Play 3 Card Poker For Fun
- An Easy Guide on How to Play 3 Card Poker. Three Card Poker is played with a single 52-card deck and is actually two games in one. First, the Pair Plus game allows players to wager on whether they will be dealt a Pair or better, or not. Secondly, the Play/Ante game allows players to wager against the house (dealer) to see who has the highest hand.
- An Easy Guide on How to Play 3 Card Poker. Three Card Poker is played with a single 52-card deck and is actually two games in one. First, the Pair Plus game allows players to wager on whether they will be dealt a Pair or better, or not. Secondly, the Play/Ante game allows players to wager against the house (dealer) to see who has the highest hand.
- A very quick, simple and fun game that virtually doesn’t require a lot of strategy and planning. It is an exciting game where you are focused to beating the dealer by aiming to get the best poker hand only in one single draw of three cards. It’s a very entertaining game that can bring easy and quick fun and winnings if you play your cards.
- A free online version of 3 Card Poker with 6-card Bonus. Test out your 3 Card Poker strategy here. Practice for Vegas. Play Three Card Poker for Free.
Three Card Poker is a casino game with a lot of fans. As the name would suggest, it is based on the famous game of poker but comes with simplified rules.
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Three Card Poker is the most popular table game added at casinos worldwide in the last twenty years. Its inventor, Englishman Derek Webb, toiled for years as a professional poker player and was convinced that a table game could capture the public’s interest in poker, even if it didn’t use the standard five-card hand.
The simplicity of the game may have been a great selling point when Webb first came to the US trying to get a casino or two to sign-on for a field trial, but he ingratiated himself with the casino brass by telling them that he would stay on property, train their dealers to deal his new game, and also train the first influx of new players on the game.
That meet-and-greet he did with the players was probably the most important aspect of getting them to try the game, but the fun of winning at Three Card Poker is what really sells the game! The first time I met Derek Webb was at the Atlantis casino in Reno, where the game had just been introduced to players in Nevada. After reading the easy rules I understood why players would be attracted; the game was easy to play, included an even-money payoff that happened regularly, and also had a big payoff for big hands.
To stabilize the game and give the house its 3.61% edge, the house pays the Ante wager any time the player’s hand is higher than the dealer’s hand. However, to qualify and also have action on the Play bet, the dealer must have a hand of at least Queen-high. If not, the Play wager is a push and no chips are exchanged. In addition, the player must always wager on the Play spot or fold their hand and lose their original Ante wager!
To keep the game exciting, the Ante payoff is always 1 to 1, or even money, but a special bonus is paid on certain hands:
- Straight Flush – 5 to 1
- Three of a Kind – 4 to 1
- Straight – 1 to 1
That’s all there is to the Ante and Play wagers. To make the game more exciting, players may also wager on the Pair Plus, where
payoffs are as high as 40 to 1.
Pair Plus Payoffs
- One Pair – 1 to 1
- Flush – 4 to 1
- Straight – 6 to 1
- 3 of a Kind – 30 to 1
- Straight Flush – 40 to 1
The Pair Plush wager does make the game more exciting, but I learned that you have to be patient waiting for payoffs. The house edge is higher, at 7.28%, but if you play both the Ante and Pair Plus, the house overall edge on your total wagers is closer to 5.45% which is about what a double-zero roulette wheel offers, and the game is leisurely, so you won’t get nearly as many hands per hour as blackjack.
Mini-Royal
In 2007, some casinos began offering a Mini-Royal bonus, which is a 50-1 payoff for any Ace-King-Queen suited hand. With the higher payout the house edge falls, but the option is only available at a few casinos: the Borgata in Atlantic City, Casino Arizona in Arizona, Galewind Internet Casinos, and the Wynn in Las Vegas.
Progressive
In 2009, a progressive jackpot was also added to the game. This optional feature is a $1 wager that wins a further bonus on any three of a kind, a straight flush, a Mini-Royal, or the progressive amount on a Mini-Royal in spades.
Prime
In 2010, a further feature was added to some Three Card Poker games called Prime, which is another wager that is won if the players three cards are all one color (pays 3 to 1) or if the player’s and the dealer’s cards are all one color (pays 4 to 1).
Play 3 Card Poker For Fun
6 Card Bonus
As the game continues to evolve, another wager is also available at some casinos on the final outcome of the combined hand of the player and dealer. This wager pays on the best 5-card hand that can be made, from three-of-a-kind to a Royal Flush, and may even include a 6-card Super Royal payoff of 200,000 to 1. However, this bet starts with a house edge of just over 8% and runs to nearly 19%, depending on the payout chart used by the casino. Play at your own risk!
The simple strategy for playing Three Card Poker is to play just the Ante and Play wagers and you’ll experience the smallest house edge. Make the Play wager when you hold a hand of Queen-6-4 or higher, fold your hand when you don’t.3 Card Poker Game
If you want more action, play the Pair Plus for the same amount as your Ante bet. The Pair Plus won’t pay out as often, but when you hit a hand it will make up for a lot of bad hands. The other wagers like the Progressive, Prime and 6-card bonus will all increase your total bet and the total house edge.
Keep in mind that the more you bet and the higher the edge, the more it costs per hand to enjoy your casino gaming!
Playing Three Card Poker is Easy and Fun. You are dealt three cards and the dealer is dealt three cards. The object is to have your three card poker hand to beat the dealer’s three card poker hand. You first make an Ante bet. After receiving your three card hand, you can surrender your hand and Ante wager or make a Play bet equal to your Ante bet before the dealer’s hand is revealed. If you win, you win both of your bets. The Ante and Play wagers pay even money (1:1). This is how the game is played nearly everywhere, including Las Vegas.
However at the California Grand Casino, because we show you one of the dealer’s cards before you make your Play bet, you are Playing With Better Odds Than Vegas and other casinos. Seeing one of the dealer card’s also changes the correct strategy for deciding when to make your Play bet. You will want to adjust your strategy so you can maximize your opportunity to win.
You are also playing against other players, not the casino. So at the California Grand Casino you have the opportunity to wager on the dealer hand if you want to do so.
3 CARD POKER – THE BASICS
Let’s start with a few basics. If you bet and the dealer does not have Queen or better, the dealer does not play; you win your Ante bet and your Play bet pushes (neither wins nor loses), even if the dealer’s hand beats your hand. If the dealer has Queen high or higher then you must beat the dealer to win. If you win, you’re paid on both your Ante bet and Play bet. If you lose, the dealer takes both bets.
The ranking of most hands is the same as in Poker except you are using only three cards and a straight is higher than a flush. So a mini-royal flush (AKQ) and straight flush are at the top of the hand rankings, followed by three of a kind, straight, flush, pair, and high card. If your highest card and the dealer’s highest card are the same, the tie is broken by the second-highest card, then the third highest card. If your hand and the dealer’s hand are exactly the same, you tie and the bets push.
BASIC 3 CARD POKER STRATEGY
The usual strategy for when to make the Play wager is to bet whenever you have Queen-6-4 or better, including any time your high card is an Ace or a King, no matter how high your other two cards are, and also anytime your hand is Q-7 or better, regardless of your third card. Fold if your hand is not at least that high. If your high card is a Jack or lower, fold, no matter how high your other two cards are.
MODIFIED THREE-CARD POKER STRATEGY WHEN YOU KNOW ONE OF THE DEALER’S CARDS
When you have the advantage of seeing one of the dealer’s cards, you should change your basic strategy. If the dealer card is:
- A Jack or Lower = Always Make a Play Bet. The odds that the dealer hand won’t qualify or will be lower than yours are increased.
- Queen = Only Play with Q, 9, 2 or better. If the dealer is showing a queen, your second card now needs to be stronger.
- King = Only Play with a K, 9, 2 or better. The same logic applies here. You need at least the same high card as the dealer and a stronger second card better than the average card value.
- Ace = Only Play with an A, 9, 2.
You also have the option of playing the hand house-way. This takes all the guess work out deciding when you should play. To play your hand house way, you put up your Ante and your Play bet, and the hand will be played according to the strategy outlined above.
OPTIONAL BONUS WAGERS
One of the exciting aspects of Three Card Poker is the opportunity to win large amounts through optional bonus wagers. You can win up to 1,000 times your wager on a bonus bet. There are two bonus bets: the Pair Plus bonus and the 6 Card bonus.
The Pair Plus bonus is based on the three cards in your hand. If you’re dealt a pair or better in your three cards, you win the Pair Plus bonus wager. The amount you win depends on what type of hand you are dealt.
The 6 Card bonus looks at the three cards in your hand and the three cards in the dealer’s hand. If, after combining the 6 cards, you can make a poker hand of three of a kind or better, you win the 6 Card bonus wager. The amount you win depends on what type of poker hand you can make with the six cards.
MONEY MANAGEMENT IN THREE CARD POKER
We want you to have a good time when you are here. When playing you should always think about money management. Your bet sizes should be relative to your bankroll. For example if you are playing win a $300 bankroll you should probably only make bets of $10-$20 per hand to make your play opportunities last longer. You should also think about win and loss limits. This means if you win you leave with your winnings and if you lose you do not lose more than you can afford.
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If you want more information about how to play Three Card Poker, don’t hesitate to come to the California Grand Casino in Pacheco and ask a staff member. We are more than happy to explain any of our action-packed games.