Texas Shootout game icon

House-Banked Poker

Texas Shootout Casinos

Four hole cards, pick the best two, then the community plays out. The hole-card choice is your edge — choose wisely.

10 US venues offer texas shootout.

House Edge
~3.0% Ante & Play
RTP
~97.0%
Typical Min Bet
$5 to $15
Pace
Moderate
Category
House-Banked Poker
Beginner-friendly

Casino Directory

Where to play Texas Shootout in the US

Showing 10 of 10 venues

Texas Shootout is a Hold'em-style novelty game that gives you four hole cards instead of two and lets you pick the best two-card combination before the community cards are dealt. This pre-flop choice is the core strategic decision: you must evaluate which two-card hand offers the strongest potential against the dealer before seeing the flop. The game is house-banked and plays like a simplified heads-up Hold'em with a fixed raise structure after the flop. The hole-card advantage over standard Hold'em makes this game appealing, but the dealer qualification and betting thresholds keep the edge reasonable. You'll find live tables at most major properties. See our full US casino directory for venue contact details and hours.

Texas Shootout is a creative Hold'em offshoot that gives you the unusual advantage of choosing your hole cards from four options instead of two. This pre-flop decision is the game's defining feature and the primary source of player edge. Getting dealt four cards means you will see a pocket pair or Ace-King more often than in standard Hold'em. The game structure after the flop is similar to Ultimate Texas Hold'em but with a simpler 2x-or-check flop decision and a 1x-or-fold river decision. The hole-card choice mechanic makes Texas Shootout feel more like real poker than most house-banked games.

How to play Texas Shootout

  1. Place an Ante bet. You receive four hole cards face down. The dealer receives two hole cards face down.

  2. Examine your four hole cards and choose the best two to keep. Discard the other two. This is the hole-card choice decision.

  3. The flop is dealt (three community cards). You can bet 2x your Ante or check.

  4. The turn and river are dealt. You must bet 1x your Ante or fold. Folding forfeits your Ante.

  5. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better. If the dealer does not qualify, the Ante pays even money and the Play bet pushes.

  6. The dealer's hand and your chosen two-card hand plus the five community cards form the final five-card poker hands. Best hand wins.

Texas Shootout Rules and Payouts

Texas Shootout uses a standard 52-card deck. You place an Ante bet and receive four hole cards face down. After evaluating your four cards, you choose which two to keep and discard the other two. The flop is then dealt: three community cards face up. You may bet 2x your Ante or check. Then the turn and river are dealt. You must bet 1x your Ante or fold and lose the Ante. The dealer reveals their two hole cards and qualifies with a pair or better.

The Ante bet pays even money when you win. The Play bet pays according to a bonus paytable: one pair pays 1:1, two pair 2:1, three of a kind 3:1, straight 4:1, flush 7:1, full house 10:1, four of a kind 25:1, straight flush 50:1, and royal flush 100:1. Some versions include a side bet that pays on the strength of your four-card starting hand. For a game with a similar structure but different hole-card mechanics, see WPT Heads-Up Hold'em.

  • How do I choose the best two hole cards from four in Texas Shootout?

    Keep any pair, no matter the rank. If unpaired, keep the highest suited cards. If none are suited, keep the highest two cards. Avoid keeping disconnected low offsuit cards. Suited connectors have more post-flop potential than offsuit high-low combinations.

Editorial Strategy

Strategy & etiquette for Texas Shootout

  • Choose the two-card combination with the highest expected value. Pairs are the strongest choice. Ace-King is the premium unpaired hand.

  • With four unpaired cards, prefer suited connectors over offsuit high cards. A suited 9-10 has more post-flop potential than an offsuit King-3.

  • Discard low unpaired cards that have no straight or flush synergy. Keep cards that work together, not cards with the highest individual ranks.

  • On the flop, bet 2x with any pair, any flush draw with both hole cards used, or an open-ended straight draw. Check weaker draws.

  • On the river, make the 1x Play bet with any pair or Ace-high. Fold unimproved hands lower than Ace-high.

  • The four-card choice advantage reduces the house edge. Skilled hole-card selection adds roughly 1-2 percent to your return compared to random selection.

Where to play in the US

Top land-based casinos to play Texas Shootout

Editorial picks for visitors who want a real-floor Texas Shootout session. Ranked by directory depth (table counts, amenities, and floor quality). Tap any card for the full property review.

  1. #1Casinos
    Editor's pick
    Muckleshoot Indian Casino — auburn

    Muckleshoot Indian Casino

    Auburn, Washington

    3,125 slots · 75 tables · 32 poker tables · 24/7

    Selection100
    Value66
    Experience100

    Games available

    • 3 Card Poker
    • Baccarat
    • Bingo

    Property

    • Open 24 7
    • Restaurant
    • Self Parking
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  2. #2Casinos
    Bucky’s Casino — prescott

    Bucky’s Casino

    Prescott, Arizona

    300 slots · 10 tables · 6 poker tables · 24/7

    Selection44
    Value59
    Experience65

    Games available

    • Blackjack
    • Blackjack Perfect Pairs
    • Blackjack Push Your Luck

    Property

    • Fitness Center
    • Golf
    • Jacuzzi
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  3. #3Casinos
    Mark Twain — la grange

    Mark Twain

    La Grange, Missouri

    648 slots · 13 tables · 24/7

    Selection46
    Value69
    Experience49

    Games available

    • 213
    • Blackjack
    • Blackjack Double Deck

    Property

    • Open 24 7
    • Restaurant
    • Rv Parking
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Rankings reflect directory data depth (floor counts, game variety, amenity tags) re-verified quarterly. They are not a substitute for current operating status; confirm hours and game spread directly with each casino before visiting.

Texas Shootout Strategy

The hole-card selection decision is the most important play in Texas Shootout. With four cards, the optimal strategy is: keep any pair, no matter how small. A pair of 2s is a better starting hand than Ace-King offsuit in this format because the pair makes a set on the flop roughly 12 percent of the time. If you do not have a pair, keep the two highest cards that are suited together. If none are suited, keep the two highest cards. Avoid keeping low offsuit cards that have no connection.

With four cards of the same suit, keep the two highest ranked cards of that suit for flush potential. With connected cards (like 8-9 or 10-Jack), prefer suited connectors over offsuit high cards of the same rank. After the flop, the strategy follows standard Texas Hold'em Bonus logic: bet 2x with any pair or strong draw, check marginal draws, and fold the river with unimproved hands. The four-card choice gives you a statistical edge in hole-card quality, but smart post-flop decisions still matter.

Common Texas Shootout variants

Where to Play Texas Shootout

Texas Shootout is a specialty game found at select US casinos. It is most commonly available in Las Vegas and at larger tribal properties with extensive house-banked poker offerings. It is less common than Ultimate Texas Hold'em or Three Card Poker but has a dedicated following among poker players who appreciate the hole-card choice mechanic.

Before you sit, verify the Play bet bonus paytable. Browse our US casino directory to find venues near you.

  • How does Texas Shootout compare to Ultimate Texas Hold'em?

    Texas Shootout gives you four hole cards and lets you choose the best two, which is an advantage over UTH's two fixed hole cards. UTH has a more complex raise structure (4x-2x-1x) while Texas Shootout uses a simpler 2x-or-check flop and 1x-or-fold river. UTH rewards aggressive pre-flop play; Texas Shootout rewards smart hole-card selection.

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