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Ultimate Texas Hold’em is the most popular of the games that came out due to the poker boom. Most mid-sized and large Las Vegas casinos spread it. Many have multiple tables. Limits start at $2 at Jerry’s Nugget, located just north of downtown Las Vegas. Most casinos spread it with a $5 minimum bet. Some higher end ones require $10.
How to Play Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is played like the one in Las Vegas poker rooms. Players start by making an Ante and Blind bet. The two bets must be equal. There are also two side bets at most Ultimate Texas Hold’em tables. One is a progressive, while the other is a simple bonus hand.
The progressive will pay on either flopping a royal flush or making one out of the seven cards. The flopped royal flush jackpot will often pay more than $100,000, while the royal flush on seven cards typically hits before the jackpot gets higher than $15,000.
The side bets are optional. Only the Ante and Blind bets are mandatory.
#3 – Three of the community cards are displayed. This is known as the flop. There is another chance to bet before the last two cards are shown, known as the turn or river.
- A player that does not raise before the flop may do so for double the Ante after the flop or an amount equal to the Ante after the turn and river are exposed.
- A player that raises before or after the flop has no other action to make for the rest of the hand. The cards should be tucked under the bets.
#4 – Once all the cards are exposed, the dealer’s hand is shown. Its strength is determined and compared to the other player’s hands. The dealer must have at least a pair to qualify. If the board pairs, this qualifies as a dealer opener.
If the dealer does not qualify, the Ante pushes. The Raise bets will play. If the player beats the dealer, the Ante (if the dealer qualifies) and raises are paid. If the dealer beats the player, the Ante and Raise bets lose. If the dealer and player have the same hand, the player pushes.
Las Vegas Slot Machines
The Blind bet pushes unless the player makes a straight or higher. It then pays based on the chart.
| Ultimate Texas Hold’em | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 500-1 |
| Straight Flush | 50-1 |
| Four of a Kind | 10-1 |
| Flush | 3-2 |
| Straight | Even Money |
If you are not in Las Vegas and want to try your luck playing Ultimate Texas Hold’em there are several online casinos where you can play againt real dealers. Find these live online casinos in our UTH game page.
Play Ultimate Texas Hold’em at Las Vegas Casinos in 2018
| Casino | Game | Min Bet | Max Bet | # of Tables | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Queens | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 100 | 1 | No |
| Aliante Casino | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 3 | No |
| Aria | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 25 | 500 | 3 | No |
| Bally’s | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 2 | No |
| Bellagio | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 15 | 500 | 2 | No |
| Bellagio | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 25 | 500 | 1 | No |
| Boulder Station | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 100 | 1 | No |
| Caesars Palace | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 25 | 500 | 1 | No |
| Cannery | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 100 | 1 | No |
| Circus Circus | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 2 | No |
| Cosmopolitan | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 25 | 500 | 3 | No |
| Cromwell | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 1 | No |
| Downtown Grand | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 1 | No |
| Encore | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 500 | 5 | No |
| Encore | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 50 | 500 | 1 | No |
| El Cortez | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 1 | No |
| Excalibur | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 1 | No |
| Fiesta Henderson | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 100 | 1 | No |
| Flamingo | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 15 | 200 | 1 | No |
| Flamingo | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 1 | No |
| Gold Coast | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 1 | No |
| Golden Gate | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 1 | No |
| Golden Nugget | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 2 | No |
| Green Valley Ranch | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 500 | 1 | No |
| Green Valley Ranch | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 500 | 1 | No |
| Harrah’s | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 3 | No |
| Linq | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 1 | No |
| Luxor | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 100 | 2 | No |
| M Resort | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 100 | 2 | No |
| Mandalay Bay | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 25 | 500 | 3 | No |
| MGM Grand | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 1 | No |
| Mirage | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 15 | 500 | 3 | No |
| Monte Carlo | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 200 | 1 | No |
| NYNY | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 2 | No |
| Orleans | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 4 | No |
| Palace Station | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 1 | No |
| Palazzo | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 15 | 2000 | 2 | No |
| Palms | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 300 | 1 | No |
| Palms | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 500 | 10000 | 1 | No |
| Paris | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 1 | No |
| Planet Hollywood | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 200 | 1 | No |
| Planet Hollywood | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 200 | 2 | No |
| Plaza | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 1 | No |
| Rampart | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 2 | No |
| Red Rock | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 500 | 2 | No |
| Red Rock | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 500 | 2 | No |
| Rio | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 500 | 1 | No |
| Sam’s Town | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 100 | 1 | No |
| Santa Fe Station | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 3 | No |
| Silverton | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 2 | No |
| Sahara Las Vegas | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 300 | 1 | No |
| South Point | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 100 | 3 | No |
| Stratosphere | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 2 | No |
| Suncoast | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 25 | 2 | No |
| The D | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 50 | 1 | No |
| Treasure Island | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 300 | 1 | No |
| Tropicana | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 10 | 100 | 2 | No |
| Venetian | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 25 | 2000 | 1 | No |
| Westgate | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 5 | 100 | 1 | No |
| Wynn | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 15 | 500 | 6 | No |
| Wynn | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | 25 | 500 | 1 | No |
- Appendices
- Slots Analysis
- Miscellaneous
Introduction
The following table ranks the Las Vegas casinos according to the looseness of their video display reeled nickel slot machines. The returns are based on a sampling of five different types of machines. The data collected goes back as far as October 2001 so the information is a bit dated.
Las Vegas 5 Cent Slot Survey
| Rank | Casino | Average Return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palms | 93.42% |
| 2 | Gold Coast | 92.84% |
| 3 | Sahara | 92.81% |
| 4 (tie) | Bourbon Street | 92.63% |
| 4 (tie) | Imperial Palace | 92.63% |
| 4 (tie) | Slots a Fun | 92.63% |
| 7 | Key Largo | 92.60% |
| 8 | Western | 92.57% |
| 9 | Ellis Island | 92.56% |
| 10 | El Cortez | 92.56% |
| 11 | Orleans | 92.56% |
| 12 | Circus Circus | 92.56% |
| 13 | Gold Spike | 92.55% |
| 14 | Fitzgeralds | 92.54% |
| 15 | Fiesta - Rancho | 92.53% |
| 16 | Arizona Charlie's East | 92.51% |
| 17 | Barbary Coast | 92.50% |
| 18 | Terrible's | 92.49% |
| 19 | Arizona Charlie's | 92.49% |
| 20 | Hard Rock | 92.47% |
| 21 | Town Hall | 92.47% |
| 22 | Longhorn | 92.47% |
| 23 | Riviera | 92.23% |
| 24 | California | 92.14% |
| 25 | Lady Luck | 92.10% |
| 26 | Nevada Palace | 92.06% |
| 27 | Plaza | 91.94% |
| 28 | Luxor | 91.92% |
| 29 | Paris | 91.92% |
| 30 | San Remo | 91.88% |
| 31 | Excalibur | 91.84% |
| 32 | Palace Station | 91.84% |
| 33 | Ballys | 91.82% |
| 34 | Las Vegas Club | 91.76% |
| 35 | Four Queens | 91.75% |
| 36 | Texas Station | 91.71% |
| 37 | Casino Royale | 91.67% |
| 38 | Boulder Station | 91.55% |
| 39 | Aladdin | 91.5% |
| 40 | O'sheas | 91.48% |
| 41 | Hilton | 91.40% |
| 42 | Boardwalk | 91.28% |
| 43 | New York New York | 90.99% |
| 44 | Horseshoe | 90.96% |
| 45 | Sam's Town | 90.89% |
| 46 | Santa Fe Station | 90.87% |
| 47 | Flamingo | 90.86% |
| 48 | Golden Nugget | 90.85% |
| 49 | Stratosphere | 90.8% |
| 50 | Tropicana | 90.71% |
| 51 | Golden Gate | 90.64% |
| 52 | Silverton | 90.57% |
| 53 | Main Street Station | 90.56% |
| 54 | Westward Ho | 90.40% |
| 55 | Fremont | 90.37% |
| 56 | Castaways | 90.36% |
| 57 | Monte Carlo | 90.24% |
| 58 | Stardust | 89.97% |
| 59 | Frontier | 89.91% |
| 60 | MGM Grand | 89.81% |
| 61 | Harrahs | 89.32% |
| 62 | Treasure Island | 89.32% |
| 63 | Mirage | 89.3% |
| 64 | Caesars Palace | 89.05% |
| 65 | Mandalay Bay | 88.87% |
| 66 | Rio | 88.72% |
| 67 | La Bayou | 88.26% |
| 68 | Mermaids | 88.26% |
| 69 | Bellagio | 87.42% |
| 70 | Venetian | 86.66% |
| 71 | Airport | 85.02% |
Excluded Casinos
The Suncoast and Rampart Casino in Summerlin do not allow playing slots and taking notes at the same time. I can not include any casino that prohibits the method in which I gather data.
Location Averages
The next table shows the average return by location.
Returns by Region
| Location | Average Return |
|---|---|
| Off strip | 92.07% |
| Downtown | 91.66% |
| Strip | 91.47% |
| Total | 91.74% |
The above sign can be found across the street from the Palms. Although I did the study Anthony Curtis published it in the LasVegas Advisor, which is how it become well known. The'...' in the sign encompases quite a bit of information,which was conveniently left off the sign. Actually the study only says that the Palms had the lowest nickel video slotsof the casinos surveyed in Las Vegas. The small print at thebottom says, 'Independent study conducted between November2001-February 2002 on Austin Powers, Fortune Cookie, Reel'em In, and Wheel of Fortune games. They left off LeopardSpots, and the study began in October.
Observations
There seemed to be no truth behind slot placement myths. Machines on the end of a bank did no better on average than those in the middle. There was also no correlation between return and proximity to such things as the main door, table game pit, high traffic areas, and low traffic areas.
Most casinos were very consistent in their slot returns.If one nickel machine had a return of x% then all others like it also returned x%. However some casinos did mix up loose and tight machines, most notably Treasure Island and the California casinos.
Methodology
A kind and anonymous source provided me with par sheets for the games in question. The EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) chip is what tells the machine the order of the symbols on the reel, in some cases how the stops are weighted, how much each winning combination pays, and any other pertinent information about how much the machine pays.It is up to the slot manager to select which EPROM chip to order according to the return percentage desired. On atypical game there might be about 8 different possible return percentages, ranging from about 85% to 98%.
Each of the different par sheets has five sets of distinct reels. On video display slots the stops are not weighted; in other words all stops are equally likely. The distribution of each symbol on each reel is what determines the theoretical return of the machine. For example a higher paying machine may have more of the higher paying symbols.
On the machine itself three consecutive symbols arevisible on five different reels. By comparing actualobservations of results to the par sheets it is possible todetermine which reels the machine uses, and thus which par sheet and which return. There are various three-symbol combinations that appear in at least one but not all par sheets. So if one of these combinations occurs on an actualmachine it narrows down the possible par sheets. By playingenough the player can narrow down the possible par sheets tojust one.
To help identify the unique combinations I wrote a computer program for each game, which had the exact reel order of all 5 reels of all the par sheets. The program then counted the number of par sheets with each possible three-symbol combination. If the number was greater than 0 and less than the maximum then that combination was identified along with the associated par sheets it belonged to.
It is then a matter of simply playing the game and comparing the outcomes to the list of partially unique combinations. It only takes about 5-10 plays per machine to narrow down the possibilities to just one par sheet.
The averages in the table are actually an average of averages. For each kind of machine at each casino I took an average return. Then I took the average of these averages over the five kinds of machines I tested for.
Slot Machine Definition
There is some confusion about what constitutes a 'slot machine' or 'slot.' My definition, and that of most gamblers, is a gambling machine with either actual spinning reels or video representations of the them.
People in the gaming business and regulators generally refer to a slot machine as any gambling machine, including reeled slots, video poker, video keno, video blackjack,etc.. For purposes of statistics both casino managers and regulators combine all the electronic gambling machines together. For example, the Slot Chart in Casino Player magazine and reports by the Nevada Gaming Control Board do not isolate just reeled slots but consider all electronic games a 'slot.' Therefore my return percentages should not be expected to agree with those reported by the casinos or regulators. As far as I know mine is the only source to isolate just the return of reeled slots.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Rob Feldheim for helping with the slot play and record keeping. Rob helped me with most of the casinos on the east side of town and part of downtown. I would also like to thank par Sheet Pete (not his real name)for providing the par sheets, without which this project would not have been possible.
Internal Links
Go to slot machine appendix3B (Jean/Primm slot returns).
Go to slot machine appendix 3D(Henderson slot returns).
Go to slot machine appendix 3E(Las Vegas quarter and dollar slot returns).
Go to slot machine appendix 3F(Montreal slot return).
Go back to slot machines.
External Links
The main-stream media has covered this study in depth. Here are links to some articles.
- Turning'em loose, an article that appeared in the Las VegasReview Journal on May 19, 2002, about the possible effectsof this study.
- One-Armed Bandit or Robin Hood?, an article by myself for Contingencies Magazine explaining the methodology, results, and weaknesses of the study.
- Play by the rules and the one-armed bandits will still win. Boston Globe article about slot machines, in which my Las Vegas survey is mentioned and my advice quoted. (cache)
Las Vegas Slot Machine Odds
