Description
Go head to head with the dealer as you compete with them for the best hand in Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em, available via 888 and streamed in superb quality via webcam.
And you can expect VIP treatment from the professional dealers here. Indeed, this is probably as close as you can get to playing in an actual casino without physically walking through the doors of one!
This is a highly engaging poker variant, not least because you can lift your winnings dramatically if you raise early.
How to play
Particularly if you know how Texas Hold’em works and are familiar with the way it’s played, you’ll be able to get stuck in straight away. It plays with a single deck of 52 cards, shuffled after each round.
Remember, you’re playing the dealer and not your fellow players. And because this game accommodates an unrestricted number of players at the same table, you’ll never have to wait for a place.
The aim is to form a five-card hand from your two dealt cards, plus three from the five community cards. There are several rounds of betting, and this game plays very similarly to more traditional forms of Texas Hold’em poker.
In the first instance, you receive two cards facing upwards; these are your hole cards, and five community cards are also dealt. The first three of these are known as the Flop, Turn and River respectively.
Kick off with your mandatory Ante and automatically placed Blind Plus bets, both of which must be the same value, plus a unique Play bet, allowing you to raise up to x3 or x4 your Ante bet. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better.
After the first deal has been made, the player and dealer receive two cards apiece in turn – your cards facing up, the dealer’s facing downwards. Then you have the choice to raise, check or fold.
There is also an optional Trips bonus bet, paying out on a wide range of hands, as long as you form at least Three of a Kind. With this one, it doesn’t matter what cards the dealer is holding.
Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em Special Features
As a live casino table offering, there are no bonus games here; however, there are specific features, as follows:
Bet Limits
There are various bet limits available here, depending on which table you choose to play at in the live casino.
Winning Hands
Ultimate Texas Hold’em hands are ranked in this order of value:
- Royal Flush 500:1
- Straight Flush 50:1
- Four of a Kind 10:1
- Full House 3:1
- Flush 1.5:1
- Straight 1:1
Jackpot
As you’d expect from a table game, Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em doesn’t feature a progressive jackpot.
Return to Player (RTP)
Table games tend to have a higher RTP or Return to Player, and this one is no exception, at a generous high of 98.10% for the Trips bonus bet.
Verdict
You’ll soon find out why this poker version is the world’s most popular form of the game! And it’s perfect if you want to experience the excitement and buzz of a real casino without leaving home.
The 888 take on Texas Hold’em is fun and action-packed, and a smart choice if you like to use some strategy when playing. Give it a go in free demo mode first before parting with any real money.
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