Three Card Poker Streategy and Rules
Three Card Poker strategy and rules will give you a general idea on how the game is played. Three Card Poker is also know as; Tri-Card Poker, Poker Three, and 3 Card Poker.
Three Card Poker Strategy.
Possible hands in Three Card Poker:
- Straight FlushThree of a KindStraightFlushPairQueen to Ace high
- Jack high or less
One accepted strategy is to raise if you have a Q/6/4 or greater hand. This card combination has been determined to be the minimum requirement because if you raise on a lesser hand you can expect to lose 1.00255 units, more than the 1 unit by folding but if you raise on a Q/6/4 or greater hand.
The expected loss is .993378 which is less than the 1 unit by folding. Mathematically the player stands to lose 8.66% of the original wager but win 5.29% on the bonus.
We also have a detailed article on winning strategies for 3 Card Poker here.
Three Card Poker Rules.
Three Card Poker is two games within the one. You can play either the Ante or the Pair Plus or both:
- Cards are dealt from a single deck. Both Dealer and Player receive three cards. The Dealers card are dealt face down. Pair Plus winnings are paid based on a separate pay table usually displayed on the playing surface.
- Cards are reshuffled after each hand
Ante.
In the Ante Game you place a bet (Ante) on the table. Three cards will be dealt to you face up. If you decide to play those cards, you will place an amount equal to your Ante bet into the Play circle on the table.
Highest hand wins. but if the dealer does not have at least a Queen, the dealer hand doesn't qualify and cannot win.
This game also has bonus payouts. The ante bonus payout is not dependent on the value of the dealers hand so you can still lose the hand but win the bonus payout.
Standard Pay Table for Ante Bonus:
- Straight Flush - 5:13 of a Kind - 4:1
- Straight - 1:1
Pair Plus.
You are betting on being dealt a pair or better 3 card combination. The Pair Plus game has payouts for specific hand combinations and they are not dependant on the Dealers cards so if your hand contains a straight and the dealer's hand contains a flush, you still win the Pair Plus payout for a flush. If you fold, you lose your bet.Standard Pay Table for Pair Plus:
- Straight Flush - 40:13 of a Kind - 25:1Straight - 6:1Flush - 4:1
- One Pair 1:1
The Player wins if:
- Ante - The Player 3-card poker hand outranks the Dealer hand. It is also a win if the Player raises and the Dealer doesn't qualify. Raise - If the Player's 3-card hand outranks the Dealer's hand and the Dealer qualifies.
- Pair Plus - If the player is dealt a pair or higher.
The Player loses if:
- Ante - The Player folds or the Dealer has a higher ranked 3 card poker hand.Raise - The Dealer has a higher ranked 3-card poker hand.
- Pair Plus - The Player does not receive a minimum of a pair when dealt three cards.