Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker is one of the hottest table games right now. It is distributed by Bally Technology. One of the reasons it has become so popular is that it is an easy game to learn, and the payouts are high when big hands hit.
Three Card Poker starts with players placing a wager. Players may choose between Pair Plus, ante, or betting on both. Most people place a bet on both. Someone who wants to play just one should choose the Pair Plus. The payouts are larger, and there is no further action after placing this bet, meaning there can be no mistakes made on the skill side of the game.
Each player is dealt three cards. The dealer is also dealt three cards that are placed face down. Players pick up their hands and decide whether they would like to play or fold.
A player should raise if the hand is queen, six, four, or better. This means that the highest card in the hand is a queen, king, or ace. If the highest card is a queen, the second-highest card needs to be at least a six. The third card should not be a two or three if the other two cards are a queen and a six.
Any pair, straight, flush, straight flush, or three of a kind should also be played. Any other hand should be folded.
The Mechanics of the Raise
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The Cost: To stay in the hand, you must place a second bet (the Raise) exactly equal to your original Ante.
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The Alternative: If you don’t like your cards, you Fold, forfeiting your Ante and ending the round.
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The Dealer Qualification: The dealer only “qualifies” if their hand is Queen-high or better. This heavily influences the strategy for when you should raise.
Optimal Strategy: Q-6-4
Mathematically, the “perfect” strategy for raising is incredibly simple to memorize. You should only Raise if your hand is Queen-6-4 or better.
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Raise on: Any Pair, any Flush, any Straight, or any Ace-high or King-high hand.
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The Q-High Threshold: If you have a Queen-high, you only raise if your second-highest card is a 6 or better. If your second card is a 6, your third card must be a 4 or better.
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Fold on: Anything lower than Q-6-4 (e.g., Q-6-3 or Q-5-J).
Showdown
The dealer will show all his cards after all players have acted. The dealer must have a queen-high or better to qualify. When the dealer qualifies, the player must have the stronger hand to win. A dealer victory results in the loss of both the ante and the raise. Conversely, if the player wins, both bets are paid out. Should the dealer fail to qualify (requiring at least a Queen-high), the player receives a payout on the ante, while the raise is returned as a push.
One important difference between Three Card Poker and standard poker is that a straight ranks higher than a flush. That is because there are 720 combinations to make a straight in Three Card Poker and 1096 possible flush combinations.
Ante Bonus
The Ante Bonus is a separate payout that rewards you for being dealt a high-ranking hand, regardless of the dealer’s hand or whether the dealer qualifies. It’s important to distinguish this from the “Pair Plus” side bet; the Ante Bonus is a built-in feature of the main game that you do not need to place an extra wager to trigger.
How It Works
If you are dealt a Straight or better, you win a bonus based on a multiple of your original Ante bet. The most unique aspect of this bonus is that you win even if the dealer beats you. As long as you don’t fold, the bonus is yours.
Standard Pay Table
While payouts can vary slightly by casino or state, the standard pay table used by most online platforms is:
Pair Plus
The Pair Plus is an optional side bet that pays when a player is dealt a hand of one pair or better. This wager wins regardless of whether the player wins the hand.
Pair Plus payouts are:
- Straight flush: 40-1
- Three of a kind: 30-1
- Straight: 6-1
- Flush: 4-1
- Any pair: 1-1
Key Rules to Remember
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No “Pair Plus” Required: You get this payout just for playing the standard Ante/Play game.
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Must Not Fold: To receive the Ante Bonus, you must place the “Play” (Raise) bet. If you fold a Straight (which you should never do!), you forfeit the bonus.
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Dealer Irrelevant: If you have a Straight and the dealer has a Flush, you lose your Ante and Play bets, but you are still paid 1:1 on your Ante for the bonus.
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Qualification Doesn’t Matter: Even if the dealer has a “Jack-high” and fails to qualify, you still receive the full Ante Bonus payout in addition to your 1:1 Ante win.
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