01 
Franzi | Games
Franzi | Games 
Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Six seats at the table, two cards for you and a dealer to beat: Ultimate Texas Hold’em is one of the poker highlights at MERKUR SPIELBANKEN for everyone who likes speed and real dynamism.
approx. 5 min.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em
The concept behind Ultimate Texas Hold’em Poker
The cards are in front of you, the bets are placed – now every decision counts. Ultimate Texas Hold’em isn't just about strong combinations, but also about timing, assessment, and knowing the right moment to raise or fold.
To help you get off to a good start, we'll explain the Ultimate Poker rules step by step. You'll learn how the individual betting phases work, how the showdown against the dealer functions, and what optional bonus bets like "trips" are all about. With an exceptionally good hand, your bet can potentially increase up to 500 times.
The Basics: Poker Ultimate Texas Hold’em Overview
- Up to six guests can play at the table. Each player competes individually against the dealer.
- You receive two cards face down, plus five community cards.
- In several betting phases, you decide how aggressively you want to play.
- Optionally, you can place the "Trips" bonus bet – regardless of the outcome – against the dealer.
- Strong combinations can pay out up to 500 times your stake.
What makes the poker variant Ultimate Texas Hold’em so special?
Important before the first hand: Bets and extra chances in Ultimate Poker
How is Ultimate Texas Hold’em played? Step by step from the deal to the showdown
Once the bets are placed, the round begins: All players and the dealer each receive two face-down cards. The game then gradually picks up speed, and at each stage you must reassess the potential of your hand.
Let's take this starting hand as an example: A♠ K♠. Strong? Definitely. But its true strength will become clear as the rounds progress.
1 | Pre-Flop: Your first decision: Even before the community cards are revealed, you look at your two hole cards and make the first crucial decision:
- Check – you wait and continue without an additional bet.
- Play – you raise immediately and bet three or four times your ante.
Especially with a strong starting hand like A♠ K♠, this can be interesting. However, if you have a weaker or difficult-to-assess hand, checking is often the more relaxed option.
Important: If you decide to play at this point, the round continues automatically for you. You don't need to place any further bets on the flop, turn, or river; you simply wait until the showdown.
2 | Flop: The first three community cards: Now the dealer reveals the first three community cards, for example, K♦ 7♠ 2♣. Together with your hand, you now have a pair of kings. This isn't a sure thing yet, but it significantly improves your starting position. If you haven't bet pre-flop, you now have two options:
- Continue checking and wait for the last two cards.
- Place a play bet twice the amount of your ante.
This is often where the game becomes particularly exciting: it reveals for the first time whether your hand is really gaining momentum or not.
3 | Turn & River: Now you have to make a decision: The dealer reveals the last two community cards simultaneously. In our example, the Q♠ and J♠ are added. Suddenly, an already strong position has become a real highlight: You now hold a flush of spades.
If you haven't placed a play bet up to this point, you now have to make one final decision:
- Fold – you drop out of the round.
- Play an amount equal to your ante.
Important: You can't check again. Now it's either stay in or fold.
Tip for the example hand: With a flush like this, the direction is clear: keep playing. These kinds of twists and turns are what make the turn and river so exciting.
4 | Showdown: Who has the better hand? Now the dealer reveals their two cards and forms their best possible five-card hand. Then it will be revealed whether your hand is strong enough.
Let's stick with our example: You hold A♠ K♠, and the board shows K♦ 7♠ 2♣ Q♠ J♠. This gives you a spade flush going into the showdown. If the dealer reveals, for example, K♣ J♦, they only have two pairs – kings and jacks. In this case, your flush is stronger.
Otherwise:
- You have the stronger hand: Ante and Play are paid out at 1:1.
- The Blind bet is paid out according to the payout table if you hold at least a straight. If your hand is less than that, the Blind remains as a push.
- In case of a tie, the Ante, Play, and Blind remain in place.
- If the dealer wins, the bets are collected.
Additionally, you should know about the showdown: The Trips bonus bet is independent of the dealer's hand. It pays out as soon as your hand reaches at least three of a kind.
If the dealer does not have at least a pair, a special rule applies: All players receive their Ante bet back. All other bets, i.e., Blind, Play, and any Trips, are then evaluated as usual.
That's why Ultimate Texas Hold'em has its own appeal
- More control over your game: You decide when and how much you bet and how aggressively you approach the round. The earlier you commit, the greater your potential success.
- Trips adds extra excitement: With the optional bonus bet, you secure an additional opportunity: Three of a kind or better can pay off, regardless of whether you're facing the dealer in the showdown.
- Strong payout rates: With up to 99.2% on blinds and 96.5% on trips, Ultimate Texas Hold'em brings plenty of excitement to the table.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em FAQ
Not in the traditional sense. However, you can bet four times your ante immediately after receiving your first two cards. This is essentially the "all-in" of the game, because you're placing your maximum possible bet on that hand and can then only watch what the dealer reveals.
Both approaches can be a good fit. Beginners benefit from the clearly structured gameplay and the fact that they don't play against multiple opponents simultaneously. Experienced poker players, on the other hand, often appreciate the blend of the familiar Hold'em feel, fixed betting phases, and direct interaction with the dealer. This makes the variant more accessible without sacrificing its strategic appeal.
There are no guarantees, but there are some useful guidelines. As a rule of thumb: You should primarily use the largest ante bet when your starting hand already has considerable potential, for example, with an ace, a pair of threes or higher, or a king with a side card of five or higher. Since you can only bet four times your ante before the flop, this moment is often the most important for maximizing your advantage from a strong starting position.
A table can usually accommodate up to six players simultaneously. Although each player plays individually against the dealer, the shared experience creates that typical casino atmosphere that many people enjoy about poker.
Because it introduces an additional chance to play, independent of the direct duel with the dealer. The only thing that matters here is the strength of your own hand at the end. If you hit three of a kind or better, the bet can pay out according to the payout table. This is precisely what makes Trips so appealing: even if the main game isn't going perfectly, a strong card combination can still bring you a separate win.
Where can I play Ultimate Texas Hold’em?
Unfortunately, we currently do not offer Ultimate Texas Hold’em at any of our MERKUR casinos. In the meantime, please explore our other posts and get inspired by other poker variants!
