Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em

[Muley05]

Went to Harrah's NKC last week.  I wanted to play blackjack but all the tables were full.  I saw this table game called Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em and decided to give it a whirl. 

Basic premise is that you make a blind bet and a play bet.  You can also make a bonus Trips bet.  Each player and the dealer gets two down cards.  There is a five card board laid out and each player is basically playing heads up with the dealer.

Preflop you can bet 3x or 4x your play bet.  After the flop you can bet 2x your play bet.  The turn and river are turned over at the same time and then you either bet 1x your play bet or fold.  Once you have made a bet you can no longer bet that hand.

The dealer has to have a pair to qualify. If he does not, you get your play bet back.  But the other bets are still live.  If you bet the dealer you win even money on your additional bet.  You have to have a straight or better to win on the blind bet, otherwise it is a push if you beat the dealer.

The trips bonus bet gets paid on if you have trips or better.

I played for a couple of hours and turned my $100 into $350.  It was a pretty fun game. I figured that it had big odds in the house's favor and that I just got lucky, but according to Wizard of Odds and other similar sites if you play optimal strategy (which I was not doing, admittedly) the odds can be better than blackjack.

All in all, I had a good time and would play the game again.

[KPrather]

To be clear, the two bets you make initially are the Blind and the Ante, not the Play. The Play is the bet you make after seeing your cards.

I deal this game at the casino where I work, and it's my favorite game to play. It's a great moneymaker for the house simply because hardly anyone plays optimum strategy.

The irony is many recreational players will "play it safe" by just checking hands like A-10, etc. The fact is that they are not playing it safe. They're playing it risky, because they're relying on the Trips and Blind bonuses to give them their payout. In the long run, "playing it safe" is actually 4-betting any hand that you're more than 50% to win (never 3-betting). The Play bet is one of the rare times your wager can have player advantage over the house, so if you have that advantage, always play it for the most you can.

[Muley05]

I actually played this again at a different casino last night.  I broke even after playing for three hours, and there is nothing wrong with that.

I was much more aggressive with my Play bets and it really paid off.  Betting 4x with any Ace and most Kings worked really well.  I didn't win them all but won most of them.  I really like the game.