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Learn How to Play Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker is a variant of poker players against the house. Both the player and the house get three cards, and whoever gets the strongest hand wins. Overall, it’s a simple game that requires players to make one decision: whether to play their hand or fold it.
Albeit simple, it’s quite popular in modern casinos. You’ll find virtual versions of the game, as well as live casino versions where you play against real dealers.
Learn how to play Three Card Poker, and the best tips and strategies, with this complete and practical guide to one of the world’s most popular variants of poker.
Goal of the Game
The goal of Three Card Poker is simple: you need to get a stronger hand than the house to win. Generally, there is only one side bet on the game, which is “Pair Plus”. To win this side bet, you don’t need to beat the house: you just need to get anything other than a high card hand to win. A pair of 2s is enough to get paid.
Three Card Poker Rules
Three Card Poker is far easier to play than other variants of poker, as there are no community cards and a simple “know-how” strategy is enough to be relatively successful at the game. These are the most basic rules that you should know when playing Three Card Poker:
- Dealer cards are dealt face down, while player cards are dealt face up. Cards will only be dealt to players that pay the ante.
- The game features two bets: ante and play. Players need to place an ante bet to begin a round. If they wish to play, they must place a “play” bet, which should be the same amount as their ante. If they don’t wish to play, they must fold and lose their ante bet.
- The dealer’s hand only qualifies if they have a Q as a high card or anything better than that. If the dealer does not qualify
- The Pair Plus bet is paid independently of the ante and play bets.
Hands & Card Combinations
Since Three Card Poker is only played with three cards, combinations and possible hands are a bit different from other variants of the game, as they’re formed with three cards instead of five. These are the six possible card combinations in a game of Three Card Poker:
- Straight flush: three consecutive cards of the same suit
- Three of a kind: three cards of the same value
- Straight: three consecutive cards of any suit
- Flush: any three cards of the same suit
- One pair: two cards of the same value and any other card
- High card: when you have no card combinations, the highest-valued card of your hand will be your high card
As you can see, the classic four of a kind, full house, and two pairs aren’t available in Three Card Poker. A straight has a higher value than a flush, too, as it’s more difficult to form one with only three cards.
Payouts
Since Three Card Poker is played with fewer cards than casino hold’em, payouts are a little different. Players can expect the following payouts, depending on the bets that they place.
Standard game payouts
Ante bets are always paid 1 to 1 if the player wins, regardless of whether the dealer qualifies or not. However, if the dealer does not qualify, play bets push, meaning that the money is returned to the player with no additional payout.
Depending on the hand that the player has, they may receive an “ante bonus”, which is a guaranteed payout that is given to the user regardless of whether they won or not.
Ante Bonus | Payout |
Straight | 1 to 1 |
Three of a kind | 4 to 1 |
Straight flush | 5 to 1 |
Pair Plus payouts
Should players opt to make a Pair Plus bet, only the player’s hand qualifies for said bet, as the dealer’s hand isn’t considered for the payout. These are the expected Pair Plus payouts:
Hand | Payout |
Pair | 1 to 1 |
Flush | 4 to 1 |
Straight | 6 to 1 |
Three of a kind | 30 to 1 |
Straight Flush | 40 to 1 |
Betting Explained
The betting process in a game of Three Card Poker is quite a simple one. If you know how to play Texas Hold’Em, it’s like as if you had the “small blind” every round. To get dealt a hand, you must place a bet - and you must place one more if you’d like to play with your hand. These are the steps involved in a round of three card poker:
- To start, you place an “Ante Bet” and a side bet if you like (side bets are optional)
- The dealer then gives you three cards face up, and deals three face down cards for themselves.
- Decide whether you place a play bet to continue playing or fold. If you fold, you lose the ante bet. If you decide to make a play bet, it must have the same value as your ante bet
- If you play, the dealer turns over their cards.
- If they have a Queen or higher, they qualify. If not, the ante bet will be paid 1 to 1 and the play bet will be returned.
- If the dealer’s hand qualifies, the values of both hands are compared. Whoever has the highest-valued hand, wins.
Side bets are paid based on their own victory conditions. You can lose a hand and win a side bet.
Viable Strategies when Playing with Basic Rules
You can employ basic Three Card Poker strategy in any variant of the game to maximize your chances of winning. The strategy considers the statistical likelihood of your hand being higher than the dealer’s before deciding whether to make the play bet.
When playing Three Card Poker with basic rules, you should play any hand with a value of Queen-6-4 or higher. Hands with a lower value should be folded as, statistically, it is more likely that the dealer has a higher-valued hand and that you’ll lose both your ante and play bets.
There is no strategy related to side bets, as they are statistically more difficult to predict (as reflected by their higher payouts). The other Three Card Poker strategies involve bankroll management, which varies depending on your overall budget.
Three Card Poker Variants
Most Three Card Poker games are played quite similarly. The major difference between the various versions of the game is the side bets that are available. There are two major Three Card Poker variants, found in online and land-based casinos.
Prime
Three Card Poker Prime is a version of Three Card Poker with an additional side wager called “prime”, which pays out 3 to 1 if all of the player’s cards have the same color. Should the dealer’s cards have the same color as the players, then the payout is increased to 4 to 1.
The rest of the game’s rules are the same, and it is played like a normal game of Three Card Poker with an ante and a play bet.
Six Card Bonus
This is another version of Three Card Poker with an extra side bet: the six card bonus. The bet consists of forming a winning combination using five cards, taking into consideration the player’s hand and the dealer’s hand. The minimum payout is given to a three of a kind, while a royal flush of five cards pays out 1000 to 1.
This is the version of the game with the highest available payout.
Three Card Poker Glossary
Here are all of the most important Three Card Poker terms that will help you get a better understanding of the game. Once you read this, you’ll be able to fully understand everything that’s thrown at you when facing the game for the first time.
Term | Definition |
Ante | A bet placed after receiving cards, if the player wishes to continue in the game. |
Play | To forfeit the hand and lose the Ante bet. |
Fold | An optional side bet in Three Card Poker that pays based on the player's hand ranking, regardless of the dealer's hand. |
Pair Plus | A bonus payout awarded to the player for certain strong hands (e.g., straight, three of a kind) on the Ante bet. |
Queen High | A hand containing at least a Queen, which is the minimum hand required to qualify for the dealer's hand. |
Dealer Qualify | When the dealer's hand must meet a minimum requirement (usually Queen High or better) for the player's Ante bet to pay. |
Pair | Two cards of the same rank. |
Flush | Hand consisting of three cards of the same suit. |
Straight | Three consecutive ranked cards of any suit. |
Three of a Kind | A hand consisting of three cards of the same rank. |
Straight Flush | Three consecutive cards of the same suit. |
Mini Royal | Straight Flush consisting of Ace, King, and Queen of the same suit. |
Paytable | The list of payouts for winning hands, usually displayed on the poker table. |
Conclusion
Three Card Poker is an ideal variant of the classic card game for those who like to keep things simple. We’ve given you the most effective tips to maximize your chances of winning, and we’ve shown you all you need to know to about the game to play it in any casino that you like.
Be sure to play responsibly and manage your budget efficiently to make sure that you can play for as long as possible.
Frequently asked questions
Three Card Poker strategy revolves around playing every hand where you have a Queen, Six, and Four, and folding every hand weaker than that.
Available hands in three card poker are high card, pair, flush, straight, three of a kind, and straight flush, from weakest to strongest.
You can place an ante bet and a play bet, the latter being the same value as your ante. There are also different side bets, depending on the versions of the game that you’re playing.
To play Three Card Poker, you must place an ante bet. The dealer will give you three face up cards - you have to decide if you want to raise or fold. If your hand is better than the dealer’s, you win.
Three Card Poker is a variant of poker where there are no community cards and both the player and the dealer are dealt three cards each.
