Ultimate Texas Hold'em Strategy
House edge: 2.19% on Ante, 0.53% element of riskHow To Play
Place equal Ante and Blind bets. You receive two hole cards. Before the flop you can check or raise 3x or 4x your Ante. After the flop (3 community cards) you can check or raise 2x. After the turn and river you can check or raise 1x. If you never raised, you must either call 1x or fold. Best 5-card hand wins.
House Edge
With optimal play the house edge is 2.19% on the Ante (element of risk: 0.53% - very low because the average wager grows to ~4 units). The Trips side bet runs about 1.9-3.5% depending on paytable.
Basic Strategy
Pre-Flop (4x Raise)
- Any pair of 3s or higher
- Any A-x
- K-5 suited or K-Q offsuit (any K with face)
- Q-8 suited or better
- J-T suited
Post-Flop (2x Raise)
- Two pair or better
- Hidden pair (paired your hole card)
- Any pair when fewer than 21 dealer hands beat you
River (1x or Fold)
- Call with any pair or better
- Call with ace high if board has no pair
- Fold otherwise
Common Mistakes
Checking pre-flop with strong hands. The 4x raise on premium holdings is mandatory - you give up huge EV by slow-playing. Folding the river with bottom pair when the math says call. Skipping the Trips side bet on full-pay tables where it nearly breaks even.
Example Hand
You hold A♦ 6♣. Raise 4x pre-flop - any ace is strong enough. Flop comes K♠ 6♠ 2♣. You have middle pair. Check (do not raise 2x - your kicker is weak). River bricks. Call 1x - bottom pair beats ace high.
Bottom Line
Ultimate Texas Hold'em rewards aggressive pre-flop raises and disciplined post-flop play. Memorize the three decision points and you will play near-optimal. Bankroll for the 4-unit average swing and quit while you are still enjoying yourself.