Play Three Card Poker

3/19/2022admin

Ante-Play is the basic form of Three Card poker against the dealer. Here you place a wager in the ante space before the cards are dealt. If you then decide to play on after seeing your cards, you.
Dec 16, 2020 Play Three Card Poker at Las Vegas Casinos Nearly all Las Vegas casinos of any significance spread three Card Poker. The minimum bets range from $2 at Joker’s Wild to $15 at Aria. Players will need double the Ante bet to play, meaning that the true minimum bet is double the posted amount.
Online poker in Pennsylvania is played strictly on licensed sites, and owners paid huge application fee to offer these games to public. Participating is safe for both sides - casino and player. Fast and guaranteed payments via different methods are distinctive features of online poker.
3 CARD POKER STRATEGY. As easy as Three Card Poker is to play, getting the most out of the game requires understanding the odds and learning a simple strategy. In this chapter, you’ll learn the frequency of winning hands, pay tables and odds for Pair Plus, and basic strategy for the ante-play combination.

3 Card Poker Free Games
3 Card Poker Rules

How To Play 3 Card Poker To start, the player places an ante wager and/or a pair plus wager, betting that they will have a hand of at least a pair or better. Three cards are then dealt face down to each player and to the dealer. You are only playing the dealer and not other players at the table.

There are many casino poker variants to choose from, but unquestionably, three card poker is among the most fast-paced and thrilling. This essential guide takes you through everything you need to know; we breakdown the rules of 3 card poker and explain how to play the game. Plus, we cover all the side bets, bonuses, and payouts; and reveal the perfect three-card poker strategy.

How to play three card poker

The important elements of creating great casino poker games are to firstly make the rules easy to understand, and secondly, the payouts have to be appealing to players. Derek Webb, the game’s inventor, combines these factors to a tee. Learning the basics of how to play three card poker only takes a minute or two.

Of course, you want to refine your play with a proven strategy, but we’ll get to that part later. For now, let’s explain 3 card poker rules and guide you through the gameplay.

Three card poker rules

Once you know the rules, you’ll be well on your way to being able to play 3 card poker online. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck. Here’s a step-by-step guide to a single round.

To begin a round, the player must place an ante bet.
The dealer then deals three cards to the player, which are face-up, and three cards to himself, which are face down.
Based on the three cards, the player can either fold the hand or continue by placing a play bet.
If the player folds, he loses the original ante bet wager.
If he continues, the cost of the play bet is equal to the ante bet.
Assuming the player continues, the dealer turns over his three cards.
The dealer’s hand needs to be at least Queen high to qualify.
If the dealer’s hand doesn’t qualify, the player wins even money (1:1) on the ante bet, but the play bet is pushed (returned).
When the dealer does qualify; the player’s hand is compared to the dealer’s hand. The winner is determined according to the order of 3 card poker hand ranks.
If the player’s hand wins, he gets paid 1:1 on both the ante bet and the play bet.
If the dealer’s hand wins, both bets are lost.
It is possible for the hands to tie. In which case, the ante and play bets are pushed.
Regardless of the outcome of the round, if the player holds a straight or higher, he wins an ante bonus (as described below).

Poker hand ranks

There’s a slight alteration in the poker hand ranks for this game (compared to most other forms of poker). The reason is that you are less likely to hit a straight draw than you are to get a flush draw. This is the ranking order, starting with the highest three card poker hand at the top:

Straight flush: 3 cards of the same suit in consecutive order.
Three of a kind: 3 cards of equal face value.
Straight: 3 cards of mixed suits in consecutive order.
Flush: 3 cards from the same suit but not in consecutive order.
Pair: two cards of equal face value.
High card: none of the above hands, means you only have a high card.

Three card poker odds and payouts

3 Card Poker Free Games

We described the standard 1:1 payouts in the 3 card poker rules outlined above, but those are just one part of this game. The excitement jumps up a few notches because three card poker also includes an ante bet bonus. The ante bet bonus is based purely on the player’s three cards. Therefore, you can win this bet but still lose the round.

Ante bet bonus payouts:

Straight flush: 5 times the ante bet
Three of a kind: 4 times the ante bet
Straight: 1 times the ante bet

Pair Plus bet

Before the start of a hand, players can also make a Pair Plus side bet. Again, this wager is independent of the outcome of your game against the dealer. It’s based on the 3 cards you are dealt.

Pair Plus bet payouts:

Straight flush: 40 to 1
Three of a kind: 30 to 1
Straight: 6 to 1
Flush: 4 to 1
A pair: 1 to 1

Six Card bonus

The six card bonus is another optional side bet, but not all three card poker games offer this wager. It uses the three player cards and the three dealer cards from which you must form a five-card hand that is on the pay table to win.

Pair Plus bet payouts:

Royal flush: 1000 to 1
Straight flush: 200 to 1
Four of a kind: 50 to 1
Full house: 25 to 1
Flush: 15 to 1
Straight: 10 to 1
Three of a kind: 5 to 1

These poker hand rankings are more traditional with a royal flush being the best possible hand, and the flush payout is valued higher than the straight.

3 card poker strategy

We can categorize casino card games into two types. The first are games of chance, such as baccarat and Dragon Tiger. The others are decision-based games like blackjack, Caribbean Stud, and Casino Hold’em. Three card poker drops into the second type because the player makes a decision after seeing his cards on whether he wants to fold or continue by making the play bet.

3 Card Poker Rules

All of these decision-based games have an optimal strategy. However, some of these involve studying playing charts, which dilutes the entertainment value of the game when you first start playing. The 3 card poker strategy doesn’t bother with such complexities. In fact, you only need to remember 3 cards.

The optimal three card poker strategy for the ante and play bet is QUEEN – SIX – FOUR

This means if your hand is equal to, or stronger than, Q-6-4, you should always raise and make the play bet. What you need to remember is to look at each card separately.

Start with your highest card. If it’s lower than a Queen – you fold the hand.
If the highest card is a King or Ace – you raise.
If the highest card is a Queen, you must look at the second highest card. If lower than 6 – you fold the hand. But, if higher than 6 – you raise.
If the second highest card is 6, you move onto the third card. Lower than 4 means you fold. 4 or higher, and you raise.

House edge

When choosing what casino games to play, you should always consider the house edge. This is essentially the advantage the casino has. The good news is the three card poker house edge is competitive, which is why this game has grown in popularity.

The house edge for the ante and play bet combination is 2.01% when using the Q-6-4 strategy described above.
For the Pair Plus bet, the house edge is 2.32% based on the pay table used in our example. This is reasonable value for a side bet.
The same cannot be said for the Six Card Bonus bet. It has a house edge of 14.36% using the pay table shown. Therefore, even though the royal flush pays 1000 to 1, this side bet will cripple your bankroll over the long-term.

New players should note that the term ‘house edge’ is rarely used these days. Instead, the theoretical return to player (RTP) percentage is given. The RTP can be calculated by: 100% – house edge. Therefore, the RTP for the ante – play bet is 97.99%.

Tips for playing 3 card poker

Using our experience, and from talking with other three card poker players, we’ve composed a few easy-to-follow tips to help you get more from this game.

Follow the Q-6-4 strategy. It can be tempting to play J-10-8 because the cards are all reasonably high, but this is not smart, and you will end up losing more than you win.
Check the pay tables before you play. Several software developers have created their own variants, and there is also live 3 card poker. Just because the title of the game is the same, it doesn’t mean the pay tables are. This has an impact on the RTP, and you want to play where you get the best value.
Avoid the Six Card Bonus wager. The RTP for this bet is 85.64%. That means on average (over the long-term) for every $100 wagered, you win $85.64.
Manage your bankroll. You don’t want to play $20 ante bets, and $20 play bets if you only have $100 in your casino account. Look to divide your budget so you can get 50 to 100 hands out of what you have.
Practice by playing free three card poker games. Most online casinos, after you have registered, will allow you to play in demo mode. This allows you to practice your playing and betting strategy. Please note, you won’t be able to play live 3 card poker games for free.

Live three card poker

The award-winning Evolution Gaming, in partnership with Scientific Gaming, has created a spectacular live dealer three card poker game. This brings you all the authentic gameplay that you get in a land-based casino, but from the comfort of your own home.

It should be noted that there is usually a trade-off playing live games. Most of the time, the RTP is lower due to the extra costs involved in operating these tables. For instance, we’ve read reports that the ante bonus on Evolution’s live variant pays 5 to 1, but you need a mini royal flush to claim it.

This title also has the two side bets we talked about above. However, the pay table for Pairs Plus is not identical. Playing live, there is a maximum payout of 100 to 1 for a mini royal. This may appear more rewarding, but the payout for a straight is less, so the house edge ends up being higher. With that said, playing three card poker live is a great experience, and we think it’s worth trying even though the RTP is not as high.

Where to play online three card poker

Three card poker may not have the iconic status of roulette or blackjack, but it’s catching up in the popularity stakes. Thanks to there being both virtual RNG and live games, you can now find this poker variant in hundreds of online casinos around the world, including:

888casino
PlayOJO
Mr Green
Ignition

The decision where to play three card poker depends on what you want from the casino. Each operator has its strengths and weaknesses. Some offer larger bonuses, while others have faster payouts or better mobile apps. If you’re looking for your first casino, we recommend checking out our online casino reviews section for an honest point of view. In terms of bonuses specific for 3 card poker; the truth is that there aren’t many. You can use a casino’s welcome bonus to play, but the wagering requirements combined with game weighting limitations means you are unlikely to score a profit from these offers.

Three card poker – F.A.Q.

To summarize the main points of this article, we’ve included this general three card poker FAQ.

Is there any strategy to 3 card poker?

Yes, and it’s very straightforward. The strategy is Queen – Six – Four. If your hand value is lower than that, you fold. If equal or higher, you make the play bet.

What is the highest hand in 3 card poker?

The highest hand is Ace – King – Queen of the same suit. This is known as a mini royal. There are no trump suits in three card poker.

Do I play against other players?

No, three card poker is a player vs dealer game. If you play live, you can play alongside other players although each of you has to take on the dealer.

Can I play free 3 card poker?

Yes, nearly all online casinos that offer an RNG version will allow you to play free 3 card poker in practice mode.

by John Grochowski

Three Card Poker has become the most successful of recently developed table games – those that have risen since the expansion of legal gambling outside Nevada and New Jersey that began in the late 1980s.

It’s a casino standard offered in nearly every American casino that has table games. It checks all the boxes that operators want when evaluating a new game: Three Card Poker is easy to play; has a clean layout that’s easy for players to understand; it’s easy to deal; and it has house edges high enough to be profitable for the house but low enough to keep players coming back.

Some casinos offer three card poker progressive jackpots for rarer hands

There are two standard parts to the game: ante-play and Pair Plus. Ante-play, in which your hand must beat the dealer, has a 2.01 percent house edge based on total action. That’s on the low side, not as good as player or banker bets in baccarat, the best bets in craps, or blackjack for skilled players, but better than roulette, tie bets in baccarat, many craps bets, and blackjack for those who haven’t learned basic strategy.

Pair Plus, which pays on any pair or better, has a higher house edge. The most common version checks in at 7.28 percent. Its attraction is in the chance at a large one-hand payoff, with 40-1 on a three-card straight flush usually topping the pay table.

Three Card Poker is not difficult. Just about anyone could learn the game within a few hands.

Three Card Poker Basics

Three Card Poker is played at a blackjack-sized, seven player table. Each player position is marked with three betting spots, usually arranged in a column. Closest to the dealer is a spot for the Pair Plus bet. Behind that is a spot for your ante in the ante-play portion. Closest to the player is a spot marked “Play,” for those who want to continue in the ante-play portion after they’ve seen their cards.

The ranking of hands is slightly different than in five-card games. In Three Card Poker, flushes occur more often than straights, so straights outrank flushes – the opposite of their rank in five-card hands.

A single deck of cards is used, freshly shuffled for each hand. Most Three Card Poker tables use automatic shufflers, but games can be dealt by hand.

At most casinos, you don’t have to play both ante-play and Pair Plus. You can choose either or both. But to start a hand, players place chips in their Pair Plus and/or ante box.

A typical three card poker layout showing the betting boxes

Next, each player and the dealer get three cards face down. Players may look at their cards. Any ante-play players who like their cards then may make a play bet equal to their ante. Those who do not want to make the play bet must fold and lose their antes.

Pair Plus winners are paid according to a pay table. Ante-play winners are paid even-money if they beat the dealer, and collect an ante bonus on straights or better.

Let’s look at bets and payoffs in more detail, along with an explanation of ante-play strategy.

Pair Plus Bet

You don’t have to beat the dealer to win at Pair Plus. You just need your hand to include a pair or better.

Before getting into payoffs and the house edge, let’s look at the frequency of hands.

There are 22,100 possible three-card combinations in which card order doesn’t matter. Of those, 48 are straight flushes, with 52 three of a kinds, 720 straights, 1.094 flushes, 3,744 pairs and 16,440 non-winners.

That gives you a 1 in 460 chance at a straight flush, frequent enough that anyone who plays often will occasionally get the top-paying hand. Chances are 1 in 425 for three of a kind, 1 in 31 for a straight, 1 in 20 for a flush and 1 in 6 for a pair.

Under the most common pay table, these are the payoffs:

Straight flush, 40-1.
Three of a kind, 30-1
Straight, 6-1
Flush, 3-1
Pair, 1-1.

That pay table carries a 7.28 percent house edge.

When Three Card Poker was introduced in the early 1990s by U.K. game developer Derek Webb, flushes paid 4-1. Occasionally online and more rarely in brick-and-mortar casinos, you’ll still see that pay table. It’s a much better deal for players with a 2.14-percent house edge.

Other pay tables sometimes are used. Some add a three-card royal – Ace-King-Queen of the same suit. That usually pays 50-1, though versions with 100-1 paybacks have been spotted.

The Pair Plus pay table is displayed on every three card poker table

A game that has the common 40-30-6-3-1 pay table but adds a 50-1 mini-royal at the top has a house edge of 7.10 percent.

Understand that unless you find that rare Pair Plus game that still pays 4-1 on flushes, you get a much better deal on ante-play. Proceed with caution.

Ante-Play Bets

As noted earlier, ante-play bettors must start with an ante. After cards are dealt, you may look at them. If you don’t like your chances, you fold and lose your ante. If you want to stay in the game, you must make a “play” bet equal to your ante.

If you win, both your ante and play bets are paid at even money if the dealer’s hand “qualifies”. In order to qualify, the dealer must have a queen high or better. If the dealer’s hand does NOT qualify, the play bet is a push and is returned to the player.

In addition, if you have a straight or better, you win an ante bonus. You don’t have to beat the dealer to win the bonus, which in the most common version pays 5 times your ante for a straight flush, 4 times your ante for three of a kind and even money for your ante on a straight,

To win on the main ante-play bets, your three-card hand must beat the dealer’s. The poker hand ranks listed above decide the hands. Example: If you have a flush but the dealer has a straight, you lose. If you have a pair and the dealer has no pair or better, you win. If you both have pairs, the higher pair wins.

If neither you nor the dealer has a pair or better, the decision starts with comparing high cards. If your highest card is an Ace and the dealer’s highest card is a King, you win regardless of what the other two cards are. Ace-5-2 is a higher-ranking hand than King-Queen-10.

If your highest card ties the dealer, then the first tie-breaker is the second-highest card. For example, if you have King-10 and any lower card, you beat King-9 and any lower card.

If you and the dealer tie on the high and second-high cards, then the tie-breaker is the bottom cards in each hand.

Exact ties push.

Ante-Play Strategy and the House Edge

Three Card Poker strategy couldn’t be easier to master.

Make the “play” bet if your hand is Queen-6-4 or better. Fold lesser hands.

The “better” part includes all pairs, flushes, straights, three of a kinds and straight flushes. If your hand is a winner in Pair Plus, it’s a “play” hand in ante-play.

With no pairs or better, hands are judged from the high card first, Queen-6-4 is a better hand than Jack-10-8.

Given that strategy, the house edge is 3.37 percent of your ante, or 2.01 percent of the total action on ante and play bets.

You’re betting the most money on the hands that give you the best shot to win, and that drives down the house’s overall edge.

With an easy strategy and a reasonable house edge, Three Card Poker has a loyal following. Good luck and have fun.

John Grochowski has been covering casinos and casino games for nearly 40 years. He is the author of six books and his work appears in newspapers, magazines and websites around the world.

Try an online casino for FREE! Use any of our great No Deposit Bonus Codes. No credit card needed, just sign up and start playing!