How to Play 3 Card Poker
Three Card Poker is quickly becoming one of the more popular casino games thanks to its simple rules, quick pace and generous payouts. Three Card Poker is played against the house and there are essentially two games in one: Ante & Play and Pair Plus.
1. Ante and Play
This is considered the main game in 3 Card Poker. The dealer and each player will be dealt 3 cards and the object of the game is to get a stronger hand than the dealer.
- Each player must place an ante in the spot on the table marked "Ante"
- The dealer and each player receive three cards face down
- After the players look at their hands, they decide if they want to forfeit or stay in
- If a player wants to forfeit, he folds his hand and loses his ante bet
- If a player wants to stay in, he places an additional bet in the spot on the table marked "Play"
- The Play bet must be equal in size to the Ante bet
- Next the dealer reveals his hand and must first check to see if it "qualifies"
- If the dealer's hand does not contain at least a Queen in it, the hand does not qualify and the players receive even money on their Antes and their Play bets are returned to them
- If the dealer's hand does qualify, then the dealer's hand is compared to each player's hand
- Players who have better hands than the dealer are paid even money on both their Play bets and their Ante bets
- The players who have worse hands than the dealer lose both bets
- In the event of a tie, both bets are simply returned to the player
Hand Values
Because there are only three cards in this game, the likelihood of getting certain hands is different than in traditional five card poker. As a result, the order of hand rankings is slightly different in 3 Card Poker:
- Straight Flush
- Three of a Kind
- Straight
- Flush
- Pair
- High Card
2. Pair Plus
This is the second game in 3 Card Poker. The game is optional at most casinos but not all. In Pair Plus you do not play against the dealer or anyone else. This is basically just a side bet in which you place a wager on the strength of your hand.
To play this game, you place a bet in the spot on the table marked "Pair Plus." Then when you receive your cards, you will receive a payout if your final hand is strong enough. The payout chart for Pair Plus is as follows:
The pay structures can vary from casino to casino but this one is the most common. Casinos that use this pay structure have a house edge of 7.28%. That's not the best house edge in the world but it's a lot better than the house edge on most side bets.
Ante Bonus
Some casinos also have what is called an "ante bonus." This is a bonus that's paid out on the Ante bet if you achieve certain hands. It's similar to the "Pair Plus" game except it automatically pays out without requiring the players to make any additional wagers.
The payouts for the Ante Bonus are much smaller than they are in Pair Plus but it's still better than nothing. The additional payouts are usually paid according to the following table:
Looking for additional 3 Card Poker information? Head over to our details 3 Card Poker strategy page. If you are ready to start playing, take a look at our best 3 Card Poker Casinos to pick a site.