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Live Ultimate Texas Hold'em

RULES

Ultimate Texas Hold'em is a variant of the popular Texas Hold'em poker. Ultimate Texas Hold'em differs from Texas Hold'em in that it is played against the house rather than against other players.

The aim of Ultimate Texas Hold'em is to beat the dealer's hand by getting the best possible five-card hand, made out of the two cards dealt to the player and five community cards.

An unlimited number of players can play simultaneously at one Ultimate Texas Hold'em table. Each player can take only one seat at the table.

Ultimate Texas Hold'em is played with one standard 52-card deck (jokers excluded). The deck is shuffled after every round.

At the beginning of the round, you place a bet in the ANTE spot. When your ANTE bet has been placed, a matching BLIND bet is automatically placed by the system.

The dealer deals two cards face up to you and two cards face down to the dealer. After a short pause, the dealer deals three community cards face up in the middle of the table (called the "Flop"). After a pause, the dealer deals two final community cards (called the "Turn" and the "River").

You and the dealer can use the cards in your hand and the community cards to comprise the best five-card hand.

During the pauses in the game, you can decide to RAISE or CHECK.

To find a winner, the best paying hands are formed and compared for you and for the dealer, using five out of seven available cards.

Side Bets

TRIPS

The TRIPS bet is an optional side bet that you can place before the round begins. You win on your TRIPS bet when your final five-card hand is three-of-a-kind or better.

The TRIPS bet is placed in the blinking TRIPS betting spot, after your ANTE has been accepted. You win on your TRIPS bet when your best hand is three-of-a-kind or better.

Winning Hands

The individual cards are ranked in descending order: Ace (high or low), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.

An Ace can be the highest value card in a Straight of A, K, Q, J, 10 or the lowest value card in a Straight of 5, 4, 3, 2, A.

Possible hands from the highest payouts to the lowest:

• Royal Flush is a straight flush involving the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 all in the same suit.
• Straight Flush is a hand that contains five cards in sequence, all of the same suit, for example: Nine, Eight, Seven, Six and Five, all Hearts.
• Four of a Kind is a hand that contains all four cards of one rank and any other card. For example, four Aces in your hand would be Four of a Kind. Quads with higher ranking cards defeat lower ranking ones.
• Full House is a hand that contains three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank, e.g. three Kings and two Sixes. Between two full houses, the one with the higher ranking three cards wins.
• Flush is a hand where all five cards are of the same suit, but not in a sequence, e.g. five cards that are all Clubs. Two flushes are compared as if they were high card hands; the highest ranking card of each is compared to determine the winner. If both hands have the same highest card, then the second-highest ranking card is compared, and so on until a difference is found.
• Straight is a hand that contains five cards of sequential rank in at least two different suits, e.g. Nine, Eight, Seven, Six and Five in two or more suits. Two straights are ranked by comparing the highest card of each. Two straights with the same high card are of equal value, as suits are not used to separate them.
• Three of a Kind is a hand that contains three cards of the same rank, plus two cards which are not of this rank or the same as each other. For example, a player having three Kings in their hand would have Three of a Kind. Higher-valued Three of a Kind defeat lower-valued Three of a Kind. If two hands contain Three of a Kind of the same value, the Kickers are compared to break the tie.
• Two Pairs is hand that contains two cards of the same rank, plus two cards of another rank (that match each other but not the first pair), plus any card not of either rank. An example of this would be having two Aces and two Kings. To rank two hands both containing Two Pairs, the higher ranking pair of each is first compared, and the higher pair wins. If both hands have the same top pair, then the second pair of each is compared. If both hands have the same two pairs, the Kicker determines the winner.
• Pair is a hand that contains two cards of one rank (e.g. two Kings), plus three cards which are not of this rank or the same as each other. Pair is the lowest hand you can be paid out for. Higher ranking pairs defeat lower ranking pairs. If two hands have the same pair, the Kickers are compared in descending order to determine the winner.
• High Card is a poker hand made of any five cards not meeting any of the above requirements. Essentially, no hand is made, and the only thing of any meaning in the player's hand is their highest card.

Game Outcomes

The dealer must have a pair or better to qualify.

The dealer's hand is compared to your hand:

• If the dealer has a better hand, the ANTE, PLAY and BLIND bets and any side bets are lost.
• If the player has a better hand, the ANTE and PLAY bets pay 1:1, and the BLIND bet is settled based on BLIND payout rules.
• If you and the dealer tie, the ANTE, PLAY and BLIND bets are returned to you (�Push�).

If the dealer's hand does not qualify, the ANTE bet is returned to you (�Push�), and your hand is compared to the dealer's hand to see if you are eligible to receive PLAY and BLIND payouts:

• If your hand ranks higher than the dealer's, your ANTE bet is returned to you (�Push�), and you receive PLAY and BLIND payouts according to payout tables.
• If the dealer's hand ranks higher than your hand, your ANTE bet is returned to you (�Push�), but you do not receive PLAY and BLIND payouts.
• If your hand and the dealer's hand are of the same rank, your ANTE, PLAY and BLIND bets are returned to you.

The TRIPS bet is settled after the dealer's hand has been revealed. Your TRIPS payout is based on the rank of your best hand and the TRIPS payout table. The actual outcome of the game (whether you win or lose against the dealer) does not affect your TRIPS payout. You can win on your TRIPS bet whether or not you decide to PLAY or FOLD.

Payouts

BLIND

TRIPS

Ante bet payout is 1:1.

Play bet payout is 1:1.

Malfunction voids all pays and play.

MAKE A DECISION...CHECK or RAISE

After Pocket cards dealt...

After your cards have been dealt, your card combination and the "MAKE YOUR DECISION" window will be displayed.

You must decide whether to RAISE 4x or RAISE 3x on your ANTE or to CHECK.

If you choose to RAISE 4x or RAISE 3x, no additional decision options will be offered in game round, and the appropriate chip value (ANTE 4x or ANTE 3x) will be placed in the PLAY bet spot.

If you choose CHECK, additional decision options will be offered to you in the current game round. If you have not made a decision before decision time expires, your hand will be checked automatically. The betting-time indicator will display the message: AUTO CHECKED.

After Flop...

Three community cards (called the "Flop") are shown.

If you choose CHECK in the previous step, you are given the option to RAISE 2x or to CHECK.

If you choose RAISE 2x, no additional decision options will offered to you in game round and the appropriate chip value (ANTE 2x) will be placed in the PLAY bet spot.

If you choose CHECK, additional decision choices will be offered to you in the current game round. If you have not made a decision before decision time expires, your hand will be checked automatically. The betting-time indicator will display the message: AUTO CHECKED.

After River...

The last two community cards (called the "Turn" and the "River") are shown. If you choose CHECK in the previous step, you are given the option to RAISE 1x or to FOLD.

If you choose RAISE 1x, the appropriate chip value is placed in the PLAY bet spot. If you choose FOLD, no PLAY bet will be placed and you will lose your ANTE and BLIND bets.

If decision time expires and you have not yet made a decision to RAISE 1x or FOLD, your hand will be folded automatically, and you will lose all your bets. The betting-time indicator will display the message: AUTO FOLDED.

RETURN TO PLAYER

The optimal theoretical return-to-player percentage is 96.50%.

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