There are 3 decision points during the game of Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em:
Pre-flop, the
Turn, & the
Showdown. Below is the perfect strategy for the Pre-flop decision and a simplified strategy for the Turn & Showdown. For the optimal strategy, I have found Stephen How's Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em strategy to be the most comprehensive. He has great coverage of the game on his site,
Discount Gambling. The advice used in this game is modeled after his strategy.
PRE-FLOP (first decision):
When raising, always make a 4x raise. The player should never make a 3x raise.
| Your Hand | Strategy |
|---|
| Pair of 3's or better | raise |
| Ace + Any | raise |
| Suited King + Any | raise |
| Suited Q6 or better | raise |
| Suited J8 or better | raise |
| Unsuited K5 or better | raise |
| Unsuited Q8 or better | raise |
| Unsuited JT or better | raise |
| All others | check |
TURN (second decision):
| Your Hand | Strategy |
|---|
| No Pair | always check |
| One Pair | raise if pair uses one of your cards. check if pair is on the board (community cards). |
| Two Pair | always raise |
| Trips | raise if the trips uses one of your cards. check if trips is on the board (community cards). |
| All hands greater than Trips | always raise |
SHOWDOWN (last decision):
| Situation | Strategy |
|---|
| Your hand is better than Trips | always raise |
| You have Trips | raise if the trips uses one of your cards or your lowest kicker is a 9. Otherwise, fold |
| You have Two Pair | raise if your 5-card hand is better than the board's 5-card hand, Raise if your kicker is a jack or better. Otherwise, fold |
| You have a Pair | raise if pair uses one of your cards or you have at least a Jack. Otherwise, fold |
| Scare Board and you have less than a pair | always fold |
| The board is unpaired | raise if you have 2nd nut kicker. Otherwise, fold |
| The board is paired | raise if you have 3rd nut kicker. Otherwise, fold |