Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker is the most successful new casino game to appear in casinos around the world. It is an easy game to learn and play and has enjoyed the success of anything that has to do with poker.
Basic
Rules
A single 52-card deck is used.
The dealer deals three cards from an automatic shuffle machine to each player and himself. The
dealer's cards are all dealt face down.
- The player may wager on:
- an Ante bet
- the Pair Plus bet
- both the Ante bet and the Pair Plus bet.
The Hand Rankings
Because you are only dealt three cards the hand ranking are a little
different than with traditional five card hands. This is because of
the mathematical probabilities of making certain hands. The hands
are ranked from the highest to the lowest as follows:
- Straight Flush. Three cards of the same suit in sequence. Example 2-3-4 of hearts.
- Three of a Kind. Three cards of equal rank. Example 3D-3S-3H
- Straight. Three cards in sequence of mixed suits. Example 3D-4H-5S
- Flush. Three cards of the same suit. Example 3D-7D-9D
- Pair. Two cards of equal rank. Example 3D-3H-9D
- High Card. The highest card in your hand. Example 10 high 10D-5S-3C
As you can see a straight beats a flush in Three Card Poker.
The Play
There are three betting circles in front of each player. The top betting
circle is labeled Pair Plus where the player can put a wager on the pair
plus game. Beneath that are two circles labeled Ante and Play for the
base game. The game starts with the player making a wager in the Pair
Plus and or Ante circle equal to the table minimum.
Pair Plus
The Pair Plus bet is based only on whether your three card hand has a
pair or higher. It does not matter if the dealer qualifies or even beats
you if you have a bet on the Ante Game.
If your hand has a pair or
better you win. If it does not have at least a pair you will lose. On
average you will be dealt a pair or better slightly more than 25 percent of the time.
Ante/Play
If a player has made a bet on the Ante they must make their decision to
fold or play after looking at their hand. If the player folds he
loses the Ante wager. If the players want to continue they must
make an additional bet in the Play circle equal to their Ante bet.
After all the players have made their decisions, the dealer will turn over his three card hand.
The dealer needs to “qualify” with a hand of Queen or higher for play to continue. If the dealer’s hand does not contain a Queen or higher all players still active in the hand will be paid even money for their Ante wager and their bet on the Play will be returned to them.
Ante Bonus
There is a bonus payout on the Ante bet for certain hands and the bonus
does not require an additional wager. If you have a straight,
three-of-a-kind or straight flush, you will be paid a bonus whether you
beat the dealer or not.
The bonus payout is paid based on the pay table
posted at the table. The payout schedule for the Ante Bonus varies from
casino to casino but not by much. For a straight flush you will be paid
5 to 1 or 4 to 1. For three of a kind you will be paid 4 to 1 or 3 to 1.
For a straight you receive 1 to 1 for your Ante bet.
If the dealer does not qualify, the Ante bets will pay even money, and Play bets will push.
If the dealer does qualify, then the player's cards will be compared to the dealer's cards, and the higher poker-value hand wins.
If the player has the higher poker value, then the Ante will pay even money, and the Play bet will pay even money.
If the dealer has the higher poker value, then both Ante and Play bets will lose. In the unusual event of a tie, both Ante and Play bets will push.
There is also an "Ante Bonus" for player hands of a straight or
higher. The pay table for the Ante Bonus is shown below, and it pays
regardless of the dealer's hand.
The Pair Plus pays based only the poker value of the player's hand.
A common Pair Plus pay table is indicated below.
| Hand | Pair Plus | Ante Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 40 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 30 to 1 | 4 to 1 |
| Straight | 6 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| Flush | 3 to 1 | 0 |
| Pair | 1 to 1 | 0 |
6 Card Bonus
The "6 Card Bonus" is a new side bet (as of late 2009) in Three Card Poker. The 6 Card Bonus bet is based on the highest five card poker hand that can be arranged from the total of the player's and dealer's six cards. On average the 6 Card Bonus bet wins 7.3% of the time.
| Hand | Pair Plus |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Strategy
A popular strategy based from the math of the game and computer simulations states the player should raise with a hand of Q64 or higher.
- Always raise with:
- Ace or King high
- Queen high, if the second highest card is a 7 or higher
- Queen high, if the second card is a 6 and the third card is a 5 or higher
Another popular strategy is to always raise. Players only need to wager one more chip to always play against the dealer. Some players do not even look at their cards when they play as they raise every hand.