In a previous article we took a closer look at the Four Card Poker game, so now let’s also see this variant. Today we will discuss about the Three Card Poker rules and strategy. The game was created in 1994 by Derek Webb. His goal was to create a game that is easy to play and to understand, one that has large enough payouts to attract players, and also one that has a good house edge in order to make casinos adopt it.
The game is played as a heads-up between the hand of the player and that of the dealer. The game begins with the player making an Ante bet and also a Pair Plus bet if he chooses to. Each player receives 3 cards and so does the dealer. All cards are face down, and each person can only see his cards.
After the cards are seen, the player can either raise or fold. If he folds, he loses the ante bet. If he continues, he must make an additional bet with the same value as the Ante. Then the dealer shows his cards.
The dealer can only stay in the game if he has a queen or higher. If not, the bet and ante are paid 1 to 1. If the dealer does have a queen or higher, the hands are compared to find out the best one. The best possible hand is a straight flush, followed by three of a kind, a straight, a flush, a pair and finally a high card.
If the player loses, the dealer takes both the ante and the other bets. If the player wins, the ante and the bets are paid 1 to 1. But there are also two more bonuses that the player can receive. One is the Ante Bonus and the other the Pair Plus bonus.
The Pair Plus bet is won if the player’s hand is a pair or something better. If not, the bet is lost. This bonus has no connection to the hand of the dealer, and can be won regardless of what the dealer has. Some casinos and websites also offer the Ante Bonus, which is paid for a straight or something better.
There are various bonus systems, but the most common one is: 1 to 1 for a straight, 4 to 1 for three of a kind and 5 to 1 for a straight flush. Just like the Pair Plus bonus, the Ante Bonus also plays regardless of what the dealer has.
A good Three Card Poker Strategy is to raise if you have a Queen, a 6 and a 4 or something better. Statistics are showing that this particular hand (or better) gives you more chances of winning than compared to having a Queen, 6, 3 or something else.
Overall the Three Card Poker game can be fun and addictive and can bring you some good earnings. Feel free to give it a try in case you get bored of the same old Texas Hold’em.
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