Three Card Poker Play

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Three Card Poker is a simple and fun Casino game based on Poker 3-Card Poker requires a strategy but a very straightforward one How to play Three Card Poker is explained in this article Three Card.

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Table Of Contents

  • Three Card Poker is a simple and fun Casino game based on Poker
  • 3-Card Poker requires a strategy but a very straightforward one
  • How to play Three Card Poker is explained in this article

Three Card Poker game has been around since the very beginning of the card game that is Poker.

Since its invention, it has grown in popularity and is fair to say Three Card Poker is among the most well-known Casino games in the world.

A few facts have helped the game grow in stature over the years:

  • Three Card Poker is easy to learn and easy to play
  • Unlike some Casino games, Three Card Poker is not just based on luck because there's an element of skill involved in your hand selection
  • You can play Three Card Poker online for free and for real money right on this page

Three Card Poker is a fair slow-paced table game that is very simple to learn.

How to Play Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker, invented by Derek Webb in 1994, is the Poker version most people play when they head to their Casino.

Three Card Poker isn't played against other players. Instead, you play against the dealer.

You only have to be concerned with what your cards are and what the house's cards are. Making a mistake only punishes you and not your fellow players like at some other card game tables.

OK – so you want to try Three Card Poker? Good choice!

Here are the basics.

Three Card Poker Bets

In Three Card Poker game, the player makes an ante bet.

Three Card Poker Play Online

The dealer gives each player and themselves three cards. The dealer's cards are face down and you can only examine your own cards.

If you’ve made the ante bet then you must either fold or call.

Folding forfeits your ante wager, calling (raising) means you must make an additional play bet that is equal to your ante.

The dealer then turns over their cards.

Three Card Poker Outcomes

The dealer needs a queen-high or better to qualify:

  • if the dealer doesn't qualify, you win even money on the ante bet and play bet is a push
  • if the dealer qualifies, your hand is compared to the dealer's hand and the best hand wins

Whose hand is better?

  • If it is yours, congrats! You win even money on the ante and play bets.
  • If the dealer has a better hand, both your ante and play bets lose.
  • If it is a tie, then both the ante and play bets are a push.

But that’s not all.

If you have a straight or better, you receive an ante bonus regardless of the value of the dealer's hand.

If you have placed a pair plus bet, it is paid based on the value of your hand. This pays out differently depending on where you play.

Play Three Card Poker Online - it's FREE!

Practice Three Card Poker online before you play for real money. Or claim a bonus (or two) and dive into the real money games.

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How to Win at Three Card Poker: The Strategy

3 Card Poker Play For Free

Three Card Poker has a relatively small house edge, usually around 3.3 percent. If you play optimally, that is.

Three

This edge can increase significantly with side bets or incorrect strategy.

To avoid this, follow a couple of simple Three Card Poker strategy tips:

1. Don’t Make The Pair Plus Bets

Three Card Poker Strategy

Betting on the pair plus increases the house edge by more than 2.3 percent.

It is tempting with big payouts (e.g. straight flush pays 40 to 1) but you’re bound to lose more making this bet even if you have a rare bigger payout from it.

So, forget about the times you could have won a big payout when you've not placed a pair plus bet. Simply try to play in a way that minimizes the house edge.

Play Three Card Poker Practice

2. Remember One Strategic Combination of Cards

It’s not only the Three Card Poker rules that are easy to learn. So is the Three Card Poker strategy.

You only need to remember one combination of cards and base your decision to call or fold on it:

  • Call with or higher hand
  • Fold everything else

See, I’ve told you it was simple.

Because of it, you will find this game in a more relaxed setting as it’s pretty easy to avoid mistakes and nobody is worried about making mistakes that affect other players.

Where to Play 3-Card Poker Online

There are many options to play 3-Card Poker on the Internet, but some sites offer better bonuses and value than others.

As a new player at this online Casino, you’ll get some free spins for Slots on registration (before making a deposit) and extra cash as well as more free spins when you finally make a deposit.

That's a great way to earn some free money before hitting the 3-Card tables.

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Three Card Poker is the most popular table game added at casinos worldwide in the last twenty years. Its inventor, Englishman Derek Webb, toiled for years as a professional poker player and was convinced that a table game could capture the public’s interest in poker, even if it didn’t use the standard five-card hand.

The simplicity of the game may have been a great selling point when Webb first came to the US trying to get a casino or two to sign-on for a field trial, but he ingratiated himself with the casino brass by telling them that he would stay on property, train their dealers to deal his new game, and also train the first influx of new players on the game.

That meet-and-greet he did with the players was probably the most important aspect of getting them to try the game, but the fun of winning at Three Card Poker is what really sells the game! The first time I met Derek Webb was at the Atlantis casino in Reno, where the game had just been introduced to players in Nevada. After reading the easy rules I understood why players would be attracted; the game was easy to play, included an even-money payoff that happened regularly, and also had a big payoff for big hands.

Three Card Poker is played with a regular deck of 52 cards. There are no wild cards and just regular poker rules about hands except for the change that a straight beats a flush, since it is actually easier to make a flush with three cards than with five. In addition, the game is designed with two separate bets per round: an Ante wager where the player’s three cards play against the dealer’s three cards; and a bonus wager called Pair Plus that pays on any player hand that contains a pair or better.
When the game was first introduced In Reno, Nevada, both the Atlantis and Harrah’s set the minimum bet at $3, which was also their minimum blackjack bet. Players didn’t have to risk much to learn the game, and they found that the Ante wager, backed-up with a “bet” of the same amount when they wished to continue playing, was a reasonable bet they could afford. In addition, since the game is truly just the player’s 3-card stud hand against the dealer’s 3-card stud hand, players won their Ante wager quite often.

To stabilize the game and give the house its 3.61% edge, the house pays the Ante wager any time the player’s hand is higher than the dealer’s hand. However, to qualify and also have action on the Play bet, the dealer must have a hand of at least Queen-high. If not, the Play wager is a push and no chips are exchanged. In addition, the player must always wager on the Play spot or fold their hand and lose their original Ante wager!

To keep the game exciting, the Ante payoff is always 1 to 1, or even money, but a special bonus is paid on certain hands:

  • Straight Flush – 5 to 1
  • Three of a Kind – 4 to 1
  • Straight – 1 to 1

That’s all there is to the Ante and Play wagers. To make the game more exciting, players may also wager on the Pair Plus, where
payoffs are as high as 40 to 1.

Pair Plus Payoffs

  • One Pair – 1 to 1
  • Flush – 4 to 1
  • Straight – 6 to 1
  • 3 of a Kind – 30 to 1
  • Straight Flush – 40 to 1

The Pair Plush wager does make the game more exciting, but I learned that you have to be patient waiting for payoffs. The house edge is higher, at 7.28%, but if you play both the Ante and Pair Plus, the house overall edge on your total wagers is closer to 5.45% which is about what a double-zero roulette wheel offers, and the game is leisurely, so you won’t get nearly as many hands per hour as blackjack.

Mini-Royal

In 2007, some casinos began offering a Mini-Royal bonus, which is a 50-1 payoff for any Ace-King-Queen suited hand. With the higher payout the house edge falls, but the option is only available at a few casinos: the Borgata in Atlantic City, Casino Arizona in Arizona, Galewind Internet Casinos, and the Wynn in Las Vegas.

Progressive

In 2009, a progressive jackpot was also added to the game. This optional feature is a $1 wager that wins a further bonus on any three of a kind, a straight flush, a Mini-Royal, or the progressive amount on a Mini-Royal in spades.

Prime

In 2010, a further feature was added to some Three Card Poker games called Prime, which is another wager that is won if the players three cards are all one color (pays 3 to 1) or if the player’s and the dealer’s cards are all one color (pays 4 to 1).

6 Card Bonus

As the game continues to evolve, another wager is also available at some casinos on the final outcome of the combined hand of the player and dealer. This wager pays on the best 5-card hand that can be made, from three-of-a-kind to a Royal Flush, and may even include a 6-card Super Royal payoff of 200,000 to 1. However, this bet starts with a house edge of just over 8% and runs to nearly 19%, depending on the payout chart used by the casino. Play at your own risk!

The simple strategy for playing Three Card Poker is to play just the Ante and Play wagers and you’ll experience the smallest house edge. Make the Play wager when you hold a hand of Queen-6-4 or higher, fold your hand when you don’t.

If you want more action, play the Pair Plus for the same amount as your Ante bet. The Pair Plus won’t pay out as often, but when you hit a hand it will make up for a lot of bad hands. The other wagers like the Progressive, Prime and 6-card bonus will all increase your total bet and the total house edge.

Keep in mind that the more you bet and the higher the edge, the more it costs per hand to enjoy your casino gaming!