Three Card Poker, also known as Tri Card Poker, is one of the simplest table games that is offered at both online casinos and land-based casinos across the world. There is basically just one decision for a player to make, and the rules which influence this decision do not change from one hand to the next. This makes it one of the easiest table games to learn.
If you already know how to play any form of poker, you can likely learn Three Card Poker in just a few minutes. Read on to learn more about payouts and how to play.
Three Card Poker Articles
How to Play Three Card Poker
- To give all of our casino card game playing website visitors a range of playing tips we would like to present to you our guide to the top 10 3 Card Poker game playing hints and tips which you will find listed below. Feel free to check out these playing tips and put them into play when you next sit down to play this game online. Lowest House.
- Three Card Poker is also known as Poker Three, Trey Poker, or Tri Card Poker. The game started out as a licensed casino game that fast became so popular among casino players that some casinos began offering it under a different name to avoid paying the royalties.
Players start out the game by choosing between placing two types of bets. There is an ante bet and also a Pair Plus side bet which is optional. Three Card Poker is one of the few games where you can place a side bet without making the bet pertaining to the hand, which in this case is the ante. A player that makes the Pair Plus bet without putting any money on the ante will have no decision to make once receiving his three cards. If this is the case, the player will win only if they make a pair or better, which we’ll go over in further detail below.
Once all bets and side bets have been placed, all players are then dealt three cards face up. The dealer also receives three cards, all of which are dealt face down. Players look at their cards to determine whether they will play the remainder of the hand or fold their hand and surrender their ante bet (and pair plus bet if they did not qualify). Players should raise on any hand of queen, six, four or better. This means any hand that does not include an ace, king, queen, pair, straight, flush, or straight flush should be folded.
Sep 25, 2019 3 Card Poker uses the name 'poker' because it uses the standard poker hand ranking order but it's more of a casino game than a poker game per se. You can alter your bets slightly to chase different premium or bonus hands but there's no poker strategy - eg deciding which cards to keep or draw, making bets against other players - involved.
Folding Your Hand
A fold gives the ante to the house and the hand ends for the player. A player that raises then matches the ante bet and tucks the cards under the chips on the felt.
Once all players have made their decision, the dealer will show his three cards. The dealer’s hand is then compared to the player’s hand. Players are only up against the dealer and not each other.
Dealer Qualifying Hands
The dealer must have at least a queen high to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify, the ante is paid 1:1 and the raise pushes. If the dealer qualifies, the best hand wins. If the player prevails, his ante and raise bet will be matched. One item to point out is that straights beat flushes in Three Card Poker. It is mathematically easier to make a flush than a straight when only three cards are dealt.
Ante Bonus Wins
There are three bonus hands that receive an additional payout when the ante bet is wagered. The bonus is paid regardless of whether the hand wins or loses. The video version of Three Card Poker in live casinos does not offer the ante bonus.
– Straight flush: 5-1
– Three of a kind: 4-1
– Straight: 1-1
Pair Plus Bet
The Pair Plus side bet wins on any hand of a pair or better. The bet wins, even if the hand loses to the dealer. There are also special payouts based on the strength of the hand which are outlined below.
Pair Plus Payouts
– Straight flush: 40-1
– Three of a kind: 30-1
– Straight: 6-1
– Flush: 3-1
– Any pair: 1-1
Three Card Poker Rules
– The foremost rule of 3CP to grasp is the fact that you are dealt three cards like the name implies. The factor to determine if you win or loss is how the three cards dealt are ranked.
– After placing the bets, each player gets three cards and the dealer also gets three cards. The cards can be dealt face up or face down but the former is more common.
– 3CP uses the standard 52-card deck—without the Jokers.
– The house edge of 3CP is 2.01% with the help of optimal strategy (which I will discuss later).
– There are three bet options: Ante, Pair Plus, or both.
– The Ante bet is placed against the dealer’s hand but it competes with the player’s hand.
– The Pair Plus bet pays if the player’s hand is a pair or ranked higher.
After the cards have been dealt, you must decide to either Play or Fold if you place an Ante bet. By folding, you will lose your wager. By playing, you must place another bet of equal value to your Ante bet and place it on Play.
After each player has made his decisions, the dealer also has to “qualify.” This is done by having his cards revealed with a Queen or a card of higher ranking. If not, each player wins their Ante bet at even money (1 to 1) while the bet placed on Play is returned… this is more of a draw.
To win both Ante bet and the bet placed on Play, the dealer’s cards must include a Queen card or higher and you must beat the hand. If your hand cannot beat the dealer’s, you are down to a loss.
Unlike the Ante bet, the Pair Plus bet is not affected by the dealer’s hand; instead, you having a pair or higher determines if you lose or win… as simple as that. If you have a pair or higher, you win; if otherwise, you lose. Coupled with the optimal strategy, the house edge is 2.32%.
Some casinos (both online and offline) also feature a side wager called the Six Card Bonus bet. The bet is based on the best five card hand out of your three cards combined with the dealer’s three cards. Meanwhile, we settle the bet after the round and it is paid out based on the set paytable.
There is another side wager called the Ante Bonus. Once you have a Straight or better, you can win the bet since the dealer’s hand does not affect it. Its payout depends on the set paytable.
Even though there are occasional variations, here is the standard paytable for 3CP.
a) Ante Bonus: 1 to 1 for Straight, 4 to 1 for Three-of-a-Kind, and 5 to 1 for Straight Flush.
b) Pair Plus: 1 to 1 for Pair, 4 to 1 for Flush, 6 to 1 for Straight, 30 to 1 for Three-of-a-Kind, and 40 to 1 for Straight Flush.
c) Six Card Bonus: 7 to 1 for Three-of-a-Kind, 10 to 1 for Straight, 15 to 1 for Flush, 20 to 1 for Full House, 100 to 1 for Four-of-a-Kind, 200 to 1 for Straight Flush, and 1000 to 1 for Royal Flush.
Microgaming has a Gold Series multi-hand variant of 3CP called High Speed Poker. The game has improved paytable, table layout, and gameplay, and allows you to wager up to 5 hands against a dealer’s hand. For Ante bets, the paytable is as follows: 1 to 1 for Straight, 4 to 1 for Three-of-a-Kind, and 7 to 1 for Straight Flush. The house edge of this variant is an all-time low of 1.76%.
There is a side bet in High Speed Poker called Microgaming Bonus Bet. It pays 2 to 1 for three cards of the same color (probability: 23.53%), 6 to 1 for Flush (probability: 5.18%), and 27 to 1 for Three-of-a-Kind (probability: 0.24%). Other hands are losses and the house edge of this side wager is an all-time high of 13.41%.
Since you are dealt three cards unlike other poker games, the game ranks hands quite differently. First, there are six different hands in 3CP. High Card is the three highest cards in your hand—which can be of the same value but varying ranks—with 74.39% probability and 16,440 possible combinations.
Pair (or “a pair” to please the grammarians) is two cards of the same rank and an additional high card with 16.94% probability and 3,744 possible combinations.
Flush is three cards of the same suit with 4.96% probability and 1,096 possible combinations. Straight is three numerically abutting (or sequential) cards regardless of the suit with 3.26% probability and 720 possible combinations.
Three-of-a-Kind is three cards of the same rank with 0.24% probability and 52 possible combinations. Straight Flush is a sequence of three cards of the same suit with 0.22% probability and 48 possible combinations. Furthermore, a Three-of-a-Kind beats a Flush and a
Straight while a Straight beats a Flush. Other hands such as Four-of-a-Kind and Full House are not applicable to the standard 3CP bets since there are only three cards dealt.
In the event that your hand and the dealer’s are equal, the hand is deemed to be a push or draw and the bets are returned.
Variations of Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker has a number of known variants, which include Ultimate Three Card Poker, Progressive Three Card Poker, and Three Card Poker Prime.
Ultimate Three Card Poker
This variant has five variations to the standard rules and has a house edge of 3.88% with optimal strategy.
– You can Play up to three times your Ante bet if you have a pair or better.
– You must place an extra bet equal to the Ante bet. This is called the Blind bet and pays according to the paytable only if your hand is abundantly strong; it commonly results in a push or loss. It pays 1 to 1 for Flush, 3 to 2 for Straight, 6 to 1 for Three-of-a-Kind, 8 to 1 for Straight Flush, and 100 to 1 for Mini-Royal (Ace, King, Queen of the same suit).
– You still have to beat the dealer to win no matter if he qualifies or not.
– The bet placed on Play pays even money.
– The dealer shows one of his three cards before you make your move.
Progressive Three Card Poker
This is just 3CP with a progressive jackpot. The jackpot usually costs $1 and pays according to the set paytable. There are three versions listed on Wizard of Odds.
Version one pays $90 for Three-of-a-Kind, $100 for Straight Flush, $500 (plus $25) for Mini-Royal, and the jackpot prize (plus $100) for Mini Royal in Spades.
(The plus figures are called Envy Bonus, which is only available if another player has a Royal Flush.)
Jackpot prize = 47.87% of the total jackpot amount + 4.52% for every $1,000 in the jackpot + 0.79% per number of other players
Version two pays $6 for Straight, $60 for Three-of-a-Kind, $70 for Straight Flush, $500 (plus $25) for Mini-Royal, and the jackpot prize (plus $100) for Mini Royal in Spades.
Jackpot prize = 54.39% of the total jackpot amount + 4.52% for every $1,000 in the jackpot + 0.79% per number of other players
Version three pays $9 for Three-of-a-Kind, $30 for Straight, $40 for Flush, $50 for Full House, $300 for Four-of-a-Kind, 10% of the jackpot prize (plus $300), and the jackpot prize (plus $1,000). Unlike others, this version is determined by your three cards and two additional cards, which the Internet has no information on.
Jackpot prize = 53.06% of the total jackpot amount + 2.92% for every $1,000 in the jackpot + 0.57% per number of other players
Note: If you win, you do not get your wager back even if it wins. Also, most experts do not support this progressive variant because of the increased house edge and how ambiguous the system is.
Three Card Poker Prime
This is more of a side bet than an actual variant but works as the latter most times. When it acts as a side bet, it is simply called the Prime. Compared to the standard 3CP…
– It pays more if you have a Straight or better
– The Play bet, instead of the Ante bet, gets pushed if the dealer does not qualify
– There is no Ante Bonus whatsoever
– The Play bet pays more if you have a Straight or better
– If your Straight or higher hand is a losing hand, a premium called the Bad Beat Bonus kicks in
– Instead of Pair Plus, there is the Pair Bonus that pays if a fourth card is a deuce
The Prime side bet pays 3 to 1 if all your cards are of the same color and 4 to 1 if both your cards and the dealer’s three cards are of the same color. This variant is uncommon and sparingly offered in some UK casinos. The house edge is 3.62%.
Strategies
What is a casino game without at least one strategy? Well, there are several strategies for this particular poker game. Let’s look at some of the most common and most profitable.
Optimal Strategy
The optimal strategy or Ante bet strategy is quite simple and straightforward.
– Simply bet on Q-6-4 or better or Fold if anything less.
– If your second-highest card is 7 or higher, bet on a Q-high hand regardless of what your third card is.
– If your second-highest card is a 6, bet on a Q-high hand in the event that your third card is a 4 or 5.
– If your second-highest card is a 6, Fold a Q-high hand in the event that your third card is a 2 or 3.
– If your second-highest card is 5 or lower, Fold a Q-high hand regardless of what your third card is.
With this strategy, the house edge of the Ante bet drops from 3.37% to 2.01% for the standard 5-4-1 paytable. It drops from 3.83% to 2.28% for 4-3-1 but rises from 4.28% to 5.26% for 3-2-1.
SFGate Tips
I stumbled upon an SFGate article about the love-hate relationship between players and 3CP. Instantly, I was glued to some of the tips…which are not strategies.
– Based on statistics, play anything higher than Q-6-4 as it will eventually wind up making you some crumbs at the very least.
– Restrict yourself from playing the Blind bet. Maths has proven it to be the worst move in 3CP. The house edge is an all-time high of 7.6%.
– Either avoid Pair Plus completely or play it sparingly.
– Bonus hands are your best bet; take them down.
Never Bet Twice the Ante
According to famous gambling columnist and author John Grochowski, you should never bet twice your Ante bet. Instead, bet three times the Ante bet if you have a pair or better. If you have Jack-7-4 or a better hand (but less than a pair), bet the exact amount of the Ante bet. Fold if your hand is less than Jack-7-4. This strategy reduces the house edge to 1.7% but is only available in Ultimate Three Card Poker. Do note that Grochowski is not the creator of this strategy.
Hole-Card Play for Ultimate Three Card Poker
In July 2012, Eliot Jacobson Ph.D.—the owner of the now-defunct website A.P. Heat—posted his hole-card strategy for Ultimate Three Card Poker on the 888casino.com blog. His strategy is an upgrade to Stephen How’s—the owner of DiscountGambling, which is also defunct.
After the dealer has exposed his first card (which is common because of the shuffler’s position and height), your hand must correspond with the following:
– Play 9-5-2 or better if 2
– Play 9-7-3 or better if 3
– Play 9-8-4 or better if 4
– Play 9-8-5 or better if 5
– Play 9-8-6 or better if 6
– Play 9-7-6 or better if 7
– Play 9-8-5 or better if 8
– Play 9-8-3 or better if 9
– Play T-8-3 or better if T
– Play J-8-3 or better if J
– Play Q-8-3 or better if Q
– Play K-8-3 or better if K
– Play A-8-5 or better if A
The strategy has a house edge that is “greater than 3.8807%.” Nonetheless, you can strengthen your player edge to roughly 8.94% if you can use what Jacobson calls “perfect hole-card strategy.” Caution should be taken however because he did not practice the strategy, he only tested it using a computer program. Below is the official table of this strategy; p means pair, s means suited, and o means off-suited.
If you are familiar with hole carding or hole-card strategies, you already know they are arguably the most complicated casino strategies. And the perfect hole-card strategy is no exception. Casinos now audit hole-card exposure on a regular basis but if you ever happen to meet an inexperienced dealer, this strategy would generate massive revenue.
Furthermore, here is a much simpler hole card strategy I found on the Wizard of Odds website.
– Always Play if 2 to J
– Play Q-J-5 or better if a face-card
– Play Q-9-2 or better if Q
– Play K-9-2 or better if K
– Play A-9-2 or better if A
– The house edge is 2.43% if you cannot distinguish between an Ace and a 2 to 10, so do not Play at all.
– The player advantage is 3.48% with the standard 5-4-1 Ante Bonus paytable. Other paytables are 4-3-1 (3.02%), 3-2-1 (2.57%), and 5-3-1 (3.24%).
Flashing Dealer
Flashing dealer is very similar to hole carding. This unconventional strategy, unlike the hole-card play or perfect hole-card strategy, can be used in any 3CP game. It requires you to cast your gaze upon the dealer’s cards. This is made possible by the position of the shuffler and occurs more often if the dealer is right-handed.
First, you have to sit at the First Base—which is a term used for the first seat to the left of the dealer—in order to see the dealer’s card(s). Then, you have to Play according to the instructions in the aforementioned Wizard of Odds’ hole card strategy.
Like the skill-based advantages of good poker play mixed with the speed and thrill of a casino table game? 3-Card Poker might soon become your favorite casino game. The game is available to play at many online casinos. Below we delve into how to play 3-card poker to teach you the ropes. Have a read through to get to know the rules.
A popular choice in casinos from Vegas to London to Macau (and online, of course) 3-Card Poker was only invented in the mid-90s but has become such a staple of the casino world it’s hard to imagine a casino – live or online – without it. Even better, if you play proper 3-Card Poker strategy you can reduce the house edge to between 2-3%. With a payout percentage that high - and a very quick learning curve for how to play 3-Card Poker - you'll see why it's so popular very soon. Play for free until you get your feet wet then dive in to one of the best casino games going!
Why Play 3-Card Poker online?
- The game is very easy to learn and play;
- You'll be able to play the game using your online casino bonus;
- Using optimal strategy reduces the house edge to under 3%;
- Bets and payouts are very easy to make and understand;
- Very big payouts are given for hitting premium hands like straights, three of a kind and straight flushes
How to Play 3-Card Poker
Maybe the best thing about 3-Card Poker? It’s a very easy game to learn and play optimally. Hands are based on real poker hands but, as there are only three cards dealt to both the players and the dealer, they’ve been simplified to just six different hand types. If you're familiar with the standard poker hand rankings this will come very easily to you but there is one small change to take note of: Because getting dealt a three-card straight is actually rarer than getting a flush in 3-Card Poker, a straight is the higher ranked hand.
Here’s how hands are ranked in Three-Card Poker:
- Straight flush
- Three of a kind
- Straight
- Flush
- Pair
- High card
As it's a three-card game you obviously can’t get quads (four of a kind) and there’s no “mini” version of a Full House, so those are the only hands you need to know to play 3-Card Poker.
How Do I Make Bets in 3-Card Poker?
The are two basic bets bettors can play in 3-Card Poker.
- Ante/Play
- Pair Plus
Both can be played simultaneously, in fact, and different amounts can be bet for each one as you see fit. Action starts with all players placing a bet in the 'ante' betting circle. This is the main bet you are making against the dealer and his hand. You can then also choose to place a bet in the 'pair plus' as well. This bet is independent of whatever outcome your hand has against the dealer.
This bet is simply saying you are hoping to be dealt a premium hand (a pair or better) and will be paid out according to a payout chart depending on how 'premium' your hand is (see the payout chart below). Once all players at the table have made their ante bets (and their pair plus bet, if they so choose), the deal begins. Players and the dealer each get three cards, face down, from a standard 52-card deck. Watch the video below for a quick run-through of your basic bets and how to play standard 3-Card Poker:
Fold or Play in 3-Card Poker?
After you’ve looked at your hand you can either fold - and forfeit your ante bet - or place another bet equal to the ante bet in the 'Play' circle. This means that you're continuing on against the dealer and will reveal your hand to see if you've beaten his or not and get paid accordingly. If the Dealer has a Queen high or better, his hand is in play. If the dealer does not have a qualifying hand, the payouts are:
Play bet: Push (your bet is returned to you)
Ante bet: 1 to 1
So if you didn't fold your hand and the dealer has a non-qualifying hand (under Queen high) you'll get your play bet back and win an equivalent ante bet.
If the dealer does have a qualifying hand and your hand beats it your bets pay:
Casino Poker Free
- Play: 1 to 1
- Ante: 1 to 1
- Tie: Push
Many players like to play 'blind' -- meaning to play every hand regardless of their holdings. If you do that, however, you increase the house edge from around 3% to close to 7%. It's decidedly better to stick to the Q64 rule which is to only play hands that have a Queen, 6 and 4 or higher. So our guide to 3-Card poker strategy below.
Ante Bonus & Pair Plus
An additional feature you get to take advantage of in 3-Card poker is the Ante Bonus, which is paid on the Ante wager for hands that rank as a straight or better. The Ante Bonus is paid out regardless of whether the dealer's hand qualifies and regardless of whether the dealer or the player has the best hand. The typical Ante Bonus paytable pays 5 to 1 for a straight flush, 4 to 1 for a three of a kind and 1 to 1 for a straight (see chart below). As mentioned above the Pair Plus wager is an optional bet you can make before the hand begins. You can make it any amount you want based on the table minimum and maximum bets. This bet is also independent of whether your hand beats the dealers hand or not. If your dealt hand has a pair or better, you get paid out according to the table's payout scale. See an example of a standard pair plus payout table below. Neither the Pair Plus or Ante bonus are contingent on beating the dealer’s hand so if you hit qualifying hands with either bet you’ll still get paid.
Hand Rankings | Full Pay | Full Pay |
Mini-Royal | - | - |
Straight Flush | 40 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
Three of a Kind | 30 to 1 | 4 to 1 |
Straight | 6 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
Flush | 4 to 1 | - |
Pair | 1 to 1 | - |
High Card | - | - |
The main catch with the Pair Plus bet is that it basically double the House edge up to about 6-7%. You will more than likely lose money making this bet long term but if you do hit a big hand like a straight flush the payout will be substantial.
3-Card Poker 6 Card Bonus
In some online casinos and land-based ones, you’ll also find an optional side bet you can make called the “6 Card Bonus.” This bet is paid out based on the combination of your 3-card poker hand with the dealer's three-card hand. You combine the two three-card hands to make the best standard 5-card poker hand. You then get paid out according to a pay table like the following
Poker Hand | Pay Table 1 |
Royal Flush | 1,000 to 1 |
Straight Flush | 200 to 1 |
Four of a Kind | 100 to 1 |
Full House | 20 to 1 |
Flush | 15 to 1 |
Straight | 9 to 1 |
Three of a Kind | 8 to 1 |
While it looks enticing, the 6-Card Bonus is generally a bad bet. Even with the best payout table the house advantage is in the 6-7% range and, based on your probability of hitting one of the payable hands, a pretty sure bet the casino will take your money in the long run. If you do hit on one of the bonus hands, though, your bet is paid out whether you win either of your ante/play bets.
How to Play Optimal 3-Card Poker Strategy
Watch the video below for our simple 3-Card Poker strategy guide:
Optimal strategy in 3-Card Poker is pretty simple. If you have a hand that's at least Q/6/4 (ie a queen, 6, and 4 all in the same hand) or greater, you should play it. If you have less than that, you should fold. That's pretty much it. If you stick to this very simple playing pattern you'll reduce the house edge (depending on the table and payout percentages) to 2-3%. That's the best you can do. Betting both the ante and the pair plus equally each time you bet also provides the best statistical chance of maximum return when playing over long periods of time.
Odds of Hitting a Pair Plus
- Pair 16.94%
- Flush 4.9%
- Straight 3.26%
- Three of a kind .24%
- Straight Flush .22%
If you add them all up, the average odds of hitting a pair plus in a hand is about 25% or 1 in 4. You'll get a 'high card' hand 75% of the time.
What that means is:
- Your best chance of making money (or losing the least) is to only play the Ante bets and
- Only play the 'Play' bet on top of that if you have Q64 or higher.
Three Card Poker Casino Edge
To keep the house odds low you should never play the Pair Plus or 6-Card Bonus bet. You simply won't hit enough premium hands or bonuses to make up for your losses.