Ultimate Texas Hold'em
POPULAR CASINO POKER-VARIANT invented by ROGER SNOW (SHUFFLE MASTER, 2007) — HEADS-UP versus DEALER: player makes ANTE + BLIND wagers, sees 2 HOLE CARDS, then can PLAY 4x (pre-flop), 2x (post-flop), or 1x (post-river) — WITHOUT MATCHING THE PLAY BET. Dealer needs PAIR TO QUALIFY. Play against dealer's hand for standard Texas Hold'em rankings; ANTE pays 1:1 if won, BLIND pays PROGRESSIVELY (1:1 up to STRAIGHT FLUSH 50:1 or ROYAL FLUSH 500:1). One of most popular table-poker games in Vegas + global casinos.
Quick facts
Category
Casino & Gambling
Type
Individual
Players
1–6
Duration
~3 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇺🇸 United States
Estimated origin
Designed 2007 by Roger Snow of Shuffle Master (now Scientific Games); first placed in casinos 2007; spread to majority of Vegas + international casinos by 2012.
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Beat DEALER'S 5-CARD HAND using YOUR 2 HOLE CARDS + 5 COMMUNITY CARDS.
Rules
Basic rules
PRE-DEAL: player places EQUAL ANTE + BLIND wagers (mandatory); OPTIONAL TRIPS side-bet on hand strength
Signature Ante+Blind+optional Trips wagers.
PLAYER + DEALER dealt 2 HOLE CARDS FACE-DOWN
Standard hole-card deal.
PRE-FLOP DECISION: PLAY 4× ANTE or CHECK (no additional bet)
Signature 4x pre-flop bet.
3 FLOP CARDS dealt; if checked pre-flop, PLAYER may PLAY 2× ANTE or CHECK
Signature 2x post-flop bet.
TURN + RIVER dealt together; if still checked, PLAYER MUST PLAY 1× ANTE or FOLD (lose Ante + Blind + Trips)
Signature 1x post-river or fold.
DEALER QUALIFIES with a PAIR or better; if NOT QUALIFIED, ANTE PUSHES (returned)
Signature dealer pair-to-qualify.
PLAY BET always plays vs. Dealer regardless of qualification: WIN 1:1, LOSE 1:1, TIE = PUSH
Signature Play bet always active.
BLIND PAYS PROGRESSIVELY on winning hand: 1:1 (< Straight), 3:2 (Flush), 3:1 (Full House), 10:1 (4 of a Kind), 50:1 (Straight Flush), 500:1 (Royal Flush)
Signature Blind progressive payout.
Scoring
House edge ~2.19% (assuming optimal strategy); Blind payouts + Trips bonus scale to Royal Flush 500:1.
Win condition · Player's 5-card hand > Dealer's — Ante + Play + Blind pay out per rules.
Equipment
STANDARD 52-CARD DECK (single deck, hand-shuffled or automatic shuffler)
Standard poker deck.
CASINO TABLE with UTH-branded layout: ANTE + BLIND + TRIPS + PLAY betting circles
Signature 4-circle UTH layout.
STANDARD CASINO CHIPS + DEALER'S FACE-UP CARD SLOT
Standard casino chip set.
Terminology
- Ante
- Mandatory pre-hand wager.
- Blind
- Mandatory equal-to-Ante wager paying progressive bonus.
- Trips
- Optional side-bet on hand-strength bonus.
- Play
- Bet made 4x/2x/1x during hand.
- Qualifies
- Dealer needs pair or better to fully play Ante.
Major competitions
No formal tournament; house-banked table game only
n/a · Global casinos · since 2007
Where it is played
Governing bodies
Nevada Gaming Commission + regional gaming authorities
Founded 1959 · Las Vegas, NV, USA
Scientific Games / Shuffle Master (game owner)
Founded 1994 · USA
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Roger Snow (US, designer, Shuffle Master)
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Ultimate Texas Hold 'em— Wikipedia
- Wizard of Odds — UTH strategy— Wizard of Odds