What about Texas Hold 'em Bonus?

In AC, I play UTH, but my local casino added Texas Hold 'em Bonus instead. What's the general opinion of this game? I've played it a couple times, but didn't really enjoy it much, I played even for half an hour and cashed out.

Is there an easy to remember strategy?

you commit to play every hand and see the flop. Whether you bet the turn and river depend on how good the flop was. We play this game alot, about as much as UTH. It hurts when you are THB and you make a flush or better...you get even money on the ante and no odds and no bonus. Same when you get AKsuited when sitting at UTH. And you know you'll always be at the wrong table when they happen. I like the game, but if I had to choose to play one and one only I play UTH.

Quote: Mosca

In AC, I play UTH, but my local casino added Texas Hold 'em Bonus instead. What's the general opinion of this game? I've played it a couple times, but didn't really enjoy it much, I played even for half an hour and cashed out.

Is there an easy to remember strategy?

In Atlantic City, you don't get paid on the Ante unless you have a Flush or better. This changes the strategy a tiny bit. In Atlantic City you fold on the following hands:
2-3 Unsuited
2-4 Unsuited
2-5 Unsuited
2-6 Unsuited
2-7 Unsuited
3-4 Unsuited

Everything else plays. If your two cards are suited, you play.

You raise on the turn in the following circumstances:
The cards in the flop improve your hand (Any Pair or better even 2s or 3s)
Your hole cards are A-10 or better OR a pair of 4s or better.
You have an outside straight or four to a flush.

You raise the river in the following circumstances:
The cards in the flop and turn improve your hand (Any Pair or better even 2s or 3s)
Your hole cards are A-10 or better OR a pair of 4s or better.

I have been lucky playing by those rules but pictured below is proof that I do not follow my own rules 100% of the time:

Notice that I didn't bet the turn when I should have.

Since you don't get paid on the ante without a flush or better, that changes my strategy to "don't play this game".

THB
CON: I don't like THB because you have to put out 3x the min on almost every hand (folding only the very worst x2 hands). You are often putting out the flop bet with a terrible hand. When you do hit a good hand, you can only risk 1 + 1 more bets.
PRO: I do like the multiple decision points that keep you thinking at every street.
CON: I really don't like the bonus bet, because I get harassed for not playing it.

UTH:
PRO: You put out lots of money when you have a good hand, that feels like good poker to me, and makes me feel better about betting my money.
CON: with a 4x hand, you only have 1 decision point (although you are usually happy to sit back and wait for your payday)
PRO: You can safely not play trips, because when it does pay, you usually are getting paid on your main bets anyway, so people don't call you names.

THB's cons are UTH's pros. I much prefer UTH for my -EV carny play.

Wizard covers it.

https://wizardofodds.com/games/texas-hold-em-bonus/

The Element of Risk is good as long as the ante pays on straights. This looks very important to confirm. The strategy is simple to start out, not sure why there is no advice after that. Good poker sense rules?

played this online http://www.texas-holdem-bonus.com/

seems like a lot of your decisions revolve around whether you have a good kicker or not.

If I make it to WoV II, they might have this game going [they have it acc to website]

Quote: Mosca

In AC, I play UTH, but my local casino added Texas Hold 'em Bonus instead. What's the general opinion of this game? I've played it a couple times, but didn't really enjoy it much, I played even for half an hour and cashed out.

Your local casino's management sounds like idiots. Please forgive me if the inventor of THB actually posts here.

Quote: tringlomane

Your local casino's management sounds like idiots.

Texas Holdem Bonus seems to have made a case to at least 2 casinos around PA/WV to have said game instead of UTH, I suspect more than 2. Unfortunately Meadows at least has gone for the shittier pay on the antie [needs flush].

Maybe the other selling point is the simplicity for the dealers. There is no qualifying hand for the dealer; less confusing situations seem to arise where one bet pushes, the other loses, the other wins even though no qualifier etc. I keep telling myself I have to watch for such dealer error in UTH, or don't play, should I ever do so.

"If the dealer has the higher hand the player will lose all wagers, except possibly the Bonus bet" per WoO site. The Ante bet wins or pushes if the player has won the hand, not too hard to remember.

What about the Bonus bet, you say? It has to be much easier to think of as an independent side bet.

I have not had the opportunity to play it or UTH, so there's that.

PS: I'm not sure where the dealer edge is! What am I missing? Essentially the dealer is stuck calling all your bets, you are stuck calling only your initial bets.

My local area casinos have both THB and UTH. I prefer UTH much more. Yea Im a silly ploppy who will play the trips bet at the game. I very very rarely play THB.
The way I see it it THB is a 2 card game, while UTH is a 7 card game. As described, THB pays even money across the board, only on the Ante with either a straight or flush, and better. It seems to be the money to be won in the game is the bonus bet, any pair or Ace/Face paying out. Gets me to thinking, what about a 5$ ante and 5$ bonus bet strategy, no winner? fold it. Winner ? tuck it and collect. At least one of my area casinos will allow you to play the bonus with out paying to see the flop, ect. Just ante and bonus bet.
UTH on the other hand, will pay you odds on a made hand straight or better on the blind, and trips and better on the.... wait for it..... trips bet. Again my local joints will allow you to "fold" the play bets and only play the trips bet if you feel the dealer will beat your hand, even holding a paying trips bet.
Example: 4 to a flush on the board for community cards, and your stuck holding the 2 of said suit. You feel dealer has the flush as well, beating yours. Just tuck the cards under the trips bet, and fold the ante/blind bet.
While the trips bet is a sucker bet, according to the numbers, it seems to me that everyone I see not playing it almost always walks away poorer than they sat down, and the suckers winning money always seem to be on the trips.
I have had some absolutely absurd luck on the trips bet. Considering I play about 40 hands a month of the game, I have managed to hit 2 royals, 3 straight flushes, and 5 or 6 quads, all with a 2 unit bet up. Im normally a nickle a spot guy at the game, but occasionally just for S & G, bet a dime on each. All of those hands have been made on the turn/river never on the flop. I cannot count the number of other trips bet winners. Just absurd luck, pure and simple.

Quote: chefphydeaux

I very very rarely play THB.

Players, and Wizards too, seem to be in agreement UTH is to be preferred.

Quote:

Yea Im a silly ploppy who will play the trips bet at the game... I have had some absolutely absurd luck on the trips bet

Players and Certain Wizards often differ on this.

The Wizard has pretty much convinced me not to play side bets, and I have been like that for years now. However, I can see certain arguments for them better now ... I'm not as dismissive. In the case of UTH trips bet, the worst HE is about 6% according to the Wizard's own site [which I guess means you can expect that paytable!] If you could find one of the better paytables [have you?] and wanted to play, I can't see clucking about that. There is always the virtue of increasing the variance in a -EV game; essentially, you are saying that this has worked out for you with your experience.

In fact the variance of regular BJ is so inadequate I am pondering changing my mind on the matter and playing some side bet. I'd be booted from the Wizard's favor but I'm afraid my Smart-Ass qualities have probably done that job for me already [g]

Here is my local THB progressive jackpot pay table.

Progressive payout :-
Royal Flush on the Flop (after 5 cards) --------100%
Royal Flush on the Turn (after 6 cards)---------25%
*Royal Flush on the River (after 7 cards)-------5%
Royal Flush (Community cards only)-------------$10,000
* (Must include at least 1 Hole Card)


Best of 7 Cards(Fixed Payout) :-
Straight Flush-----$1,500
Four of a Kind-----$300


Unit bet for progressive jackpot is $5

May I know what is the break even jackpot reading ?

Quote: odiousgambit

Players, and Wizards too, seem to be in agreement UTH is to be preferred.



Players and Certain Wizards often differ on this.

The Wizard has pretty much convinced me not to play side bets, and I have been like that for years now. However, I can see certain arguments for them better now ... I'm not as dismissive. In the case of UTH trips bet, the worst HE is about 6% according to the Wizard's own site [which I guess means you can expect that paytable!] If you could find one of the better paytables [have you?] and wanted to play, I can't see clucking about that. There is always the virtue of increasing the variance in a -EV game; essentially, you are saying that this has worked out for you with your experience.

In fact the variance of regular BJ is so inadequate I am pondering changing my mind on the matter and playing some side bet. I'd be booted from the Wizard's favor but I'm afraid my Smart-Ass qualities have probably done that job for me already [g]

I've had two prolonged sessions of UTH, playing over the course of several days. In the first, I did okay, probably won a few hundred, I don't rightly remember because it was a couple years ago. In the second, I got smoked, really really smoked, lost probably $1500. Maybe more. It was so bad I couldn't bring myself to write up my Vegas trip report, I kept getting pissed off. (In that trip I had not one winning session of anything. Every morning, every afternoon, and every evening I lost. And not like, up-down-up-down-up and finally down; everything I sat down at became a death spiral. Mosca, meet extreme negative variance. At least the shows and the meals were excellent.)

If you gamble because it is fun, there are worse side bets. I think the biggest concern is being able to manage the total layout for the game, within the minimums. At $5 with good cards, you'll have $35 on the table. At $10, you'll have $70. In the first case you can sit down with a few hundred, in the second you'll need a thousand IMO. Better hit that flush early.

Quote: odiousgambit

In fact the variance of regular BJ is so inadequate I am pondering changing my mind on the matter and playing some side bet. I'd be booted from the Wizard's favor but I'm afraid my Smart-Ass qualities have probably done that job for me already [g]

That is the problem with BJ, the variance is too low so it becomes a bit of a grind if you are playing for recreational purposes. I'll play a BJ side bet if the HE is in the 3%-4% range and at a at least a 15%-18% hit rate.

On UTH, I get plenty of variance in the main game and despite getting grief at times, I will only make a trips bet if I have a "hunch" that I might get lucky. I would say I only make a Trips bet once or twice per hour and only when I am up. It is tough enough to make your bankroll last at UTH.