Ultimate Texas Hold'em
Officially Ultimate Texas Hold'em (Bally Technologies / Shuffle Master)
CASINO POKER VARIANT (invented ~2004 by ROGER SNOW at SHUFFLE MASTER) — each player 1v1 vs. DEALER using Texas Hold'em structure. Player + dealer each get 2 HOLE CARDS; 5 SHARED COMMUNITY cards revealed in stages. Player places ANTE + BLIND before hand (equal); after HOLE CARDS, player can BET 3× or 4× ANTE, or CHECK. After FLOP: 2× ANTE bet or check; after RIVER: FOLD (loses all) or 1× ANTE PLAY BET. Dealer needs PAIR to QUALIFY. BLIND bet pays escalating BONUS by hand rank (straight 1:1, flush 3:2, full house 3:1, quads 10:1, straight flush 50:1, royal flush 500:1).
Quick facts
Category
Casino & Gambling
Type
Individual
Players
1–6
Duration
~2 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇺🇸 United States
Estimated origin
Invented ~2004 by ROGER SNOW at SHUFFLE MASTER (now part of Scientific Games/Bally Technologies); introduced casino floors 2006; now one of top 3 casino poker variants by table count (with 3-card poker + Mississippi stud); widespread in USA, UK, Australia, Asia.
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Beat dealer's Texas Hold'em hand + trigger BLIND + TRIPS bonuses.
Rules
Basic rules
ANTE + BLIND: equal mandatory bets before deal (both same amount)
Signature ante + blind pair.
OPTIONAL TRIPS SIDE-BET: pays on hand rank of trips-or-better regardless of dealer
Signature Trips side-bet.
DEAL: player + dealer each 2 hole cards
Signature 2-card deal.
PRE-FLOP DECISION: player can BET 3× or 4× ANTE (aggressive with strong hand) or CHECK
Signature 3x/4x preflop.
FLOP (3 community cards): if checked pre-flop, player can BET 2× ANTE or CHECK
Signature 2x flop.
TURN + RIVER (4th + 5th community cards): FINAL DECISION — FOLD (loses ante + blind) or bet 1× ANTE (PLAY BET)
Signature 1x river decision.
DEALER QUALIFIES: needs PAIR or better
Signature dealer pair-qualify.
DEALER DOESN'T QUALIFY: ANTE returned as push; BLIND + PLAY still resolved normally
Signature push-ante rule.
BLIND BONUS: pays escalating on hand rank — straight 1:1, flush 3:2, full house 3:1, quads 10:1, straight flush 50:1, royal flush 500:1 (paid regardless of dealer if player wins)
Signature blind-bonus schedule.
TRIPS SIDE-BET: pays 3:1 to 40:1 depending on hand rank — trips 3:1, straight 6:1, flush 9:1, full house 30:1, quads 40:1, straight flush 40:1 (varies)
Signature Trips side-bet payouts.
Scoring
Standard 1:1 payouts for ante + play; blind pays bonus schedule; Trips side-bet pays fixed by rank.
Win condition · Beat dealer's 5-card Texas Hold'em hand using 2 hole + 5 community.
Equipment
STANDARD 52-CARD DECK
Standard 52-card deck.
ULTIMATE TEXAS HOLD'EM TABLE LAYOUT (ANTE, BLIND, PLAY, TRIPS box per seat)
Signature ULTX table.
OPTIONAL TRIPS SIDE-BET box
Signature Trips side-bet.
CASINO CHIPS
Standard casino chips.
Terminology
- Ante + Blind
- Two equal mandatory bets before deal.
- 4x/3x
- Aggressive pre-flop bet with strong hand.
- Trips
- Side-bet paying on hand rank of trips+.
- Play bet
- Final 1x continuation bet at river.
Where it is played
Governing bodies
Bally Technologies / Scientific Games (game IP holder)
Founded 2013 · USA
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Ultimate Texas Hold 'em— Wikipedia