You’ve learned the basics of Ultimate Texas Hold’em. You know when to bet, when to check, and you always toss a chip on the Pair Plus. It’s a fun, simple side bet that pays if your starting hand is a pair or better… But have you ever glanced at the felt and seen that strange, often colorful section filled with confusing words and big payouts? You know, the one with “Trips,” “Bad Beat,” and other mysterious promises? That, my friend, is the world of progressive and bonus side bets. It’s a world that can seem shockingly complex at first, but it’s also where a lot of the table’s excitement happens. Let’s pull back the curtain and make it all easy to understand.
Picture the main game of Ultimate Texas Hold’em as your steady job, where you make your core bets, and these side bets are like the lottery tickets you buy for a bit of extra fun and the chance at a life-changing win. They are completely separate from your main “play” and “blind” bets. Using your BetLabel login, you can win the main hand and lose the side bets, or, more excitingly, you can lose the main hand and hit a massive jackpot on the side. They are a gamble on a gamble, and that’s where the thrill lies.
The Usual Suspects
Most casino titles have standard side bets, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em is no different, so while the names might change slightly, the concepts are usually the same.
The “Trips” Bet: Three-of-a-Kind
This is probably the most popular bonus bet after the Pair Plus,as the concept is straightforward: you are wagering that any hand in the game (your two cards, the dealer’s two cards, or the five community cards) will combine to make a three-of-a-kind or better. It doesn’t matter who wins the main pot. If the board shows three Queens, everyone who placed the “Trips” bet wins, even if their own hand is a measly 2-7 offsuit.
The payments are capable of being quite generous, and they may begin at 4-to-1 on a straightforward three-of-a-kind, and soar as high as 500-to-1 or more on a royal flush. When community cards begin to show such a possible monster hand, you will notice all players who made the Trips bet leaning forward simultaneously in hopes that they have won the big prize.
The “Bad Beat” Bonus: Winning by Losing
This one sounds a little backwards, and that’s because it is. When you have a very strong hand but lose to a still stronger hand, that is a payout issued to you. This is referred to as the “Bad Beat”. The qualifying hands are displayed directly on the table format, and a typical example is a losing four-of-a-kind or even a full house.
Imagine this: you have four Aces… An incredible hand! But the dealer, by some cruel twist of fate, has a straight flush, so you lose the main pot in a truly “bad beat” fashion. Yet, if you placed the “Bad Beat” bonus wager, you get a significant consolation prize, often a hefty 100-to-1 or more.