Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em is the live-streamed version of the world’s most popular banked version of Texas Hold’em Poker. It’s a table game which bases the size of the player’s wager on the timing of their bet.

Benefits of playing Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em

• The game’s basic rules are based on, Texas Hold’em
• Live dealer Ultimate Texas Hold ’em pits a gambler against the dealer, instead of other gamblers
• The decision-making process is compacted, allowing for the quick play of hands

Find below the advantages of playing Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em instead of its online casino version. We also provide a basic guide to finding the game online and a run-down of the rules, as well as the steps to playing a typical hand. Our strategy and playing advice are there to give you a better chance of winning. Finally, a list of the best live dealer casinos that offer Ultimate Texas Holdem.

Top Live Dealer Casinos

Play Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em At an Online Casino

Playing Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em at an online casino is easy. Just follow these simple steps to be on your way to playing against a live dealer.

1. Sign Up to an Online Casino That Offers Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em

   Look at the list of Evolution Gaming casinos at the bottom of this page. Select one of the brand name, trustworthy sites. Sign up using your full name, email address, and email address. You’ll need a unique username. Be prepared to include security questions.

2. Fund Your Online Casino Account

   To play Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em for real money, you’ll need to make a deposit. Most sites accept credit and debit cards, web wallets, cryptocurrencies, wire transfers, and bank transfers.  You can check out the different casino deposit options to get useful information.

   Also, remember to claim your bonus. Most online casinos and mobile casinos offer welcome bonuses, whether it’s a deposit bonus or no-deposit bonus. Many require a coupon code to activate. Speak with customer support via Live Chat if you have questions.

3. Find Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em at the Live Dealer Casino Section

   Though you’ll register with an online or mobile casino, you’ll want to use the live dealers to play. This option is available through a link on the casino site’s homepage.

   Once you’re in the live casino lobby, a link for Ultimate Texas Hold’em should be visible. Click on that link. Select the table with the bet limits most comfortable to you.

4. Start Playing Ultimate Texas Hold’em with Live Dealers

   Learn the bet controls and the chat function. Chat allows you to communicate with the live dealer, pit boss, and other players.

   Read the strategy section below to make proper plays. Ultimate Texas Hold’em does have strategy elements. The dealer plays according to rules, so bluffing and reading tells are not part of the game.

5. End the Session and Cashing Out

   When you finish your session, sign off. The setting should save, allowing you to continue with a click or two when you want to gamble again. The casino’s icon should appear on your computer’s desktop.

   Cash out your winnings with a Bank Wire Transfer, Cryptos, Check by Courier or Check by Mail. This will let you keep some money in your casino account, but also let you enjoy the profits.

Playing in a live casino is easy, especially once you’ve done it one time and set-up the cookies to remember your settings. Evolution Gaming has made it even easier, which I describe below.

Evolution Gaming created a live version of Ultimate Texas Hold’em in partnership with Scientific Games. Players receive the option to play using the “Direct Game Launch“. This allows the game to be accessed directly via web page, email, or text with one simple click or tap.

Due to the technology used for live streaming, this game can be scaled to any size group of players. Evolution Gaming claims it has “massive scalability” to allow an unlimited number of players to be serviced at one single table. I don’t like the sound of that, because it implies certain automation which diverges from the live dealer model. This idea is explored further down the page, in the section on playing a single hand of the game.

Best Online Casinos to Play Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Evolution Gaming casinos are the only place Ultimate Texas Holdem is served by live dealers. Below you will find a complete list of all the online casinos that offer Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em.

Below are casinos sites that offer live dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Some of these casinos accept US players, while others cater to international players. Be sure to read the reviews for the casinos. For those casinos that do not have a review, we have not verified their legitimacy. Proceed with caution if you decide to play at any of the casinos not reviewed.

Below is a comprehensive list of casino sites that offer Texas Hold’em.

Online gambling is an ever-evolving industry, due to technological advances, player tastes, and competition. Check back for updates on Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em online casinos.

Online United States players wont find ultimate hold’em, but instead can enjoy other poker variations at the following casinos:

RANK	POKER SITE	BONUS	PLAY
1	Bovada Casino	BONUS 100% up to $3,000	Play Now
2	BetOnline Casino	BONUS 100% up to $3,000	Play Now
3	Ignition Casino	BONUS 25% up to $1,000	Play Now
4	Wild Casino	BONUS 100% up to $5,000	Play Now
5	DuckyLuck	BONUS 500% up to $7,500	Play Now

Playing a Round of Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Playing Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em for the first time might be a bit confusing since you don´t know the table set up. This short video tutorial below will show you exactly how the game is played so you know what to expect when you sign up to play live dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em.

The Trips Bet In Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Players in Ultimate Texas Hold’em receive the ability to make bets on Pre-Flop, on the Flop, and on the Turn/River. Evolution Gaming’s live version allows for wagers on an optional “Trips” bet. This does not pit the player versus the dealer, but instead against a pay table, as video poker would. If you receive a Three-of-a-Kind or better by combining your 2 hole cards and 3 of the 5 community cards, you win according to the paytable.

The Trips bet is an exciting option for players who like to bet on propositions with high payouts. Because the Trips bet requires a minimum of a three-of-a-kind for a payout, this is a high-risk wager. Players need to know their relative odds of hitting such a wager. When you’re holding a pair, the odds of flopping a set are 7.5-to-1. Keep that in mind while betting.

Players should notice that Evolution Gaming’s rule stipulates you must build your 5-card hand using your 2 hole cards. That’s different than brick-and-mortar Ultimate Texas Hold’em. The rule limits your chances of building a high-ranking hand. In standard Texas Hold’em, a player builds their best 5-card hand from any combination of their 2 hole cards and the 5 community cards. You can use 2 cards, 1 card, or 0 cards from among those dealt to you, depending on the deal.

The Trips bet has hand-building rules more akin to Omaha Hold’em, usually simply known as Omaha. Always keep in mind this limitation when making betting decisions on this side bet.

Rules to Play Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em

A hand of Ultimate Texas Holdem bears a resemblance to traditional Texas Hold’em, but the differences are stark. Below you can see how a typical hand is played in offline gambling. Below that is a small section on the Trips bet, which is allowed in the Evolution Gaming live casino studio. Since other live casinos might not offer that wager, I’ve kept the two discussions separate here.

1. The First Bets

   The player is required to make an Ante bet and a Blind bet. The Ante bet is made before the cards are dealt.

2. Two Cards are Dealt

   The dealer deals 2 hole cards to every player at the table from an ordinary 52-card deck.

3. Players Look at Cards

   The player looks at their own two hole cards, to determine whether to keep playing.

4. The Play Bet

   The player either makes the Play bet or checks. When making the Play bet at this point, the bet can be 3x or 4x the Ante bet, depending on the operator.

5. The Flop

   The dealer turns over 3 community cards. These are shared among all gamblers at the table, as well as the dealer.

6. Second Round of Betting

   If the player checked before, then he or she can make a Play bet now. In this round of betting, the Play bet maxes out at 2x the Ante bet. Players who made a Play bet already simply check.

7. The Turn and River

   The two final community cards are revealed. Notice that the Turn (4th community card) and the River (5th card) are revealed at the same time.

8. Final Round of Betting

   If the player checked on the first two rounds of betting, then he or she can make a Play bet of 1x the Ante bet. Those who’ve already wagered simply check.

9. Hands are Revealed

   The dealer and the players must make the best 5-card hand, using any combination of their two cards and the 5 community cards.

10. Dealer Must Qualify

    To “open” or qualify for the hand, the dealer must have a pair or better. If not, the player wins the Blind and Play bets, but the Ante bet is a push.

11. Compare Hands

    If the dealer opens, then the Play, Ante, and Blind bets are determined by the best hand.

The earlier in the hand the bet is made, the higher their wager can be. This creates a single pivot point in a hand of Ultimate Texas Hold’em online which adds strategy and excitement. If a bet is made early in the hand, then the player’s wager can be as much as 3x or 4x the ante bet, depending on the casino’s house rules. If the player waits until community cards are showing, then the wager is limited to 1x the ante bet. Again, hands at individual sites might differ slightly.

Basic Ultimate Texas Hold’em Strategy

Let’s take a look at the optimal guide for those wanting more general strategy advice.

Making the 4x wager is somewhat more complicated than the other bets. For that reason, I place those instructions on a small table. If the casino only allows a 3x bet, use the same strategy.

HOLDING CARD	DECISION
Holding an Ace	Always make a 4x raise when holding an Ace. Any aces-high hand works.
Holding a King	Make the 4x wager when you holding a King and your lower card is 5 through Queen. Also, make the 4x wager with a suited K-4, K-3, or K-2.
Holding a Queen	Make the 4x raise when you hold Q-J, Q-10, Q-9, or Q-8. Also, make the bet when holding suited Q-7 or Q-6.
Holding a Jack	Make the 4x raise when you hold any J-10, or suited J-9 or J-8.
Ten or Lower	Never make the 4x wager when your unmatched high card is 10 or lower.

After the Flop, a different set of strategies apply. The medium raise has a certain level of crunch to it. Three different points should be remembered when deciding on this play.

• When holding 2 pairs or better.
• Any hidden pair besides pocket 2’s. A hidden pair means at least one card (of the pair) in your hole cards.
• Four to a flush. When holding 4/5ths of a flush, making the 2x raise.

After, the Turn/River, yet another set of factors apply. Use the following tips when it’s time to make the small raise or not.

• When you have a hidden pair or better.
• When the dealer has less than 21 “outs” which would beat you.

This last suggestion might be hard to apply for beginning players. “Outs” are cards in the deck which might beat your hand. To determine this, you have to see what the dealer is showing and determine how many cards would beat you. Beginners and even intermediate players might not be able to count how many outs exist.

If you can’t do this in your head, the Wizard of Odds offers an Ultimate Texas Hold’em Calculator to help with practice or on-the-fly decisions. You’ll have to be quick at inputting the scenario if you want to use the tool for in-game decision making. Practice and learn and you should get a sense of the outs, after a while.

Tips to Play Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em Like a Pro

Below you will find two tip tables to help you increase your chances at winning when playing live dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em.

Advice for High Rollers

High rollers need to beware of the max payouts on this game. In many cases, if your ante bet is more than 1/500th of the max payout, then the Royal Flush jackpot actually shortchanges the high stakes player. This effectively lowers the house edge. Making higher bets is your decision, but gamblers should be aware they are getting shortchanged.

History of Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em Poker

Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em was created by Roger Snow of Shuffle Master (SHFL Entertainment). In November 2013, SHFL was acquired by Bally Technologies, which in turn was acquired by Scientific Games in August 2014. Thus Scientific Games owns the trademark to Ultimate Texas Hold’em®.

Not as many live dealer online casinos offer Ultimate Texas Hold’em as they offer games like live roulette, live dealer blackjack, and live baccarat. Because it is a registered trademark of Scientific Games, only casino sites which have the permission of that multinational lottery company are allowed to offer the game. Online and mobile casinos might offer a similar game under another name, but this article focuses on the game marketed by Shuffle Master all these years.

Licensed Casinos and Providers of Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em

At the moment, the only way to play Live delaer Ultimate Texas Hold’em is to use a site which uses Evolution Gaming software. Evolution has an exclusive deal with Scientific Games for a trademarked version of the game. Other operators might offer a non-official version of the game with slightly different rules, but I don’t know of any operator who does so at this instant.

Luckily, Evolution Gaming has a list of major clients as impressive as any provider: 888 Casino Live, William Hill Live, PokerStars Live, and Unibet are only a few options. In fact, players in the New Jersey licensed online gambling market to have their option of Borgata Online (powered by Bwin.Party software), Caesars Online (888), and Resorts (PokerStars).

888/Caesars also has a presence in the Delaware and Nevada online poker markets, but their sites are not allowed to offer casino table games, so Live dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em is not available on the sites for Dover Downs, Delaware Park, and Harrington Racecourse.

Many of the most respected international online casinos provide Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Don’t shop for big bonuses, but instead play at the best online casinos with a reputation for fairness, safety, and reliable payouts. We recommend the following non-US licensed casinos and providers.

888 Casino supplies Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em using Evolution Gaming software. 888 Casino has a $200 welcome bonus and professional live dealers who treat players like VIPs. US players in the New Jersey gaming market can play 888’s Live delaer Ultimate Texas Hold’em through the Harrah’s Online Casino or WSOP.com.

William Hill Casino and 32Red Casino each have Live Ultimate Texas Holdem with stakes ranging from £0.05 to £500. William Hill and 32Red are two of the most respected brand names in international online casino gaming, so these are our recommended sites for Ultimate Texas Hold’em Live.