3 Card Poker

3-Card Poker, or three-card poker, is an easier variant of poker where players play against the house. It's a quick casino card game named after poker due to the similar hand rankings as poker. The game is quite popular amongst card game lovers as it's fun to play and is also quite easy to learn. In this game, the players are dealt three cards, and they compete against the dealer, as opposed to competing with other players in different types of poker, by getting dealt a good hand.

This incredibly entertaining poker game involves skills and knowledge of poker card rankings to play and win the hand against the house. So, without waiting any longer, learn how to play 3-card poker rules and gameplay and get set to defeat the dealer's hand.

3-Card Poker Combinations: Hand Rankings

The hand rankings in three card poker are slightly different than the standard poker hand rankings because it's difficult to make a straight than a flush. Even if you know how to play poker, you must learn the hand rankings of this game again. Therefore, the ranking order for flushes and straights is reversed in 3-card poker. This also makes the Straight hand more valuable than a Flush three-card poker hand. Moreover, any hands that require more than three cards are eliminated in this game. Therefore, the 3-cards game rules leave only six 3-card poker combinations that the players can make. Ranked from highest to lowest, below are the poker hand rankings of this game:

Straight Flush

Three cards of the same suit arranged consecutively (Aces high or low) is a straight flush. In a tie between two straight flushes, the higher-ranking card wins.

Three-of-a-kind

Three cards of the same rank make a three-of-a-kind hand. In a tie, the higher-ranking card wins.

Straight

Three cards of mixed suits, arranged consecutively (Aces high or low), make a straight. In a tie, the higher-ranking card wins.

Flush

Three cards of the same suit make a flush. The higher card of the highest card in each hand wins. In a tie, the middle cards are first compared, and then the lowest cards are compared.

Pair

Two cards of the same rank and one card of a different rank make a Pair. In a tie, the higher ranking pair wins. If there's a tie in the ranking pairs as well, the higher of the third card wins.

High Card

Three cards not all of the same suit or ranks make a high card. In a tie between two high cards, the higher of the highest-ranking cards wins. If there's a tie in the highest-ranking cards, the middle-ranking cards are compared and then the lowest rankings cards.

3-Card Poker Gameplay

Objective

The objective of winning the 3-card poker game is to make the best combination of a three-card poker hand. The game depends on the cards dealt initially, which means that the odds of three-card poker depend on the hand ranking of the player or the better pair of the dealer.

Set-Up

The three-card poker card game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The game is typically played between 1 to 8 players, including the dealer.

How to Play 3-Card Poker?

Betting

Before the dealer starts dealing cards to the players, each player has to decide on an Ante bet or if their hand will be better than the dealer's hand. When the player takes their seat at the poker table, they can choose between a couple of bets depending on the table. As per the 3-card poker rules, the players can make four types of bets.

Ante bet

Play bet

PairPlus

Both the Ante and PairPlus bet

The order of playing the game is as follows:

Place an ante bet or both ante and pair plus wager

Dealer deals three cards each to every player and himself

Look at the cards and choose to fold (lose your bet) or make a Play bet (match the ante)

Before players receive cards, they make a decision to either bet just the ante bet or the ante and pair plus wager. While the pair plus wager is optional, the players must make the ante bet, to receive cards, by placing an equal amount of money at the centre of the table. Ante betting means you are betting on whether you will receive a pair or a better hand.

After every player has decided on their bets, the dealer deals three cards, face down, to each player. The players look at their cards and make and make another decision to match their hand against the dealer's hand.

If the players decide to match their hand, it is a Play bet which is equal to their ante bet. If they choose to fold, they lose their ante and Pair Plus wager (if made). But if the player decides to play and match the ante, the hand is compared to the dealer's hand to see which hand wins.

The Pair Plus Wager

The pair plus wager is one of the easiest bets you can play on the 3-card poker table as it doesn't require decision-making. The player places the Pair Plus bet before the deal, with the bet being within the minimum and maximum bet amounts. The player receives the cards, and the hand decides whether the player wins or not.

Playing Action

As discussed in betting, each player must play their turn once the dealer deals cards to the players. The players can choose to fold or play by placing a bet. If a player folds, the dealer wins the bet by default.

Winning in 3-Card Poker

The players claim pay-outs once all players have played their turns. The players reveal their cards, followed by the dealer. After the poker hands are compared for each player against the dealer's hand, the winning hand is divided, and the players claim pay-outs if they win.

The player's hand should be higher than the dealer's hand to win the ante bet. However, the dealer must have a queen-high or better to qualify.

If the dealer qualifies and the player wins as well, the player will receive both the Ante and Play bet in a 1:1 ratio.

If the dealer fails to qualify, the player will receive their ante in a 1:1 ratio and is returned to their Play bet.

If the player loses, but the dealer qualifies, the player loses both bets.

If the dealer qualifies, but ties with the player, the player pushes, both bets are returned.

3-Card Rules For Payouts

If the player hits a hand which is a pair or better than the dealer's hand, they have a chance to win the payout.

For instance, if a payout is 3:1, it means that the player wins three times the Pair Plus bet.

The 3-card rules for the Pair Plus payout are slightly different than the Ante payout and based on the hand quality. For the Pair Plus payout, the dealer's hand does not matter.

3- Card Poker Payout Structure

The players may also receive an ante bonus payout in some games. The players playing ante and play receive bonus payouts for strong hands (irrespective of the dealer's hand) in the below ratios:

For making a Straight Flush, the players receive a payout in a 5:1 ratio

For making a Three of a Kind, the players receive a payout in a 4:1 ratio

For making a Straight, the players receive a payout in a 1:1 ratio

Three-Card Poker Hands House Rules

Some of the commonly followed three-card rules in casinos are as follows:

Number of hands for each player - Some of the casinos allow only a single player while others allow multiple hands at the same time.

Hole Cards - Only a few online 3-card poker rooms have one player policy. Others allow the players to share the hole cards to make their betting decisions.

Placing the right bet - In the 3-cards game, players cannot draw any extra cards; therefore, deciding to continue the game or fold also matters. The players must be attentive towards the 3-card poker odds and head up in the cash games.

FAQs

What are the odds of winning 3-card poker game?

The odds for winning in 3-card game vary from the standard poker games. For instance, the winning percentage for the player is 44.91% and for the dealer is 55.03%. The odds percentage for a tie is 0.06%.

What is the best 3-card poker strategy?

The most common and best 3-card poker strategy is to play your bets when you have a Queen-6-4 or better hand. If the third card is weak, you should find the best pair in the other two remaining cards and then decide to play the hand.

Which bet should I play, Ante, Play, Pair Plus?

The decision of which bet to play depends on your strategy and the risk you are willing to take. Strategically, playing ante and pair plus equally gives a statistical advantage of maximum returns in the long run. The odds of hitting a pair plus with different hands are as below:

Straight Flush 0.22%

Three of a Kind - 0.24%

Straight - 3.26%

Flush - 4.9%

Pair - 16.94%

How to win in 3-card games?

When learning how to play a 3-card poker game, you must know the poker hand rankings. In real money three-card poker games, a straight flush and three-of-a-kind poker hands have the highest winning potential. You can win the game with either a straight, pair, straight flush, flush, or three of a kind hand. However, you must also strategise your moves and go for an ante-play to win. Using the right skills and poker tips and tricks will also increase your success rate.

Is 3-Card Poker available to play online?

Many online gaming platforms offer the three-card poker game experience similar to casinos. Several platforms also offer a free play where you can win a bonus payout if you use your poker skills and win.