Three Card Poker - what you need to know

As you wander through a casino or study an online poker room’s line up of games, you may see a few games that may not be the most talked about or marketed. This is to say that there are a few casino table games, even poker games like Three Card Poker that you may have never heard of or played.

In this article we will cover this table game that uses some of the basics and rules of poker. This isn’t a casino game that has been around as many years as Craps or Texas Holdem, but it offers players an alternative to playing some of the more known casino games.

Most of the casino games you may see or come across are hybrids or twists on the older more established casino games - poker variations in particular. Some of these new casino games become very popular such as Caribbean Stud, which is a newer casino game. Even Let It Ride has a following. It too is a newer casino table game. This is not the case for some of the new games that hit the casino floor. While the main point of these games is to remind players of poker by utilizing the same words, phrases, and conventions – most of these games come with a staggering house advantage.

Three Card Poker is a poker related casino table game that has the potential to stick around because it is a fast paced game that is simple to play. It comes with one of the lower house advantages of most of the newer poker variations you will find at casinos. The house edge hovers around 2-4%.

This game is basically two casino games in one. Ante/Play and Pair Plus. This game refers to the roots of poker as far as hand ranking is concerned, but it has a few noticeable exceptions top it. First of all, in Three Card Poker, a straight out ranks a flush. If you think about this for a moment, it is obvious that this would be the case. It is much easier in a three card hand to get three cards of a same suit than it is to get three cards in numerical sequence.

In this casino game you can make the noncompetitive approach by making the Pair Plus wager (think Let It Ride) or you can get into the competitive side of this game by taking the Ante/Play wagers (think Caribbean Stud). If you pick both wagers, Pair Plus and Ante/Play, you will not have to wager the same amount of money on each bet.

The Pair Plus game is truly easy. It is not played against the dealer or other players at the table; it is only you and the three cards you are dealt – with the intention of getting a pair or better. The Pair Plus wagers are paid typically as follows.

-          Straight flush is paid 40 to 1.

-          Three of a kind is paid 30 to 1.

-          A straight is paid 6 to 1.

-          A flush ids paid 4 to 1

-          A pair is paid even money.

In the Ante/Play game, you are playing your hand against the dealer’s hand of poker. After you see your cards, you can place an additional Play wager that is equal to the Ante wager or ypou may choose to fold you hand. By folding you will lose your Ante wager.

You need to know that when you do choose to play both Ante/Play and Pair Plus, and you decide to fold your Ante wager (not placing the Play wager), you will then be folding your Pair Plus wager at that time. So, if you think about it, you do not ever want to fold any hand that is a qualifier for the Pair Plus bonus – so do not worry about it.

Once all the Ante/Play players have chosen whether or not they want to make the Play wager or fold. The dealer will then turn over the three cards. The dealer must have a hand of queen high or better to qualify. If the dealer’s hand is not a qualifier, all Ante wagers are paid even money, Play wagers will be returned, and the next hand is dealt. If the dealer’s hand does qualify, his or her hand will then be compared to all of the player’s hands. If the player’s hand outranks the dealer’s hand, both the Ante wager and Play wager are paid even money. If the dealer’s hand outranks the player’s hand, both wagers are lost by the player. In the rare case when the dealer’s hand and a player’s hand are tied, both bets will push and no money will exchange hands.

Also, bonus payouts are given for premium hands (this one of the main reasons players like this game). The bonus payouts are only made in relation to the Ante wagers, not the total of the Ante and Play wagers together. One good thing about these bonuses is that they are always paid, even if the dealer’s hand does not qualify or is even superior to your hand. The bonus schedule for Three Card Poker is typically paid as follows:

-          A straight flush typically pays 5 to 1.

-          Three of a kind usually pays at 4 to 1.

-          A straight will usually pay even money.

-          There is no bonus (typically) for a flush or a pair.

Strategy and Intelligent Play

This casino game does not demand much from its players as far as a strategy ids concerned. This casino game is more of a luck based game, not so much on skill. Don’t mistake this casino game for table poker. This game’s simplicity, and the fact that it does not take as much skill to play as regular poker - is another reason why it is attractive to gamblers. With this game, you are playing against a built in house edge. You are playing against mathematics instead of other players.

Your opponents are the wagers and the odds they carry. The house edge on the Ante wager can be reduced to 3.37% (still kind of high) if you follow this simple strategically sound tip: Fold on ant hand where you have lower than a Q-6-4.

Now, the house edge does take into consideration all the possible outcomes of any hand – folding after the Ante wager, winning the Ante but pushing the Play when the dealer does not have a qualifying hand, winning the Ante and the Play wagers, and winning the Ante bonus for holding a premium hand. To put the odds into perspective here, the house edge on your total (average) wager - including the money you are risking when you make the Plat wager – is 2.02%. Keep in mind, you are always locked into making the Ante wager – it is your required base wager. So, consider the house edge to be the 3.37% we explained a moment ago. It’s your tax basically from all Ante wagers.

Oddly enough, the Ante/Play does not promise players with super payouts – it does not even reward them with decent odds.teh Pair Plus strategy is a much better pick. It’s house edge is 2.32%. The Pair Plus strategy is very easy – just make the wager.

This casino game is not among the best casino games to play as far as best bets go. On the other hand, when you compare it to some of its elders or other newer game at casinos, it isn’r the worst bet either. This is an easy casino game to play and if you are looking for something new, it is worth a shot – just stick to these simple tips we have explained in this article. This game demands less from its players than Caribbean Stud Poker and even Let It Ride does. It even has a lower house edge than these two games. This is a quicker paced game that is not boring. All in all, it is an interesting game that will provide you will a lot of entertainment. When playing it at online casinos, be sure to check the payouts first.

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