A Three Card Poker Guide for Beginners

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This Three Card Poker guide is here to give all players a proper insight of how the popular casino poker game works. If you are new to this game, you may want to learn more about it. In this beginner’s guide to Three Card Poker, we learn the rules of the game, how to play, the side bets and basic strategy. Have a read through for more information.

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An Introduction to our Three Card Poker Guide

One of the key factors for its popularity is that Three Card Poker is one of the simplest variations of Casino Poker. Derek Webb created the game in 1994, and it was patented in 1997. His goal was to develop a fast-paced poker-based game that would draw players in with its generous prizes. The game was quickly adopted by casinos in the US and the UK, and today it is well-liked by gamers both online and offline all over the world.

Three Card Poker is similar to normal poker. However, the main difference is – as the name suggests – only three cards are used, rather than five. Before we get into the game rules, it is important to know how to differentiate between the weakest and strongest poker hands. We have a ranking table below from strongest to weakest.

Poker Hands Ranked

In this section, we distinguish between the strongest and weakest poker hands.

  • Royal Flush– This is the strongest hand possible and it contains the cards 10, J, Q, K and A all from the same suit.
  • Straight Flush – This is five cards from the same suit in numerical order; for example, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 of Hearts.
  • Four of a Kind – This is a hand that contains four cards with same value, such as 3 Diamonds, 3 Clubs, 3 Spades, 3 Hearts.
  • Full House – This is a hand that contains three of a kind and a pair, for example, three 4s and two Queens, the suit is irrelevant.
  • Flush – This is a hand of five cards from the same suit, for example, 6, 8, 9, Queen and King of Spades.
  • Straight – This is five cards in numerical order, regardless of suit. For example, 3 Diamonds, 4 Clubs, 5 Hearts, 6 Diamonds, and 7 Spades
  • Three of a Kind – This is three cards of the same value and two unrelated cards. For example, 4 Diamonds, 4 Spades, 4 Hearts, 9 Clubs and Queen Diamonds.
  • Two Pair – This is a hand that contains two separate pairs of cards and one unrelated card. For example, 3 Diamonds, 3 Spades, Jack Clubs, Jack Hearts, 4 Hearts.
  • Pair – This is a hand that contains two matching cards and three unrelated cards. For example, Ace Clubs, Ace Diamonds, 7 Hearts, 5 Diamonds, 10 Spades.
  • High Card – If a hand does not contain any of the above, then it is judged according to the highest value card in it.

In most casino poker games, if both the dealer and player’s cards are equal in strength, the value distinguishes the winner. For instance, a pair of 10s is stronger than a pair of 3s.

Three Card Poker Rules

poker

The goal of Three Card Poker is to construct the best three-card hand, whereas the majority of Casino Poker variants call for players to create the strongest five-card poker hand possible. As a result, compared to other variations, it does not nearly have the same variety of hands.

The hands in Three Card Poker are ranked from strongest to weakest as follows (each hand’s definition is the same as what was said at the beginning of this guide):

  • Straight Flush
  • Three of a Kind
  • Straight
  • Flush
  • Pair
  • High Card

Once more, the hand with the highest ranking card wins if both the player and the dealer have the same kind of hand.

You must set your Ante wager in the appropriate spot on the table at the beginning of a round. The dealer is then dealt three face-up cards, while you are dealt three face-down cards. Then, you will only have two choices:

  • Play – Continue with the hand by placing a second bet equal to the Ante
  • Fold – Abandon the hand and sacrifice the Ante bet.

The two hands are then compared after the dealer reveals their own. If your hand is stronger, you will receive a payout of 1:1 for your Ante wager. You earn a second payout of 1:1 for the Play bet if the dealer qualifies, which is when they have a Queen high card or better in their hand. The Play wager is considered a push if the dealer is not eligible.

Numerous variations give increased Ante payments for especially powerful hands. For instance, 4:1 for a Straight Flush and 3:1 for a Three of a Kind.

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Side Bets in Three Card Poker

At least one side bet is available in a lot of Three Card Poker variations. The Pair Plus, 6-Card Bonus, and a side bet with a progressive prize are the three most popular. The side bets are highly appealing because they provide far higher payouts than the game’s normal bets. Each of them needs to be placed at the beginning of a round along with the Ante wager.

Pair Plus

A wager on your hand having a pair is known as the Pair Plus wager. The dealer’s hand has no bearing whatsoever on this wager, and you can win it even if you lose the hand. Depending on the casino where you are playing, the payout for the wager may vary, but a common pay table would be 1:1 for a Pair, 4:1 for a Flush, 5:1 for a Straight, 30:1 for Trips, 40:1 for Any Straight Flush, and 200:1 for a Mini Royal Flush (Ace, King, Queen of the same suit).

6-Card Bonus

All six cards dealt during a round are included in the 6-Card Bonus side bet. It typically pays out for three of a kind or better. Three of a Kind pays 7:1, Straight pays 10:1, Flush pays 15:1, Full House pays 20:1, Four of a Kind pays 100:1, Straight Flush pays 200:1, and Royal Flush pays 1000:1. You might even come across games that offer 2000:1 for the same-suit 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A cards.

Progressive Jackpot

A part of each bet placed on the progressive jackpot side bet, which typically costs $1, is added to the jackpot pool. The prize is typically paid out for a Mini Royal Flush of Spades, with payouts of 500:1, 100:1, 90:1, Straight Flush, and Three of a Kind all frequently occurring. If a player hits a significant win with a Mini Royal Flush, some land-based casinos will even give the other players at the table extra payments. You can also find other jackpot games at our affiliate site.

A Beginner’s Strategy to Three Card Poker

playing cards

Three Card Poker has an ideal strategy, just as other Casino Poker variants. Three Card Poker, on the other hand, is fairly straightforward and requires little memorization effort. All you have to do to determine whether a hand is powerful enough to merit playing is learn the rules.

The basic concept is that if your hand includes a Queen, 6, 4, or greater, you should always place the Play bet. You should Fold if the hand is weaker than that.

This basically means that no matter what the other two cards are, you should bet on any pair or better and, if you are not holding a pair, you should wager if your high card is an Ace or a King. There are only four rules you need to master if your high card is a Queen:

  • Place the Play bet if your second highest card is a 7 or higher, no matter what your third card is.
  • Place the Play bet if your second-highest card is a 6 only if your third card is a 4 or a 5.
  • Fold if your second-highest card is a 6 if your third card is a 2 or a 3.
  • Fold if your second-highest card is a 5 or lower, no matter what your third card is.

Without observing the aforementioned guidelines, Three Card Poker has a house edge of around 3.7%, which is not excessive but can be reduced. The house edge drops to about 2% when the rules are followed, which is far better.

The side bets should be used with prudence because, as usual, they do increase the house edge. For instance, even with the best strategy, the house edge rises to 2.3% if you put the Pair Plus side bet.

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