The lesser Known 3 card Poker and its Rules

Everything about 3 Card Poker

3 Card Poker is a game that is played more in Casinos rather than online. It is a game that cannot be played with other players but is played against the dealer. It is a 1 vs 1 poker game and depends entirely on luck rather than skills. If the dealer has a better hand than you, then you lose.

Poker Hand Ranking in 3 card Poker

So, 3 card poker uses the name poker because it uses the poker hands ranking to decide the winner. But this is more of a Casino game than a poker game.

In general, 3 cards are distributed to you and 3 cards are used by the dealer. If you have a better hand than the dealer, then you win. As simple as that. There are certain criteria for winning which I’ll explain along the way.

Since in 3 card poker, only 3 cards are used, there are only 6 standard poker hand ranking compared to the original 9.

There is an exception though. Since making a flush becomes easier by using 3 cards, the hand ranking for a flush is lower than a straight. Rest all of the hand rankings is the same.

So, I’ll list the hand ranking in 3 card poker from the best to worst.

1. Straight Flush
2. Three of a kind
3. Straight
4. Flush
5. Pair
6. High Card

Betting Rules

In 3 card poker, there is no betting involved between the players, there is no competing to win against other players, You’are just trying to win against the dealer. There is no strategy in the game as such, but you can vary the betting amounts as per your liking.

Some important betting terms in 3 card Poker

You must know certain Betting terms in order for you to play the game. There are different sections on the casino board where you can place your bet.

1. Ante: There will be an Ante written on the Casino Board to place the bet. Ante is the starting bet that the player must make in order for the dealer to deal the cards for you. This bet must be done to receive a hand.
2. Pair Plus: There will be a Pair Plus written on the Casino Board to place the bet. As the name suggests, if you think you will get a hand that is equal to or greater than the pair, then you can place your bet there. This betting is done before seeing your hands. This bet is equal to the Ante that you just paid. This bet is optional.
3. Play: There will be a Play written on the Casino Board to place the bet. If you think you have a decent hand to play with then you can place the bet in the play area and place your cards below the bet. This bet is equal to the Ante that you just paid. This bet is optional.
4. 6 card Bouns: There will be a 6 Card Bonus written on the Casino Board to place the bet. This is optional too. By betting in this area, you’ll compare your cards and your dealer cards to make the best 5 cards.

S0 in general, if you need to play a hand, then you must make the Ante bet and the play bet. Pair plus and 6 card Bonus are optional.

Odds for getting a Pair Plus cards in 3 card Poker

Ever wondered what are the odds of making a pair plus as your starting hand, here’s your answer to that.

• Pair – You have 16.94% to make a pair
• Flush – You have 4.9% to make a Flush
• Straight  – You have 3.26% to make a pair
• Three of a Kind- You have 0.24% to make a pair
• Straight Flush – You have 0.22% to make a pair

So basically, you have a 25% chance of getting the Pair Plus cards in 3 Card Poker. Rest 75% of the time you won’t be getting those hands and you’ll end up with a high card. So, if you bet the pair plus, then you’ll be losing 75% of the time and the dealer will take that amount ( Equal to Ante ).

So, it’s all up to you if you want to place the bet for pair plus. Just hope that the luck goes your way.

Winning in 3 Card Poker

So, how do you win in 3 card Poker? Just have a hand that is better than the dealer and you win. That’s it.

But, the dealer hands will only be considered if the dealer has a Queen high or a better card than that.

So, here’s what happens when the dealer doesn’t have a high Queen or a better one. The player gets back the 1:1 ante amount (The amount the player bet + the same amount by the dealer)  and also gets back his play bet. But, if you bet on Pair plus and don’t have the Pair plus hands then you lose that amount. Similarly with the 6 Card Bouns.

If the dealer qualifies and you win, then you get the 1:1 for your Ante as well as Play Bet. If the dealer qualifies and you lose, then you lose both of your Ante and the Play Bet. If the dealer qualifies and it’s a tie then, the player pushes. Both bets are returned without any extra returns.

If you have a straight or better, you receive an ante bonus regardless of the value of the dealer’s hand.

Pair Plus Winning hands amount

If you have a pair plus or a higher and you had placed the bet for the Pair Plus, then you’ll receive the amounts equal to the hand ranking as follows :

• Pair – 1:1
• Flush – 4:1
• Straight – 6:1
• Three of a kind – 30:1
• Straight Flush – 40:1
• Mini Royal – 50:1

These are the winning amount you’ll receive according to the Ante bet you made.

Six Card Bonus Winning hands amount

This is the hand that is formed by comparing both the dealer cards and your cards and make the best 5 cards out of it. These are the amounts you’ll receive for different hands that are formed.

• Royal Flush: 1,000:1
• Straight Flush: 200:1
• Four of a Kind: 100:1
• Full House: 25:1
• Flush: 15:1
• Straight: 10:1
• Three of a Kind: 5:1

So, you’ll be paid 1000 times the amount you bet if you form Royal Flush from both the dealer and your hand. The odds of this happening is very low, and it happens 1 in a million turns. That’s how rare it is.

3 card Poker: When to play the hands?

Since we have discussed the amounts that you get for winning the hand, The question is, What hands are you going to play the hands?

It is not ideal to play every single hand you get. By doing so, you lose more than you end up winning. So, most of the experienced 3 Card Poker players, play hands that have a Queen, 6 and 4 ( Q-6-4) or higher.

If you have cards better than Q-6-4 then play the hand, else it is best to fold the hand and wait for your next turn.

Also, it is not advised to place bets in Pair Plus and 6 Card Bonus if you need to earn more. Just stick with the Ante and the Play bets and try to win hands. You’ll make a lot of money if you follow this Step.

Playing 3 Card Poker Online

There are several sites that let you play 3 Card Poker Online. I’ll list out a few of the best ones where you can play. Rest assured, all of the sites that are mentioned here are safe to play and is trusted.

1. Table Games Online – The best Online Platform to play 3 card poker. It is absolutely free with no sign-ups. You can practice here for free.
2. Vegas Slots Online – This platform is also free, but the interface is not that good as the first one.
3. 888 Casino – You need to register first if you need to play using this platform. But, you can play for real money as well as for free after the registration.

These are some of the sites where you can try out the  3 Card Poker.

Popular FAQ’s

What is 3 card Poker?

3 Card Poker is a card game and is a variation of poker. The game is mainly played between the dealer and the player. The main objective of the game is to defeat the dealer. The winner is decided by the best 3 cards according to the standard poker hand rankings.

How do you win in a 3 card poker?

Just have a hand that is better than the dealer and you win. That's it, it's very simple. But, the dealer hands will only be considered if the dealer has a Queen high or a better card than that. If the dealer doesn't have the Queen high or better, you get back your money back.

What is the best hand in 3 card poker?

1.Straight Flush 2.Three of a kind 3.Straight 4.Flush 5.Pair 6.High Card

Hope you learnt something today. If you enjoyed reading this, then please comment and share. Thank you.