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

Table of content:

• Is 3 Card Poker A Good Game?
• What is three card poker all about?
• How to play three card poker?
• 3 Card Poker Rules
• Hand Combinations
• What are the odds of winning at 3 card poker?
• Variations

Is 3 Card Poker A Good Game?

Poker is one of the best games to play online. It is fun, it challenges you and it gives you the chance to earn a lot of 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? It is all the fun that poker has that will double the fun with double the speed. To learn how to play three card poker, read the article below.

What Is Three Card Poker All About?

3 Card Poker was invented by Mr. Derek Webb in the year 1994. The idea behind this invention was to make a better and more efficient way of playing poker as 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 of the players, along with the dealer is dealt three cards.

To begin the game, each of the players needs to put an ante bet in the pot. 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 either post the play wager or fold their cards, their hand is compared to the dealer’s hand. 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 need to have a queen or higher. In the event of the dealer losing by not having a queen or higher in their hand, there is no action 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 not only 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 on the fact that his hand will have a pair or better.

To win this game, the players need to be very careful and cautious while creating their hand combinations.

3 Card Poker Rules

We should begin with the basic rules.

• The bet sizes you make must be relative to your 3 card poker bankroll.
• In the event that 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. In the event that you win, you're paid on both your Ante bet and Play bet. If you lose, the dealer takes the two bets.
• The ranks of most hands are equivalent to as in 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 of a kind, straight, flush, pair, and high card.
• In the event that your highest card and the dealer's highest card are the same, the tie is then broken by the second highest card, then the third-highest card. If your hand and the dealer's hand are the same, you tie and the bets push.

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 that are a specific order of ranking or hierarchy. To learn how to play three card poker, knowledge of these hand combinations is a must. 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 amongst 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 amongst all hand combinations in this game. In this hand combination, the three cards are sequential 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 different numbers. For example 2, 6, 9 of ♥; A, 5, Q of ♠; etc.

5. Pair

This hand combination ranks fifth amongst all hand combinations in this game. In this hand combination, the two out of the three cards should be of 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 amongst all hand combinations in this game. In this hand combination, there is no eminent pattern. The card with the highest value out 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.

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. This is because different people from different backgrounds, tastes, and cultures want to modify and play the game on their own 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 as compared to the other variations. In this variation, both, the dealer and the players receive three cards. TO determine the winner, the hands of both, the dealer and the player are compared. The highest-ranking hand is then declared the winner.

The reason this variation is called a progressive variation is that the size of the jackpot 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 who have a mini royal in their hands. A mini royal is a hand that consists of an Ace, King, and Queen. The winning payoffs are decided by this table below:

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 has the option of combining 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.

In terms of 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 while 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 color or, all of their cards combined with all of the dealer’s cards i.e. six cards, are the same color. In this variation, the suit of the cards does not matter. The only aspect that matters is the color of the cards.

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

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 has the ability to place a bet that is three times the ante and not equal to the ante. There is no bonus given to the players in this variation of the game. 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 given by him 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 in a fashion similar to 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 will have to 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:

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 side bets. These side bets are created to make the game more fun and players should learn these if they want 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 that a player might post in a game. This is an important additional bet if you want to learn how to play three card poker. There are certain rules and regulations regarding the 3 Card Poker Pair Plus wager that need to be followed in every game. They are:

• The 3 Card Poker Pair Plus wager needs to be placed prior to 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 is only applicable to the three cards that 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 winning odds for this wager are decided by the odds with each hand combination. These odds are:

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!