17 Nov 2022Poker is famously a multiplayer game where a group of opponents compete against each other. Not so with 3 Card Poker – this is a special variant of the game that has been developed for casinos, so that players can pit themselves against the house.
3 Card Poker is not a true poker game, but more of a game that is based on poker. Many of the rules are the same, but there are some crucial differences that set it apart from classic poker. First and most important, play is against the house rather than against a group of other players.
This means that the hands of the other players are irrelevant, all that matters is your own hand and how that stands up against the dealer. In this way, 3 Card Poker is similar to Blackjack. In classic poker, the house takes a small percentage of the pot – known as the rake – which is how it makes a profit. In 3 Card Poker, the game has a built-in house edge.
There are other types of poker-based games that may be familiar, which operate in a similar way. The first to become popular was Caribbean Stud, followed by others such as Mississippi Stud, Four Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and Let it Ride.
Because of its format, 3 Card Poker is an ideal game for online casinos. It can be a virtual game played against a computer algorithm, or a live casino table with a real dealer. Payouts can be pretty generous, although naturally much relies on the quality of your hand. And, unlike classic poker, it is rather easy to learn and straightforward to play.
Keep reading to find out more about how to play and how to win at 3 Card Poker.
At a land-based casino, or an online live casino with a dealer, the game requires one standard 52-card deck. This is also true of virtual games, although the cards and the shuffling are simulated using a random number generator (RNG) algorithm.
The objective of 3 Card Poker is simply to make the best possible poker hand with three cards – the clue is most definitely in the name. Unlike Blackjack, there are no options to draw more cards or make exchanges. Everything hinges on the cards you first receive.
If you are more familiar with five-card poker games, then the rankings of this version will require a bit of re-learning. In five-card games, there are more possible ways to make a straight than a flush, and therefore a flush ranks higher than a straight.
In 3 Card Poker, the exact opposite is true – a straight outranks a flush since there are fewer ways to make a straight. Let’s look at the 3 Card Poker rankings, from worst to best:
When the player and the dealer have a hand of equal poker ranking, then the value of the cards comes into play. So, if both have a pair, then the pair of the higher value wins – for example a pair of nines wins over a pair of eights.
There are two ways to bet when playing 3 Card Poker:
What you are permitted to do as the player depends on the house rules. In some casinos, players are required to ante bet, with the pair-plus as a side option. Others allow a choice between ante or pair-plus.
After bets are placed, the dealer and players each receive three cards face down. Remember, the cards of the other players have no effect on whether you win or lose. The play then proceeds as follows:
The dealer’s hand must be better than a Jack-high in order to qualify. If the dealer’s hand doesn’t qualify, all players who didn’t fold receive a 1:1 payout on the ante, and receive the play bet back. This payout is guaranteed to all players still in the game, regardless of their hand. It could be much worse than the dealer’s, but since the dealer’s hand didn’t meet the minimum threshold to qualify, it is disregarded.
When the dealer does have a qualifying hand, i.e. Queen-high or better, then the dealer and player hands are compared. If a player can’t beat the dealer, then the house collects both the ante and play wagers. Players who beat the dealer’s hand get a 1:1 payout on all monies wagered.
As well as this even money payout, players with strong hands could be in line for an Ante Bonus as well. Casinos often offer these on the top three hand rankings, i.e. straights or better. This is an automatically applied bonus payout and players need not make any extra wagers in order to get it.
Ante Bonus payouts can vary depending on the casino, but the best ones are typically as follows:
Pair-plus pays out independently of the dealer’s hand and the ante-bet. All that is required to win this wager is a pair or better. As with the ante bonus, payouts may be different at different casinos, live tables, or digital games. Here is what you might expect at most casinos:
As well as these payout rates, some casinos give a bump to a ‘mini royal’ straight flush. That is, A-K-Q of a matching suit, often paid out at 50:1 or even higher.
Before we move on, a word about table limits. At any given 3 Card Poker table, a minimum and maximum bet size will be stated. The bet size means each individual wager, i.e. the ante bet, the play bet, and the pair-plus. Ante and play are always the same value. Pair-plus can be a different value wager, but still within the stated table limits. Let’s look at a $2 minimum table, and an example of what the stake could be:
Ante + play bet = $5 each
Pair-plus bet = $2
Total bet = 5+5+2 = $12
There is an optimal strategy for 3 Card Poker, and it is very simple indeed. In each hand, there is only one decision that the player needs to make. This is whether to play the hand, thus posting the play bet, or to fold and lose just the ante. The hand to remember is Q-6-4. If you have this hand or better – and that includes any pair – then play it. If not, then fold.
To elaborate on the Q-6-4 strategy: players holding a King should always play, regardless of the other two cards. If a Jack is your highest card, fold. If you have a Queen, then you must have at least a 6 with it, and the other card must be at least a 4. So, Q-6-3 would fold.
For the ante bet game, this gives the house an edge of 3.4% of the ante, or 2% of the ante and play bets together. The house edge increases for casinos and games that award ante bonuses at a lower payout ratio. If players simply play every hand, then the house advantage jumps up to 7.65%.
The house edge on pair-plus bets is 7.28% when the payouts are standard (see above for payout details) but drops dramatically if those payouts improve even a little. For example, if a game pays a flush 4:1 instead of 3:1 but all other payouts remain the same, the house edge becomes just 2.32%
Whether you are playing at a brick and mortar casino, with a live dealer through an online casino portal, or a completely digital version of the game, there will be slight variations of the 3 Card Poker rules. In real money casinos, there may be several versions of the game with different rules. Some common house rules are as follows:
Hands per player: At certain casinos, each player is permitted to play just one hand at a time. Others permit players to simultaneously play several hands at once.
Compulsory wagers: Which bets players must place, and which are optional, also depends on the house rules. In some cases, the ante bet is compulsory, while the pair-plus is optional. In other cases, any combination is permitted – ante bet with pair-plus, ante bet alone, or pair-plus alone.
In the video below, our casino expert Kash Kingston explains how to play, paybacks and winning 3 card poker strategies.
3 Card Poker is a simple, one-round game played against the dealer, where players and dealer get three cards each. Nobody can change the cards they are dealt. The hand rankings are based on poker, and the players that beat the dealer receive a payout.
It is a very popular game because it is fast and easy to pick up. It is much less involved than classic poker, making it one of the most played table games at casinos around the world and online.
Yes, the Q-6-4 strategy has been mathematically calculated to be the optimal strategy. See the chapter “Best 3 Card Poker Strategy” for details.
It depends how you play, but it never goes under 3.37% on ante play. For pair-plus it is higher, as much as 7.28%.
If you have read this article, you should have a good idea of how to play 3 Card Poker. The next step is to practice. If you would like to practice risk-free, find a virtual online demo version and try some hands. You will find it remarkably simple to pick up.
Not really, as even with optimum strategy the house edge remains 3.37%. However, house edge does not account for short term results. This means that in a session you could win more than you wager, or vice versa.
There is very little difference between playing online or at a physical casino. The rules and optimal strategy are the same, as are the house edge, odds, and payouts. The only possible difference is that there is no chance of any advantage play at a virtual casino. Advantage play basically means trying to catch a glimpse of one of the dealer’s cards to try and help you decide how to proceed.
With over twelve years of experience, Beth brings a lot of knowledge in the field of gambling and always deals intensively with casinos reviews. She is responsible for most of the content that is written on MrCasinova.com and she also manages all MrCasinova.com contributors. Beth is native English and graduated with an MBA from Anglia Ruskin University.
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