Ultimate Poker
Reach glory with a royal flush!
A variant of traditional Poker, Ultimate Poker offers a new approach: players do not compete against each other, but instead face a common opponent, the House. Friendliness is therefore the main strength of Ultimate Poker, where each player (up to 7 players at the table) must succeed in obtaining the winning hand against the House, with the highest possible combination.
Rules
How Ultimate Poker is played
I must beat the House, represented by the dealer, by obtaining the best 5-card hand, using my 2 cards combined with the 5 community cards.
With a maximum of 7 players at the table, I have only one hand and cannot bet on empty positions.
Combinations
High Card. No combination of the following, but the value of the highest card is taken into account.
Pair: 2 cards of identical rank.
Two Pair: 2 times 2 cards of identical rank.
Three of a Kind: 3 cards of identical rank.
Straight: 5 cards in sequence, but not of the same suit.
Flush: 5 cards of the same suit (Diamonds, Spades, Hearts, Clubs).
Full House: Combination of three of a kind and a pair.
Four of a Kind: 4 cards of identical rank.
Straight Flush: 5 cards in sequence of the same suit.
Royal Flush (the best hand!): Straight flush of the same suit made up of 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace.
Game Procedure
To participate in the game, I must place equal bets on the ANTE and BLIND positions. At my discretion, I may also place a bet on the BONUS position.
The dealer will deal two face-down cards to me, then two face-down cards to the House.
However, if the dealer uses an automatic card shuffler, the dealing order changes: the dealer will first place 5 face-down community cards on the table, then two cards to each player, and finally two cards to the House.
After looking at my two cards, I then have the choice to:
• Bet three or four times the amount of the ANTE in the PLAY position;
• Or check (CHECK).
The dealer will then reveal three community cards (the FLOP).
If I have not yet bet on the PLAY position, I then have the choice to:
• Bet twice the amount of the ANTE in the PLAY position;
• Or check (CHECK).
The dealer will then reveal two additional community cards called the TURN and the RIVER.
If I have still not bet on the PLAY position, I then have the choice to:
• Bet once the amount of the ANTE in the PLAY position;
• Or fold (FOLD); in this case, I will lose my initial bets, except for the BONUS bet if I have Three of a Kind or better.
End of the Game & Winning Hand
The dealer reveals the two cards of the House and announces the hand.
• If my hand is higher than the House’s hand, PLAY and ANTE are paid even money;
• If the House has a higher hand than mine, PLAY, ANTE and BLIND are lost;
• In case of a tie, the amounts of PLAY, ANTE and BLIND remain unchanged.
• The BLIND is paid only if my hand is higher than the House’s hand and I have at least a STRAIGHT.
• The BONUS is paid starting from THREE OF A KIND, regardless of the House’s hand.
The House needs a Pair or better to qualify.
If the House does not qualify, the ANTE is returned, and the other bets (PLAY, BLIND and BONUS) win or lose as indicated above.
At any time, I may consult the payout tables, as they are displayed on the game layout.
