 6d Ks 5d | -2.0000 | -1.6798 | trips board, call 4th nut kicker |
| 9d 2d | 6s 6h 6d Ks 5d | -2.0000 | -2.1000 | trips board, fold 5th nut kicker |
| 3d 2d | 6s 6h 6d Ks Jd | -2.0000 | -1.8091 | trips board, play board (3rd nut kicker) |
| 3d 2d | 6s 6h 6d Ks Td | -2.0000 | -2.1242 | trips board, don’t play board (4th nut kicker) |
Quads board
When there are four-of-a-kind on board, the calling requirements are reduced to 8th nut kicker, because in the unlikely case you win with 8th nut, you’ll win (ante + call + 10*blind), or 12:1 compared to folding. If you don’t have a kicker, and wish to play the board, the board kicker must be 5th nut (i.e., there are only 4 cards the dealer can have to beat you). The following examples show the numbers behind the decision.
| hand | board | EV(fold) | EV(call) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3d 7d | 6s 6h 6d 6c 2d | -2.0000 | -1.4848 | quads on board, call 8th nut kicker |
| 3d 5d | 6s 6h 6d 6c 2d | -2.0000 | -2.2182 | quads on board, fold 9th nut kicker |
| 3d 2d | 6s 6h 6d 6c Td | -2.0000 | -1.7697 | quads on board, play board (5th nut kicker) |
| 3d 2d | 6s 6h 6d 6c 9d | -2.0000 | -2.0909 | quads on board, don’t play board (6th nut kicker) |
Further Resources
Practice Game
Practice Ultimate Texas Hold’Em online with my trainer app. Click on the screenshot below to play the game. You must have Java 1.6 installed on your computer (check your version).
Ultimate Texas Hold'Em Practice Game (Screenshot)
- The Wizard Of Odds on Ultimate Texas Hold’em. I used his overall return numbers on the ante, blind, and play bets. These numbers take weeks of compute time to grind out. He does not provide any post-flop play strategy.
- All my posts on Ultimate Texas Hold’em
- Practical Collusion for UTH. How to get an edge by sharing card information with the table.
- My 2009 UTH Win/Loss Statement
- A Week Of Ultimate Texas Hold’em, my initial obsession with the game.
I was looking at the data provided by the Wizard, and if I am reading his matrix correctly,nonsuited 8/q shows a -.0694 return. 9/q turns positive with +.1325
Suited 6/q shows -.006 and turns positive at 7/q.
Similarly, nonsuited King, turns positive at K/7 not 5 or 6.
Suited King 2, is negative and turns positive at suited K-3.
Which is correct for the large raise ?
Thanks
Art S.
Just because the EV is negative for a 4x raise on K5o or Q8o doesn’t mean you should check. You should raise these hands over the long run, because you’ll lose less by doing so. Of course, you’re risking more in the short-term, so for borderline cases, it’s up to you to decide on the tradeoff. I’ll put these decision points into the table above, so you can see the value of the 4x raise vs checking for these hands.
Thanks for the quick response.
Two more questions :
1.After the flop, you are four to a flush, the board is suited.
You have a bet strategy for 2nd nut, 3rd nut, and 5th nut plus 3rd nut kicker.
What about 4th nut?
2. Betting combination draws.
Your third example shows a hand of 3h 6h, and you check because yuo are holding a 3. What is the rule here. What is the minimum to bet?
I have played this game 6 or 7 times… Have won once… Very suspicious of dealing machine… Seems to know how to set the cards against you.. Dealer has two full houses back to back.. Dealer has to straights back to back.. It seems like everytime i have a pair they always beat me.. Try going in with an A or K you get crushed every time.. They always seem to have a pair against you..Makes you wonder… What u say ?//
Dennis ( lvden7@msn.com)
I’m actually trying out ShuffleMaster’s Ultimate Draw Poker (not Ultimate Texas Holdem) machine (multi-player video console, not the cards & table version). I’ve worked out optimal discard strategy on that game. I’ve played it a few times, and am really suspicious myself. It should only be a .6% house edge, but plays disasterously. I’ll try it a few more times, and I’ll probably conclude it’s fixed
. I might contact the company if I get killed a few more times. Are you talking about a video machine version of UTH? I heard they exist …
To bet your 4th, 5th, and 6th nut flush draws, your kicker must be at least 3rd nut to bet. E.g., you bet 2x for JhQd on a 3h6h8h board; but you’d check Jh9d for the same board.
The lowest combo draw (outside straight & flush draw) you 2x bet is when you’re holding 64s or so. This rule might not be absolutely exact, but it’s close enough. You’re alllowed to approximate and gamble every now and then
All flop bets are 2x, else check.
Thank you, this is great work.
Allow me to ask a basic question.
For the river bet, with two pairs on the board, the strategy would play the board
when its kicker is 3rd nut. If the board was showing a pair of aces and a pair of kings,
would you bet the board with a queen 5th card or would you also play a jack or a ten
on the board?
Similar question would apply to your river bet strategy for trips or quads on the board.
If the board was AAKKQ, then the board kicker is 1st nut. For AAKKJ, the board kicker is 2nd nut. For AAKKT the board kicker is 3rd nut. You would call to play the board on all these cases. Interestingly, I just ran AAKK9, where the board kicker is 4th nut. You actually should call this case too, even though my basic strategy card says fold. This is probably because even if the dealer has a pocket pair of 9′s or lower, it can’t play.
The trips and quads on board are as I described on this page. To calculate “board kicker nut level”, you need to count the number of possible dealer kickers that will play, and add 1. So, for AAKKT, there are two dealer kickers that will beat the board (Q or J). Take these 2, add 1, and you get board kicker = 3rd nut.
“Interestingly, I just ran AAKK9, where the board kicker is 4th nut. You actually should call this case too, even though my basic strategy card says fold. This is probably because even if the dealer has a pocket pair of 9’s or lower, it can’t play.”
Wouldn’t a pocket pair of 9s make a full house? Nines full of Aces.
Good point. Made that “even if the dealer had a pocket pair of 8′s or lower, it can’t play.” Thanks!
I was curious about the side bet “trips” and whether or not you play it? I live in Vegas and spend alot of the time in the casinos. I just discovered this game.
I don’t usually play the Trips bet. Although the house edge is only 1.9%, it adds up over the long run, and I play a lot. Besides, the Blind bet gets paid 500:1 for a Royal Flush, and 50:1 for a straight flush (more than the Trips bet), so I don’t see a real need to bet it. Occasionally I’ll try a Trips bet, just for the fun of it. It’s pretty obvious that the dealers want you to bet it, because that’s where they make their tips. But over the long run, I’d rather make my 4x Play bets, since winning one of those pays almost as good as a straight on the Trips bet.
Do you have any insiights as to how this game is being rated for comps.
a) bets per hour, avg. bet, house edge
b) have the casinos started to downtick players who look like they are playing
a strong basic strategy? ala blackjack.
c) how do you think $25 ante and blind, following your strategy would compare to
$25 on the pass line with two $25 come bets at the craps table.
I have heard that the house take on this game is huge. With comps thrown in,
it could be very interesting.
A few of us have commented on receiving good cashback rates for this game. I’m pretty sure I’m +EV at casinopauma.com, since I play $5 Ante=Blind, and they give me between $5-$7/hr cashback. (At 40 hands/hr, I’m giving up $4/hr in house edge.) I have no idea what comps are like in Vegas. It’d be interesting to hear what others have experienced. If it’s anywhere near their BJ comp rate, I should be playing weekends over there.
I have no idea how prevalent UTH is in Las Vegas. It is plentiful and popular in the local casinos around where I live, but I know for a fact in Atlantic City it is only in three casinos (Bally’s, Caesars, and Trump Marina) out of 11 and only one table at each. Of course, there are much better plays in Vegas as I’m sure you know, for example they have 3x and 10x WPT hold-em with a <1.8% house edge at most of the MGM/Mirage properties and the Wynn.
You should ride up to Vegas, we would love to read a trip report!
I was in Las Vegas last month and played UTH at the Wynn, $10 min. Planet Hollywood
$5 min, and Treasure Island, $5 min. Wynn told me they would only rate my p;ay at the $25 ante bet level. Treasure Island wanted $25 min play for the ante,blind and trips combined before they would even take my players card. PH said they would rate my play, $10 ante.
I contacted Shufflemaster asking for more locations to play.
On the strip : Bellagio, Mirage, Luxor
Downtown: Golden Nugget
Others: Aliente Station, Gold Coast, Green Valley Ranch, LV Hilton, River Palms Stratosphere, Orleans.
I suggest calling ahead. The same email said that UTH was now in the Mohegan Sun in Conn. I told a friend who reported back that he could not find it there, and no one
at the casino ever heard of it.
I am headed bach to Las Vegas next week to really play this and would be glad to give a trip report.
BTW, how do you enter a trip report on this site.
Profbac- I can’t speak for the owner of this blog, but can probably send Stephen your report and he will post it for you. It would be interesting to see how you get rated.
Have you ever tried WPT 10x or 3x hold ‘em table games? The house edge is 1.5% and .79% respectively, and the strategy is on the Wizard of Odd’s site. It’s very easy. I know for a fact Wynn has the 10x version and Mirage has the 3x.
Profbac–You will stand to lose $20/hour playing UTH. In craps, with two come bets out, you will stand to lose between $16-$50/hour assuming 48 point decisions per hour. With the more generous comp structure, I’d said UTH is the clear choice. Plus, it is more of a challenge as opposed to the pure luck game that is craps.
And yes, the hold percentage on this game is very high, usually between 24-27% cash dropped goes to the house which makes it very lucrative for them. This is a similar percentage to Spanish 21, 3-card poker, and Let It Ride.
Ted
Look me up on Lasvegasadvisor.com with a Private message, I will fill you in on
the comps situation.
I’m so glad I found this guide.
This will give me something to memorize and practice when I’m bored with Chinese.
I’m planning on trying to implement this strategy at Riverwind Casino to try and earn some extra spending money this semester.
Any general tips? I am by no means a gambler, and have only been through casinos a few times. I’ve been obsessed with Hold ‘em for a couple of years, though, and have recently found profit in picky but aggressive play.
You don’t have to memorize the table, but you can practice. All casinos I’ve been to allow players to use basic strategy cards. If you love poker, you’ll probably find this table game a lot more interesting than blackjack. As the only one playing the game properly, you’ll find that basic strategy for this game makes pretty interesting table talk. If you keep to the minimum bet, with a sufficient bankroll, you’ll find the game extremely cheap entertainment. Have fun and teach others!
Steve,
I assume I have been talking to you at Harrahs Rincon. Tuesday the 12th?
Just checking your site for more info.
Tom Retired navy dude.
Yep, that’s me. Commit the 4x raising hands to memory, and the rest is easy! Play using basic strategy, and you’ll log more winning sessions. (Did you say you never log a win?) See you this weekend out at Harrah’s.
This is such a fun game that I love it so much. I have visisted casino so freguently in the past 6 months, just to play this game. With minimum bet $5, I found out it is fun and relaxed. However I lost almost $1,500 at Mandalay Bay during X-Mas 2009. Its dealrs just kept having impossible hands and killed me and everyone. I agree with Stephenhow’s strategy. I do not place more wager on trip than ante. I also use 3x bet on certain hole cards such as pair 4,5 6.
What’s more important about playing pocket 3′s, 4′s, and 5′s is to ask around how many of you outs are gone. I’ll post information about this shortly (probably my next post).
My wife is big into penny slot’s so she drag’s me to casino a lot (Oklahoma). I always found it difficult to gamble but I found this game two weeks ago and played it twice and really enjoyed it. Trying to follow your rules seemed to work, sat at table for 4 plus hours holding my own. A lot longer than I ever did playing Black Jack. Sat at table with $50 with $2 ante towards end of night was playing $5.
Did see a number of other players getting burned pretty bad. They seemed to be placing too much value on trips bet and I lead on the 4X betting.
What to you mean “ask around how many of your outs are gone?” House seems to be open about handling of cards, but I thought you had to keep your cards hidden from other players.
There’s a lot of ways to discretely collude. I find it manageable with 3-4 players, and if I sit on an end, its easy for me to flash my cards. If the other players are in-the-know, they’ll just chime in if they have your cards copied. Then I’ll know what to do. If you look at my Practical Collusion for UTH post, you’ll see how powerful sharing card info is.
Steve,
Went to Harrahs FRI and SAT.
Missed you at the table.
Kept the cheat sheet in my pocket for reference on preflop bets.
Spent a total of 24 hors at the table and won a few bucks. I was only behind once for about $75,
Hope to see you soon.
Tom (retired navy)
Cool! I finally got there yesterday (Sun afternoon), and the dealer (Suei) told me you played with the Basic Strategy card all day and night, and did fine. I ended up perfectly even after about 4 hours of play myself. Good job! Now, we’ll get better at colluding!
I booked rooms for thu and Fri.
Hope to see you there
I am becoming more and more suspicious of those “random” shuffle machines employed almost all casinos. Especially in games like let it ride where an inordinate number of low cards are dealt while the face cards are buried at the bottom, and what other posters have said about the hold em games setting you up. The starting deal for the cards in the hold em game should vary everytime by a roll of the dice, not with the player in 1st base every time. anyone who doesn’t think that with only a modest amount of computer help these shuffle can’t set the deck in favor of the house is awfully trusting of the casino industry…I’ve given up table games for poker and I am glad I did…
I tend to trust the games, but I wish every casino would simply cut the deck out of the shuffling machine, and deal out hands one card at a time. They do this at one of my local casinos (Harrah’s Rincon). If they simply did this, there’d be no argument over fairness, no suspicion. What’s worse, the new Dealer Bluff game uses hardware to read all the hands out of the shuffler, then uses software to make the dealer bet. Every time I play the game, this discussion comes up, and there’s usually a very irate player. They really need to cut the deck. Geez, even a magician will do it.
On the other hand, there’s a rational argument to why the game is fair using these shufflers, even without a dealer cut. The individual casino cannot “fix” the game, and tampering of the game would have to be implemented by ShuffleMaster, since they provide all the equipment. There’s almost certainly no hardware in the shufflers to arrange cards, since it’d be visible by inspection, and many people (gaming commission, techs, floormen, dealers, and even players) see the insides of the shufflers quite frequently (think jam). The hardware consists of a wheel-like device with many slots for holding cards as they’re randomly shuffled in. If there was any engineered-in ability to arrange the cards, it would be practically impossible to keep secret (somebody along the line would leak it, or blackmail over it, or exploit it). Since ShuffleMaster’s viability is dependent upon its reputation, it’s unlikely they’d risk everything on rigging a game with a house edge. I’m pretty sure it’s been demonstrated time and again that a fair casino is a license to print money (watch people check their monsters in UTH).
Still, I think the casino just needs to cut the deck out of the shuffler. I guess they think they can get a few more hands per hour if the dealer just places cards, instead of actually dealing them. Well, there’s a bright side to this — they can design the game for a lower per-hand house edge if they can increase the table hold with a higher hand rate.
Just got my win/loss statement from Harrahs.
According to them I lost $400 last year on the tables.
YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!
According to my records I lost $15000
I lose more than $400 in a session sometimes and I have NEVER left the casino winners.
Called my casino host and was told to ask before leaving the table what they have me down for.
I guess just because you are a $5 bettor (which is a joke as it usually is at least $10 even if you fold) you are not important.
I totled up our losses for the last 3 years according to THEIR records and we are out $75K.
Lost $10K already this year. Might have to change casinos.
I just played this game the other night and it kept me going for a very long time. After about 5 hours, I walked away with $360 (I sat down with $60)… I am very pleased with this game and can’t wait to go back! I am so glad that I found this table game! It’s awesome!
Steve,
Spent Sun and Mon at Harrahs. Looked for you but you must have taken time off.
Played for quite a while and did pretty good.
Did hit a boat at Mississipi with $50 bet.
Saw a LOT of ppl losing $$ not betting on the ace on UTH.
Hi,
my casino offers to bet 3x or 4x the BB before the flop. Is there any combination which would suggest to bet just 3x?
Thanks
There’s never any reason to bet 3x. If you should raise preflop, then raise 4x.
Stephen – Just to clarify, I’m referring pre-flop to only the minimal gain situations;
of course the big and modest gainers can always be justified as long as
one is playing with sufficient bankroll.
Juan (MathProf)
Steve, BS indicates raise 2X post-flop with pocket 5′s but you would have already
raised 4X (?) Also with pocket 4′s, 3′s, you would have checked only if one
or two fellow players held an out but would that now affect your decision
post-flop especially if players held both outs and you had dead pair?
I’m enjoying your site tremendously and I hope that you continue to investigate
this game – I’ll be 10 days in LV and 10 days in Reno starting 2/28 – would you
be interested in trip report regarding UTH?
Juan (MathProf)
I put in the 2x bet with 5′s in the strategy chart for completeness. Of course you’re supposed to 4x raise this hand preflop, but many won’t do it. So, I include all flop cases you should bet 2x on, *not* assuming that people have already 4x raised these situations. It’s their 2nd chance to bet. (A lot of times I see people miss their 4x bets, then miss their 2x bets, then finally 1x bet their monsters.)
For pocket 3′s, only raise if no 3 seen in other players hands. For pocket 4′s, only raise if at most one 4 is seen in other players hands.
Sure, post all trip reports! People find them useful. Good luck!
I discovered this game last Spring while in Vegas for a trade show. I left some friends about 11:00pm to go back to my room and get some sleep. Passed UTH on the way and threw $100 down. As you recommend above, I skipped the trips bet and instead went very aggressive at the open. It was a grind, and I knew I was in trouble when a new dealer came to the table and said “Good Morning Everyone”. It was 6:00am. I went up and grabbed a shower and went straight to the show for a grueling day, but I made $1,100 playing UTH. I gave $300 back on a subsequent trip three weeks later, but I agree: skip the trips (sucker) bet, and go big at the open.
Some thoughts on the 4X raise:
Since the ante and Blind are horrendous bets, we are all inclined to “go for the
throat” pre-flop. However, this bet must be treated like an insurance bet in
blackjack – totally unrelated to the original wager; your river bet is the one bet that is
original bet related because if you don’t bet one unit you lose Ante and Blind.
When raising 3X or 4X we introduce tremendous variance (big money swings) and
it seems to me that betting 4 units for a miniscule gain in profitability would be
“overbetting your bankroll” in Kelly terms.
Stephen and others – all thoughts appreciated
Juan (MathProf)
Some thoughts, though not math-ish:
Kelly does not apply here because it is a negative E.V. situation. There is no optimal Kelly number for the game unless you are playing with an advantage, which is nigh-impossible in this game.
Raising 4X does introduce tremendous variance but remember you are only betting it when you have the advantage. In that way it is similar to doubling down in blackjack. It’s not like betting the trips bet or the extra coin to play Super Times Play video poker. You don’t have the advantage on those bets and they just increase variance.
Anyway, I’m just talking out of my butt here so maybe Stephen could post some math to back me up.
Hi,
min. bet is $2. Are $200 at the beginning enough to raise 4X pre-flop or will the money swings kill all the money too soon?
Thanks
I address this issue in my latest post on session outcomes given bankroll, goals, and time.
Richy – looks like Stephen’s first scenario for 100 antes fits your
situation nicely – good luck!
Juan (MathProf)
just discovered the game in my local casino and love it. (even though i obviously had a wrong strategy for i always played the trips).
do you know if there is a place/site/service somewhere in the internet where i can play it online? I’d like to try out your strategy on a low level, before i enter the casino and play with 100 ante… maybe there’s some game with another name – as far as i found out the name is copyrighted by shufflemaster.
keep up the good work!
I’ll probably write a UTH applet sometime soon. I’ll keep you posted on it’s progress. Other than an iPhone app, I haven’t seen any places to practice the game yet.
Steve
thanks!
re: Abbreviated strategy for flop bet (2x)
A respected advantage play author has recommended the following flop bet strategy: (preflop strategy is the same as you recommend) also, this assumes that the preflop strategy is followed exactly.
1. Trips on the board ; bet if you hold a king or ace
2. You pair up, including pocket twos
3. The board is paired and you hold a Jack or better, and there is a flush draw
(4 to a flush) or four to an open ended straight.
4. No pairs; bet if you have four to a flush and a hole card that is a ten or higher.
What is the effect on the house edge using this for the flop bet as opposed to your more detailed flop strategy?
I’d have to code up his strategy and run simulations to see how suboptimal it is. It’s probably not much, since these cases are relatively infrequent in the scheme of things, and the differences between checking and betting here is small. But, people should be aware when they’re using approximations, and not propagate them as the gospel truth
Profbac, I agree. Not to impugn Stephen’s wonderful work in the slightest, but there must be a simpler strategy that distills the chart into a few simple rules of thumb, without giving back too much of the house advantage. Similar to the Wizard of Odds’ “simple blackjack strategy” chart.
I haven’t played UTH in a while (limits are too dang high here! people are really flocking to blow their money on this game), but it would seem to me just following the basic pre-flop strategy will put you in a better position that 90% of the players out there. Then, maybe there are 5-10 simple rules for post-flop/river betting that can whittle the house edge down to a manageable number.
IMHO Stephen has done outstanding work.
The difficulty has been in quickly implementing these rules at the table.
While the optimal strategy shows a low house edge, I suspect the cost of errors is quite high.
I had to rearrange the information in a format that fits my own decision process while in the heat of battle. I created four or five strategy cards, that suited me, and
my way of thinking about poker strategy. Simpler than it sounds. If this then do that…
BTW, I have been playing the $10 table at Balley’s in AC, maybe two hours per month.
The comps have been for $25 cash back, $25 food credit, and the usual free room.
I think this actually comes out to a positive expectation when counting comps.
PS. I played this at the Wynn, $25 ante for about four hours. Nothing in comps.
Not even a discounted rate on a room.
Look me up on Las Vegas advisor if you want to compare notes.
Stephen, what is the name of the iPhone app featuring UTHE? I searched the obvious names in iTunes and came up empty. Looking for some practice on the flight from Mpls to Vegas on March 25th.
Also, great site, thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Hey Russ,
The iPhone game is here: http://www.candywriter.com/ultimateholdem.html
BTW, I’m almost done writing my Java UTH trainer game for this site. It works fine, I’m just adding notations and more features. The last hand I played on my game, I bet $10 on the Trips bet, and flopped quad 6′s
Stay tuned, my app will be up in a few days.
Good luck in Vegas!
Hello, I have been following the basic stragit for UTH and been doing pretty good at it, I had one day I lost big, but I win about 75% of the time, my new stragety is to lose less smaler buy ins, and that seems to be workgin out well.
My question is, has anyone seen an different stragy for UTH , if u can see other cards that are in play, do oither readjust how they play or when they play if theri outs are alreay in play? I kow I foudn a website that talked about it, but I decidee to try out the system first see how it goes get good atit b4 I tried to accoutn for other cards in play, but now I cant seem to find the site that talks about that. Anyone that can help woudl be great…. thanks.
Read this post about adjusting your play based on seeing your neighbor’s cards:
Practical Collusion for UTH
Stephen,
I’m not writing on here to brag, but simply to give everyone hope. Last Friday, I was at WinStar Casino in OK playing UTH on a $5 min and $50 max table. I had studied your work all week long leading up to my trip of destiny. Three hours of cyclical ups and downs had passed by when I was finally up about $700 (I was betting $15 in trips, $25 ante and blind). With only about an hour left to play, I decided to bet the max on ante and blind and $25 on trips. The dealer was wiping me out. My stack had gone down about $300. On the next particular hand, I asked the dealer, James, if he’d ever dealt a Royal Flush on a max bet…only to look down and see QJ of diamonds. He said no, he’d dealt one to a $30 bet and I told him that we’re off to a good start….so I made the play bet of $150 and was waiting anxiously for the flop. Ad, 7c, 10d…No way!? I said…James, if there’s a Kd on the turn or river, I’m going to jump outta of my seat! The player in seat 4 had already made his play bet and said that he had a red king, but he couldn’t remember if it was a diamond. No worries. The Kd came on the river and I went absolutely banannas! After meeting up with a slew of Casino Big Shots and waiting for over an hour…I finally walked outta there with $27,100 and that included the $26,450 Royal Flush.
So to all of you guys who say the machines are rigged….not this time.
I discovered this game a little over a year ago and I love it despite the frequent frustrations I experience playing it. VERY suspicious of shuffling machine – how many times does the dealer pull inside straights [I can't even pull them when I am open-ended] – suited hole cards for a flush [I rarely get a flush when 4 cards of the same suit are on the board] – pocket pairs that screw the players [I have seen players lose all too often with Pocket Aces - gee I never see them at Texas Hold Em Bonus table] – and dealer pairing with BOTH hole cards when I bet 4x [this often happens for a dealer full house].
I mean how many hands can that damn machine possibly rig? I have had ONE straight flush and never seen ANYONE [oops I saw the dealer get one] get a royal flush.
I have bet 4x on Aces very often and find it works approx 65% of the time. 2 face cards also do well but the rest of your guidelines seem to deplete my bankroll. After the flop if I double down [2x] on anything less than TOP PAIR I seem to lose but staying in after the river with a 10high and a pair showing on the board works more often than one might think. Hmmmm
Not knocking your strategy – actually I am glad to have found this site.
I do play the trips bet but NEVER for more than the ante – in 4 consecutive hands last night I hit Full House, Full House, Flush, Straight. Then I bet 15 on Trips, Ante and Blind – had AQ suited and bet 4x on the play and quickly lost the hand. From there it was downhill fast….
Next hand I bet $5 instead of 15 and won the hand – wow timing…..
I have played this game 300+ hours now all at Winstar (OK). Last year they had the normal Shufflemaster shufflers and although you could get some bad hands lasting 10-15 in a row, there tended to be a few people with winning trends at the table which played for 6+ hours at a time. In about the first 100 hours of play I had two straight flushes and many four a kinds. I have also one the Royal once last summer. Last year I saw lots of great pay-outs with straigh flushes and even Royals to others.
In Jan I played for about 18 hours straight and won 5 four of kinds and several boats (I agree that was just lucky.) I was playing mostly green after I had momentum and was cleaning up there that day. At the time they had a couple of machines with new ShuffleMaster hightech machines and many with the old fashioned Shufflemasters. I was on a table with the old shufflemaster. There was some scandal on the new type tester machine … I was told a few Royals were given out in one night on that machine so they shut it down or switched it out (obviously a malfunctioning machine.)
When I came back after the big win, all tables have the new hightech shufflemaster. I was told it can take a mixed deck and put it in order. It has some type of imaging system and I have read there may be a wireless text messageing feature to be malipulated by the house. I will tell you, I didn’t have just one bad night where I can longer get trips or better very often…I can count the trips or better on one hand after about 8+ hours of play …about 5 trips or better …that’s it. It is to the point, the odds cannot be right. I sat at first seat for about 8+ hours one day and had 1 flush and a few trips all day – that’s not just bad luck, that’s the machine. I have realized 1st seat on this new machine is usually dealt bad cards and when people come and go changing the number seated at the table it tends to be “more confused” and gives out bad cards to the dealer (as if expecting someone seated at last seat.) Just when you think you can “prove” there is an issue by “predicting its behavior like giving itself the Ace of Spades with 4 spades on the board… it will pay for a short period of time. Although I cannot prove it, I am convinced the new shuffle machines are rigged. If you play enough hands you should see some winning hands in a row since on the 2x or 4x bet (regardless of you doing a trips bet), but I can predict no traction at UTH for any length of time moving foward at Winstar. Yes a Royal is being given out here or there…I’m not saying it never pays just like in slots… you can have one jackpot winner but everyone for a week that put’s in the $100 loses it.
I have watched my poker friends which were regulars there all last year, stop going because they are all losing on a regular basis…including myself. It is one thing to have a bad night or even a few in a row but hours and hours everytime of no cards and the machines have to be rigged (and not just me – I the whole table loses.) I believe the casino is not regulated and they have somehow tweaked or tech modified these new machine to put the odds way into their favor.
I have decided to go to Vegas this weekend to pay UTH there to see if there is a difference in my expericence of late. I have an idea that even if I don’t win, things will be more “even” with some win…some lose over a period of time.
If anyone has played UTH at Winstar and Vegas, please tell me if you experienced a difference (besides the .50 a hand bs.)
At one local card room in Yakima Wa., they allow your UTH cards to be put face up by the player. Players choice. Only place I know of that does that.
Hypothetical question: I know they are called random shufflers, but this is what I am unsure about. Let’s say if the dealer puts the deck just how they come out of a new package. A-K in each suit. Will the shuffler shuffle them identically each time. What I am getting at is, if one saw the bottom card when the dealer loads the machine will it come out at the same place each time during the play?
Also, some dealers where I live do not slide the cards low to the table and if I am sitting back a bit in my chair I can sometimes see the bottom cards being put onto the felt. As long as I am not lowering my head to try to take advantage, is this considered cheating?
I guess I have to go by Tom Mc from now on. lol
Gl all.
Since using your strategy card, I have not lost in 4 sessions. Thanks for doing the grunt work. In my latest trip to the Green Valley Ranch, I ran into a dealer who said your strategy would spell my certain demise. She claimed she had been dealing UTH since the day they installed it and that I would certainly lose following the strategy card. She really tried to make me feel uncomfortable, but I just kept 4-betting the borderline plays and was winning them with uncommon regularity. She couldn’t believe I was 4-betting with Q7 suited on one hand until it beat her. The table was also lucky enough to share 4 queens on the board. The collusion thing definitely helps as well.
I think certain betting patterns during certain swings you are in..as I have played the game goes in some serious swings of ups and downs… So I think reducing your ante/blind/trips bet is very important or increasing your bet obviously if you’re running hot, to maximize profits.
Great breakdowns, ya’ll. I have a math question, because I am bad at math.
I plan on traveling to Winstar in Oklahoma ( 4 UTHE tables) and unfortunately due to an agreement the tribe signed with the state (or something) they have to drop .50 at the beginning of the hand. Every hand. Goes to the state or the tribe but not a dropped jackpot of any kind from what I have read. They said table min limits are almost always $5.They do the same thing with all the table games, and they don’t spread craps or roulette, I’m told.
Just how negatively does this affect my effective odds? I got spoiled playing THEB in vegas and I haven’t played UTHE yet anywhere and would like to try it. But not if I am getting robbed.
Thanks in advance…
That $.50 collection at the Winstar Casino is horrible. Unless they offer a better-than-standard Trips or Blind paytable, I’d say the game is unplayable. Normally, the house edge for $5 UTH is only $0.11 per hand, on average. If you decide to play the game, you should probably bet at least $20 Antes, to reduce the house edge (to only twice as bad as normal). The good thing about the $.50 collection is that it’ll probably help you to get up and leave once you’ve made a profit.
Steve,
I generally play UTH at Pechanga on Friday evenings, trying to get there before they raise the rent (from $5 to $10 or even $15). I read through the articles and comments and it appears that I’ve been playing this game wrong and I haven’t seen anyone playing it right. I came away from a table up $200 last Friday while the average loss for the remaining spots was probably in excess of $1000 (yes, 1 grand).
I looked at the Pauma website and they don’t list UTH as one of their games. Is it still there and is it sometimes a $2 ante (a couple of the comments read that way)? I’ve been testing your java applet and would like to see how I fare for real but a lower entry would make my wallet happier while I’m starting out.
Thanks.
The Pauma game is $5, although they let you bet just Trips, if you want. The best thing about Pauma is the $5/hr player rewards you get for game, since they rate you for $20/hand at UTH. BTW, the Pawn Stars cast will be at Pauma this Sunday (May 16th).
Hey guys – Love the posts!
I have been playing this game for over a year at Pala, Pechanga, and Harrah’s. Like the Harrah’s rewards the best. I am in Vista and open to going out with a group
Lets plan a getaway . . .
Also – where is this Applet you made – I wanna practice
Great work! Never had the nerve to play the 4x that aggressively, but it worked well this past weekend (Riverside, Iowa). A $200 bankroll was plenty as I had 5 of 7 winning sessions (2-3 hours each), and in one of the losers, I was up nearly double before bleeding too much back (last play before leaving; should have gotten up and walked away earlier than I did). The dealers were aghast at my play and shocked to see it work.
When I calculate the odds of winning with hands like 22 or k2 offsuit through the programs that run millions of simulations it comes up that I may win less than 50% of the time but still win more often than the dealer. Why wouldn’t I play max on any hand that I win more often than the dealer?
Just came back from Vegas. Discovered this game at the Aria (MGM property)Really loved this game. Gotta admit it has swings. Played min $10 bet with $10 blind. Occasional Trips bet. Sat down 10 times and walked out $100+ 9 times. Key is to walk with you triple your bank roll unless you like to watch the stack go up and down. Hit quads 2 times. Never fold. Always bet the min. Sucks to have a 5/6 and the dealer to be sitting with 3/4 or something. I repeat – have a goal and walk when you reach it.
If one doesn’t play the trips isn’t it heads up poker with the dealer for who has the best hand? So How does the dealer have an advantage?
The Play bet (4x preflop, 2x flop, 1x river) is heads up poker with the dealer. Of course, the player has the advantage here (+45.9%), since the dealer plays no-foldem, while the player looks at his hand, and bets accordingly. The house advantage comes from the Blind bet (-31.5%) which only pays for straights or better, and the Ante bet (-16.6%) which only pays if the dealer qualifies. In total, these three bets sum to a 2.2% house edge.
is there anywhee to play this game online??
Alan
Just look to the right side of the page and select practice game.
Stephan wrote a program for thi and Mississippi stud.
You can play UTH Poker Stars.com.
I have played this game about 10 times, and twice the dealer didn’t push back the ante if they didn’t have a pair. I was wondering how common this mistake is and also what is the expected value of the game with this extra payout? It would seem that this would make the game +EV since they probably had to include the qualifier to make it -EV. Just a thought.
“Never fold. Always bet the min.” Can this work?
“I have bet 4x on Aces very often and find it works approx 65% of the time. 2 face cards also do well but the rest of your guidelines seem to deplete my bankroll. After the flop if I double down [2x] on anything less than TOP PAIR I seem to lose but staying in after the river with a 10high and a pair showing on the board works more often than one might think.”
Does less than TOP PAIR mean a one Hole Card of 7 or more matching a card on the board? And 10high means a hole card? or 10high on board along with a pair on board?
2x
“1. Trips on the board ; bet if you hold a king or ace
2. You pair up, including pocket twos
3. The board is paired and you hold a Jack or better, and there is a flush draw
(4 to a flush) or four to an open ended straight.
4. No pairs; bet if you have four to a flush and a hole card that is a ten or higher.”
Above looks like good simple strategy for 2x
but what about for 1x river?
what I mean is say take blackjack for example there is a very simple strategy you find on websites:
always split aces and 8′s
DD on 10 or 11 unless D shows a 10 or Ace
hit till 12 when D shows 7 or less
hit till 17 when dealer shows 7 or more
also I found a site saying with UTH one should 4x 38percent of the time
so I assume 2x would be more than that, so maybe never fold 1x is ok because you will be 1x so few times and maybe dealer want qualify anyways?
Here’s my simple rules for playing UTH:
1. 4x raise by the book, except when minimum raising hands are copied by other players.
2. 2x bet any pair made on flop, except bottom pair on suited board w/o flush draw.
3. 2x bet nut kicker against a paired board, or nut kicker with a gutshot draw.
4. 2x bet open ended straight draws when both cards are higher than an 8.
5. 2x bet 4th nut flush draw.
6. Fold kickers against scare board. 1x call bottom pair and 4th nut kicker against scare board.
7. 1x call 2nd nut kicker on unpaired board, 3rd nut kicker on paired board, 5th nut kicker on double paired board.
I think i found a hand in the UTH practice game that gives mistaken advice. I have 74o, and the board is KJ874, of which 4 are diamonds. This is a scare board, but I have two pair. I think I should bet 1x, but the advice is to fold to scare board.
Thanks for all your hard work, love the site.
A quick heads-up to readers regarding the “virtual” UTH machines that have been popping up. For those who have seen ShuffleMaster’s virtual Blackjack terminals, (the ones with attractive dealers on a big video screen) the UTH machines look very similar except, of course, for the game played.
I encountered two such machines on a recent trip to northern Nevada, at Grand Sierra (Reno) and Montbleu (Tahoe). At first glance, they appear to offer the same game as a live table would. However, after playing a few hands I noticed that the Blind bet does NOT pay out on a winning straight! It starts paying at 3:2 for a flush and up only.
I don’t have the wherewithal to calculate what this does to the house edge, but I can’t imagine it’s a positive effect, and could possibly make it much worse.
So be aware of this if you come across a virtual UTH machine. At the very least, play it only for very low stakes (minimums on both machines were $1), not the same as you would with a live dealer.
On a strange side note, Montbleu’s machine DID offer the best possible Trips bet payout (paying 9:1 for a full house). Dunno how that makes up for the Blind though.
On another side note, only three casinos in Reno have the game (on a real table) that I saw–Nugget, Peppermill, and Silver Legacy. Of the three, Peppermill is the only one with the “good” Trips paytable (paying 5:1 for a straight), so I’d recommend playing there.
Binions and Las Vegas Club in LV both have it, for $1. I also like to play it for low stakes, and for practice. Thanks for the heads up about the short-pay on the straight. I would estimate that adds another 2-3% to the house edge.
I’m puzzled by a couple of things here:
1) Wherever I’ve gone (primarily in Nevada) where this game is offered, there’s an option to bet either 3 or 4 times the Ante bet initially, yet here and Wizard of Odds always seem to just show to bet 4 times. Is there ever a time to bet only 3 times? And if so, why do these strategy tables not reflect this?
2) On a number of items regarding strategy after the flop, the strategy above (and Wizard of Odds too) recommends betting on hands that were previously recommended to bet on the pre-flop round. (For example, 3c 3d (in hand) 7h 7d Th -0.1361 -0.2446 CHECK pair < fives on paired board with no board undercards, or Ah Kd (in hand) 4h 5s 9s -0.6489 -0.6570 non-paired board, check nut kickers). This is really confusing….
Thanx, in advance, for any responses.
If you raise pre-flop, always raise 4x, never 3x. The Play bet heavily favors the player, since you’re playing against a blind dealer hand. If you have a good hand, bet as much as they’ll let you (which is 4x preflop, 2x on the flop, 1x on the river).
For completeness, I filled in the strategy for all cases on the flop, just in case you didn’t raise a preflop hand like pocket 3′s, or AKo. So, while you were supposed to raise pocket 3′s preflop, if you decided to check (e.g., someone else was holding a 3), then the strategy tells you to bet the flop only if there’s an undercard on board (i.e., a deuce). Similarly, if you checked A2 preflop (because you were scared, or your neighbor had a deuce), and the flop is KKQ, then you should bet your A2 because of the nut kicker. So none of the strategy is conflicting, but rather covers every case, just in case you didn’t bet preflop, or flop, etc.
I took the basics with me to Viejas with a 100 bankroll and walked away at 300. Pretty solid strategy, though the Aces didnt play out as well as I’d hoped, maybe a 50% rate for me. Other laughed at my 4x betting, and I will admit to 3x betting when others had similar cards. I also played trips each time, which payed out quite well. One lucky sould was playing the progressive and hit the Full house on the flop, trip queens for the rest of us. In anycase, thanks again for the help, and maybe we can plan an outing one time.
Just started playing this game two weeks ago and have used the info from this site and WoO from the start. I have played at Pechanga and Harrah’s Rincon and my preference is Harrah’s by a long shot! Harrah’s uses an automated card shuffler like the ones used in the poker rooms and they deal out the cards one at a time around the table. i believe they also burn a card before the flop and before the the turn/river cards are flipped. i find this much better than the shufflemaster shufflers Pechanga uses, which spits out 5 consecutive community cards first and then 2 consecutive cards for each player and dealer afterwards. overall, i am down at Pechanga and up at Harrah’s, but overall down. I have yet to complete a flush at Pechanga while holding two suited cards, but i understand i have not logged substantial time at the tables yet for it to be unusual. everyone thinks i am crazy raising so often preflop…sometimes making it uncomfortable at the tables when other players and dealers are telling me i am playing wrong. one session i felt like the enemy at the table because i was winning my play bets so often. i keep playing through all the negativity and try not to comment too much. This game is very fun and exciting, and like the real Texas Hold’em, there can be some attitude at the table.
one thing i need to work on is to stop making 3x bets and to start making 4x bets instead.
Just got back from playing 3 hours at Harrah’s Rincon and after an up and down (mostly down) session, i managed to walk away with $120 in winnings…this is making $5 bets for the most part and raising full 4x when supposed to. i didn’t hit any big trips bonuses, just a couple straights and flushes. on the way home i stopped by Pechanga and managed to lose $300 in 45 minutes and this is betting table minimum of $5! did not hit any trips bonuses at all…i am really beginning to hate the Shuffle Master machine at Pechanga. The way Harrah’s operates their UTH game definitely seems more fair and random. if someone joins or sits-out a hand at Harrah’s, the flop and hole cards are affected. at Pechanga, if someone sits out or joins the table, the community cards are completely unaffected and the players cards remain the same, except they just get shifted to another player, depending on how many players left or joined the table. I also noticed that at Harrah’s, the dealer does in fact cut the cards before the deal. you can even tell them where you want them to cut it…deep, shallow, or right in the middle.
I played at Harrahs Monday from 1130 Am until 0300 Tu.
Heard a lot of remarks about my 4 times bets and saw a lot of people lose a chance to cash in on them.
One person next to me actually called me crazy. Funny part is he would never even look at his cards until after the flop.
I did ok on holdem but went to Mississippi Stud and lost it.
Remember. If you can bet three you can bet four.
Steve
Thanks again for the Mississippi Stud practice game.
Tom Mc
Tom,
I’m usually one of those only bet 3x people at the beginning of the night on a marginal starting hand (K-5 off suit sort of thing). I won’t go to 4x until after I’ve got a handle on the flow of the cards and my bankroll can survive losing several consecutive hands. You can’t win if you don’t play and you can’t play if you have no money to bet because you gave it all away early. I don’t usually wait until after the flop to see if my hand will “improve” before betting though. I know I don’t bet everything I’m “supposed” to (I haven’t got the entire strategy card memorized yet) but I’ve got enough of it that I don’t have too many losing sessions.
I get a lot of comments about my pre-flop bets === “Geesh, that guy never gets two cards he doesn’t like.” “You bet on a Jack-Ten off-suit? What are you, nuts?” “A lousy pair of three’s and you bet already? Guess you don’t plan on staying around long.”
sean
Usually play at Pechanga (closer). Went to Rincon Friday night due to reading the differences in the game play here. Played from 5pm – 10pm and quadrupled my starting bank. What was especially nice was no raising of rent by the house. Usually see $5 minimums when I arrive with it raised to $10 by 7pm and $15 by 10pm regardless of how busy it is. Minimum was still $5 when I left
I liked the single card dealing vice the pre-packed hands from the shufflemasters. Three sets of quads on my table (Qs – me, Ks – 1st base, As – dealer). Three sets on table next to me (dealer gots 6s, the other two went to players). I don’t normally see that many in a session at Pechanga. No straight flushes on either table though.
Saw a lot of money left on the table by players around me. Pocket pairs (3 and above) that didn’t get bet until after the river, pairs (one on the board, one in the hand – from the flop) that were folded, starting hands with two face cards that weren’t bet pre-flop or post-flop. Seems a lot of the players were waiting until they had a “pat” hand before they bet. That’s a break-even proposition at best — in most of these cases, they had a higher bet in the trips box than they had in the ante. When dealer didn’t qualify, they may have “won” the hand and got paid off on their $5 play bet, but they lost $15 on trips so ended up with a net loss of $10 per hand.
All in all, a nice change of pace and if it wasn’t for the drive back up the hill on Pala-Pechanga road I’d go there more often.
sean
Sean,
I started out playing this game at Pechanga and like you, prefer to go there because it is just an easier casino to get to, but i have gotten to hate that ShuffleMaster shuffler so much, i try to avoid that game entirely over there…although, it stilled suckered me to play as i passed the casino on the way home from Harrah’s on friday…and of course i lost there again, after winning at Harrah’s. one of my first sessions at Pechanga was playing all night making $5 and $10 bets and using optimum strategy…lost $1800 before going to another table and being on tilt, i played $25 trips, blind, and ante on the first hand and got K-3 off…flopped trip kings and got the fourth on the river…even though i won $1000 in bonus on that hand, i still left a loser. ShuffleMaster dealt tables are my nemesis!
When were you at Rincon on friday? i was there from about 11am to about 2:30pm. i had a dealer named Lance who dealt quads on the board on my table and then dealt another big hand on the board at the adjacent table.
Doh! got caught up in my reply that i had already forgetten you had mentioned when you were at Rincon. Doh! Doh!
Is it possible to have an edge against the house with this game, following your strategy in this article?
Even using a collusion strategy with a full table, you can only reduce the house edge to about -1.6% of the Ante, on average ($0.08/hand @ $5 Ante). But the edge is pretty small relative to the average total bet, so you can look at the “element of risk” to be -1.6%/4.2 = -0.38%, which is pretty good. Also, by setting goals (outcome distributions with collusion), you can give yourself a 70% of winning a session, and a 68% chance of meeting your goal.
One thing i have noticed lately is that the dealers at Rincon seem to be used to our way of playing now. i have not gotten any comments from them the last couple of sessions. the dealers at Pechanga, however, are still making comments about the aggressive preflop betting. They are certain that this style betting will make one go broke quick. funny thing is, maybe they are trying to give me subtle hints…”Don’t play like that on our tables because these machines will break you!”
I have noticed that the dealers at Harrah’s have been mentioning Steve a lot more as have some of the players.
I love it when the 4 times bet works and people shake their heads.
Anyone going out tonight to Viejas? Would love to meet someone from the group