Cards used to play Ultimate Texas Hold’em shall be in standard decks of fifty-two (52) cards.
Ranking of Hands
1. All suits of cards shall have the same rank.
2. Cards shall rank, from lowest to highest, as follows: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10, jack, queen, king, ace.
3. Hands of cards shall rank, from lowest to highest, as follows:
1 Pair: Two cards of the same value. A higher pair beating a lower pair. Aces shall be high.
2 Pairs: Two different sets of pairs.
The highest pair has priority when comparing hands. If the high pairs are the same, then the low pairs are compared, and then the remaining card.
3 of a Kind: Three cards of the same value.
Straight: Five cards of any suit in sequence. An ace may be counted as high or low.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. The value of the highest card in the hand shall decide the ranking between two flushes, and where the highest cards in both hands are the same value, the next card and so on.
Full House: Three cards of the same value and a pair (two cards of the same value). The hands take their rank from the threesome.
4 of a Kind: Four cards of the same value.
Straight Flush: Five cards of the same suit in sequence.
Royal Flush: Ace, king, queen, jack, and 10 of the same suit.
Betting scheme
Before the first card is dealt in a round, each player shall make either:
1. An equal wager in the “Ante” and “Blind” circles; or
2. An equal wager in the “Ante” and “Blind” circles and a “Trips Bonus Wager.” An ante wager and a blind wager are required to play the round.
Round of Play
1. After the dealing procedures above have been completed, each player shall examine his or her cards and decide whether to check (do nothing) or to make a play wager three or four times the value of their ante wager. Once players bet, they cannot bet again and they cannot change their bet.
2. When players have made their player wagers (if any), the casino dealer shall proceed to turn over the first three community cards.
3. Players who have not already made a play wager may decide to either check again or to make a play wager two times the value of their ante wager.
4. The casino dealer shall proceed to turn over the remaining two community cards (the turn and the river).
5. When all five community cards are revealed, players who have not yet made a play wager can either fold or make a play wager equal to the value of their ante wager.
6. A player who decides to fold shall place his/her cards face down on the table.
7. For all remaining players, the casino dealer will turn over the player/dealer’s two cards. Each player and the player/dealer’s two cards will be combined with three of the community cards to make the best five-card poker hand.
When the player/dealer does not qualify:
8. Where the player/dealer’s hand is not 1 Pair or higher, the player/dealer does not qualify. Starting with the player on the player/dealer’s left, the casino dealer shall:
a. Expose each player’s cards, signal a push for the ante and return the ante wager to each player that did not fold;
b. Resolve the play, blind, and trips bonus bets normally
9. If the player/dealer’s hand has a poker value of a pair or higher, the casino dealer reconciles the hands of those players who remain in the game. Starting with the player to the left of the player/dealer, the casino dealer will:
a. Determine the player’s best five card poker hand utilizing any of the seven cards available (player’s two hole cards and five community cards);
b. Compare the player’s hand with that of the player/dealer; and
c. Announce the value of the player’s hand and whether it wins or loses.
10. A player’s hand shall:
a. Win if it has a higher poker value than that of the player/dealer’s hand;
b. Lose if it has a lower poker value than that of the player/dealer’s hand;
c. Constitute a push if it has a poker value equal to that of the player/dealer’s hand.
d. If a player wins with less than a straight, the blind bet pushes.
11. If a player’s hand loses, the casino dealer shall:
a. Collect on behalf of the player/dealer, in order, the play, ante and blind wagers;
b. Determine whether the trips bonus wager qualifies and pay accordingly on behalf of the player/dealer; and
12. If a player’s hand wins, the casino dealer shall on behalf of the player/dealer:
a. Pay the ante wager and play wager on the hand;
b. Pay the blind wager if the hand is a straight or better;
c. Pay any trips bonus wager if the hand is a 3 of a Kind or better; and
13. If a player’s hand constitutes a push, the casino dealer shall:
a. Pay any trips bonus wager if the hand is a 3 of a kind or better.
14. Winning ante wagers and play wagers shall be paid 1 to 1.
15. Winning blind wager and trips bonus wagers shall be paid in accordance with the approved pay table for the cardroom.
16. Where a player has made a trips bonus wager at the beginning of the round and has received a 3 of a Kind or higher, the casino dealer shall leave the particular cards face up on the table and those cards shall not be collected or discarded until the payout on the hand has been made.
17. If the player receives a 3 of a Kind or higher, the trips bonus payouts are made regardless of whether the hand wins, loses, or pushes.
NOTE: If the player has a 3 of a Kind or better, the trips bet always wins—even
if the player folds.
