What's 3-card Poker and how do you play it?

What's 3-card Poker and how do you play it?

Table of content:

Is 3 Card Poker A Good Game?

Poker is one of the best games to play online. It is fun, challenges you and allows you to earn much money. There are a lot of options when it comes to the game. One of the most famous options is 3 Card Poker. Do you know how to play three-card poker? All the fun that poker has will double the fun with double the speed. To learn how to play three-card poker, read the article below.

GetMega Poker App is an amazing platform that lets you play poker with friends & family with real money. Sounds fun. Download the GetMega Poker app now!

What Is Three Card Poker All About?

3 Card Poker Variations was invented by Mr Derek Webb in 1994. The idea behind this invention was to make a better and more efficient way of playing poker compared to other games. Poker is a fun and mentally stimulating game with the one downside of being too slow for some people. The 3 Card Poker was invented to tackle just that and create a new game with the fun and mental stimulation of poker but faster. Learning how to play three-card poker can make your poker experience even better.

How To Play Three Card poker?

3 Card Poker is a fairly easy game. In this game, the players do not compete with each other. Instead, they compete with the dealer. Each player, along with the dealer, is dealt three cards.

Each player must put an ante bet in the pot to begin the game. After the dealing of the cards, the players have the option of looking at their cards and have to decide if they want to continue with the game or if they want to forfeit the game. If the players want to continue with the game, they need to put a play wager in the pot, whereas if they wish to forfeit the game, they can fold their hands.

Once all the players post the play wager or fold their cards, their hand is compared to the dealer’s. The winner is decided by the better hand. The 3-Card Poker comprises a total of 6 card combinations, with the Straight Flush carrying the most weight and the High Card carrying the least weight.

For the Dealer to play, their cards must have a queen or higher. If the dealer loses by not having a queen or higher in their hand, no action is taken on play wagers, and the ante bets are paid to the player at the odds of 1 to 1. To learn how to play three-card poker, the players need to learn about the basics of the game but also the additional aspects of it. There is a multitude of betting options offered in 3 Card Poker. One of them is the Pair Plus wager. The essence of this wager is that the player bets that his hand will have a pair or better.

To win this game, the players must be cautious while creating hand combinations. Explore the joy of friendly competition as you engage in our poker games, where the virtual tables come alive with the spirit of strategic play

3 Card Poker Rules

We should begin with the basic rules.

  • Your bet sizes must be relative to your 3-card poker bankroll.
  • If you bet and the dealer doesn't have Queen or better, the dealer doesn't play; you win your Ante bet, and your Play bet pushes (neither successes nor loses), regardless of whether the dealer's hand beats your hand.
  • Assuming the dealer has Queen high or higher, you should beat the dealer to win. If you win, you're paid on your Ante bet and Play bet. If you lose, the dealer takes the two bets.
  • The ranks of most hands are equivalent to poker aside from the fact that you are utilizing just three cards, and a straight is higher than a flush. So a little royal flush (AKQ) and straight flush are at the highest point of the hand rankings, trailed by three-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 and the dealer's hands are the same, you tie, and the bets push.

If you're wondering how to play the Tash card game it's a dynamic and fast-paced game that requires strategy and quick thinking. To begin, distribute the entire deck of cards equally among all players.

Hand Combination

Hand Combinations are different card combinations that help you win. You cannot choose these combinations from the get-go. You have to form these combinations with the cards you receive from the dealer, i.e. your hand. Every game has a set of hand combinations within a specific order of ranking or hierarchy. Knowledge of these hand combinations is necessary to play three-card poker. Here are the hand combinations ranking for this game ranked from the highest to the lowest:

1. Straight Flush

This hand combination ranks the highest among all hand combinations in this game. In this hand combination, the three cards are sequential and all of the same suit. For example, J, Q, K of ♥; 2,3,4 of ♠; etc.

2. Three of a Kind

This hand combination ranks second among all hand combinations in this game. In this hand combination, the three cards are of the same number but of different suits—for example, A, A, A; K, K, K, etc.

3. Straight

This hand combination ranks third among all hand combinations in this game. The three cards are sequential in this hand combination but of different suits—for example, 8, 9, 10; J, Q, K; etc.

4. Flush

This hand combination ranks fourth amongst all hand combinations in this game. In this hand combination, the three cards are of the same suit but with different numbers. For example, 2, 6, 9 of ♥; A, 5, Q of ♠; etc.

5. Pair

This hand combination ranks fifth among all hand combinations in this game. In this hand combination, two of the three cards should be the same number, irrespective of the suit. For example: 2, 2, 5; 6, 7, 6; etc.

6. High Card

This hand combination ranks the least among all hand combinations in this game. In this hand combination, there is no eminent pattern. The card with the highest value of the three cards is compared with the competitors to declare the winner.

Learning the rankings of these card combinations is a big step towards learning how to play three-card poker.

Card games have been a source of entertainment and social interaction for centuries, offering a diverse range of experiences from strategic battles to friendly competitions. Whether played for leisure or as part of competitive gaming, card games come in numerous variations. Classics like Poker, Bridge, and Rummy test players' skill and tactics, while games like Uno and Go Fish provide casual fun.

What are the odds of winning at 3 card poker?

The percentage odds of winning at 3 card poker are as follows:

  • Dealer’s win - 55.03%
  • Player’s win - 44.91%
  • Tie - 0.06%

Variations

Every game has a multitude of variations all over the world. People from different backgrounds, tastes, and cultures want to modify and play the game on their terms. These variations are also called 3-Card Poker Side Bets. Here are a few variations of this game that are seen around the world:

1. 3 Card Poker Progressive

This variation of three-card poker is fairly new compared to the other variations. In this variation, the dealer and the players receive three cards. The hands of the dealer and the player are compared to determine the winner. The highest-ranking hand is then declared the winner.

This variation is called a progressive variation because the jackpot's size increases by a small amount every time a player places a wager. A small portion of those wagers is added to the jackpot, increasing it by a little at every play. In addition to the jackpot, a small amount, the envy bonus, is given to players with a mini royal. A mini-royal comprises an Ace, King, and Queen. The winning payoffs are decided by the table below:

Hand Combination Payoff Amount Envy Bonus
Mini Royal of Spades Total Jackpot 100
Mini Royal of any other suit 500 25
Straight Flush 100 0
Three of a Kind 90 0

This table was made with a Total Jackpot estimate of 1000. The 3-Card Poker Pair Plus is applicable in this variation.

2. 3 Card Poker 6 Card Bonus

In this variation of three-card poker, the player can combine their three cards with the dealer’s three cards. The winner is decided by comparing the best five-card hand between the player and the dealer. The ranking of the combination of hands differs slightly in this variation. They are ranked in this order:

  1. Royal Flush- This hand combination consists of 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A of the same suit.
  2. Straight Flush- This hand combination consists of all the cards of the same suit in a sequence.
  3. Four of a Kind- This hand combination consists of four cards with the same number but different suits.
  4. Full House- This hand combination consists of a pair with a combination of three-of-a-kind cards.
  5. Flush- This hand combination consists of cards of the same suit but no sequence.
  6. Straight- This hand combination consists of cards in a sequence but of different suits.
  7. Three of a Kind- This hand combination consists of three cards of the same number but different suits.
  8. Non-winners- This hand combination does not consist of cards with any relation between them.

Regarding 3 Card Poker 6 Card Bonus odds, there is usually a 1,000 to 1 chance or a 2,000 to 1 chance that the grand payoff is on a Royal Flush. The lowest payoff always comes on a three-of-a-kind hand combination with the odds of 5 to 1 or 7 to 1.

The 3 Card Poker 6 Card Bonus odds for the rest of the hand combinations are:

  1. Royal Flush- 1000 to 1
  2. Straight Flush- 200 to 1
  3. Four of Kind- 100 to 1
  4. Full House- 20 to 1
  5. Flush- 15 to 1
  6. Straight- 10 to 1
  7. Three of a Kind- 7 to 1

The variation, 3 Card Poker 6 Card Bonus, uses six cards because the benefit of using six cards to play instead of three is that the latter only produces 22,100 possible hand combinations. In contrast, the former produces 2,03,58,520 possible hand combinations. These hand combinations put in with the rankings are:

  • Royal Flush- 188 hand combinations
  • Straight Flush- 1,656 hand combinations
  • Four of a Kind- 14,664 hand combinations
  • Full House- 1,65,984 hand combinations
  • Flush- 2,05,792 hand combinations
  • Straight- 3,61,620 hand combinations
  • Three of a Kind- 7,32,160 hand combinations
  • Non-Winners- 1,88,76,456 hand combinations

The 3-Card Poker Pair Plus is applicable in this variation.

3. 3 Card Poker Prime

In this variation of three-card poker, the player places a wager on the assumption that all of their cards, i.e. three cards, are the same colour or all of their cards combined with all of the dealer’s cards, i.e. six cards, are the same colour. In this variation, the suit of the cards does not matter. The only aspect that matters is the colour of the cards.

All ♠ and ♣ are black cards, and all Hearts and diamonds are red. The odds on the winning payoffs for this variation are given in the table below:

Hand Combination Winning odds
Six hands of the same color 4 to 1
Three hands of the same color 3 to 1

The 3-Card Poker Pair Plus is applicable in this variation.

4. Ultimate 3 Card Poker

In this variation of three-card poker, the player can place a bet three times the ante and not equal to the ante. There is no bonus given to the players in this game variation. One of the major differences in this game is that the player needs to start with the ante, as usual, but along with that, they also need to put a blind bet which is equal to the ante in monetary value.

After the players have seen their hand, they can make a bet equal to the ante he gave if his cards have a card combination of less than a Pair. If the player’s hand has a card combination of a pair or higher, they can place a bet equal to the ante, double the ante, or triple the ante. Once the bets are made, the game continues like the rules of the standard three-card poker.

The dealer can only participate in the game if they have a queen or better in their hand. If they do not possess a queen or better in their hand, they cannot participate in that round of the game. If the players desire to win back their blind bets, they must beat the dealer.

Losing to the dealer or folding will result in a player’s defeat. The winner is determined by comparing hands. The player with the better hand combination wins the game. The odds of winning the game with each of the hand combinations are given below:

Hand Combination Winning Odds
Mini Royal 100 to 1
Straight Flush 20 to 1
Three of a Kind 10 to 1
Straight 2 to 1
Flush 1 to 1
Pair or Less Push

The 3-Card Poker Pair Plus is applicable in this variation.

These were the most played 3 Card Poker Side Bets in the world. Different Casinos offer different types of poker side bets. These side bets are created to make the game more fun, and players should learn these to learn how to play three-card poker online.

5. 3 Card Poker Pair Plus

The 3-Card Poker Pair Plus is an additional wager a player might post in a game. This is an important additional bet if you want to learn how to play three-card poker. Every game needs to follow certain rules and regulations regarding the 3-Card Poker Pair Plus wager. They are:

  • The 3-Card Poker Pair Plus wager must be placed before the initial bets. This wager should ideally be placed after the ante has been paid and the game is about to begin.
  • The 3-Card Poker Pair Plus wager only applies to the three cards the player has been dealt with and cannot be combined with other cards.
  • If the player loses the game or folds his hand, the 3-Card Poker Pair Plus wager goes to the dealer. However, this can be reversed if the player pays the play wager after folding his hand.
  • The odds with each hand combination decide the winning odds for this wager. These odds are:
Hand Combination Winning Odds
Mini Royal Flush 200 to 1
Straight Flush 40 to 1
Three of a Kind 30 to 1
Straight 6 to 1
Flush 3 to 1
One Pair 1 to 1

With this knowledge, you are now equipped with all the aspects of how to play three-card poker. Download the GetMega app and start winning!

GetMega Poker App is an amazing platform that lets you play poker with friends & family with real money. Sounds fun. Download the GetMega Poker app now!

FAQ's

What is 3-card Poker?

  • 3 Card Poker is like poker with just 3 cards. You bet, get dealt 3 cards, then choose to stay or fold. You win if your hand beats the dealer's (Queen or higher).

How do you play 3-card Poker?

  • Players are dealt three cards each and can choose to either fold or continue by placing a bet equal to the ante. The dealer must have a Queen high or better to qualify.

What are the basic rules of 3-card Poker?

  • The basic rule of 3 cards mainly demonstrates a head-to-head match where the player and dealer face off. Each player receives 3 cards following their ante wagers. Gamers match their ante with a "play" wager to either fold or keep playing. 

What are the hand rankings in 3-card Poker?

  • Hand rankings include high card, pair, flush, straight, three of a kind, and straight flush, with the highest-ranking hand being a straight flush.

What is the "Pair Plus" bet in 3-card Poker?

  • The Pair Plus bet is an optional side bet where players wager on whether their hand will contain a pair or better, regardless of the dealer's hand.
Question Answer
What’s the best hand in 3 card poker? A straight flush is the best hand in 3 card poker. It consists of three cards of the same suit consecutive ranking. A set of A, K, and Q is the highest straight flush.
Do you have to ante in 3 card poker? Yes, a player must make an ante in 3 card poker to start the game.
Do straight beats flush in 3 card poker? In 3 card poker, a straight hand beats a flush, unlike a normal poker game, where it is the opposite.
Title Slug
Rules Of 3 Card Poker 6 Card Bonus rules-of-3-card-poker-6-card-bonus
What Is 3 2 5 Card Game: Rules, Variations & Winning Strategies 3-2-5-card-game-everything-you-need-to-know
2 Card Poker: Meaning, How to Play & Hand Ranking Order how-to-play-2-card-poker

GET ₹3000 BONUS, Use Code: NEW400

poker
Poker
rummy
Rummy