Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker by Michael Shackleford aka Wizard of Odds
Three Card Poker is one of the earliest and most successful of a wave of privately owned casino games. It was invented by Derek Webb in 1994 and continues to attract players looking for an easy-to-play poker variation. The idea is simple -- to have a higher-ranking poker hand than the dealer. The player is put to a fold or raise decision after seeing his cards, where an element of strategy comes in.
Rules
- Player makes an Ante bet. He may also make whatever side bets that are available at this time.
- The dealer gives each player three cards and himself three cards. The player may examine his own cards.
- The player must either fold or raise.
- If the player folds, then he forfeits his Ante wager.
- If the player raises, then he must make an additional Play bet, equal exactly to his Ante bet.
- The dealer will turn over his cards.
- The dealer needs a queen high or better to qualify.
- If the dealer does not qualify then the player will win even money on the Ante bet and the Play bet will push.
- If the dealer qualifies, then the player's hand will be compared to the dealer's hand, the higher hand wins. The order of poker hands is indicated below.
- If the player has the higher poker hand, then the Ante and Play will both pay even money.
- If the dealer has the higher poker hand then the Ante and Play will both lose.
- If the player and dealer tie, then the Ante and Play bets will push.
- If the player made the Ante bet and has a straight or higher, then the player will receive an Ante Bonus, regardless of the value of the dealer's hand. The most common Ante Bonus pay table is as follows:
|
Player Hand |
Bonus |
|
Straight flush |
5 x Ante bet |
|
Three of a kind |
4 x Ante bet |
|
Straight |
1x Ante bet |
There are a host of side bets that may be found on Three Card Poker, but the Pairplus is almost always there. It pays based on the poker-value of the player's cards only. The most common pay table is as follows:
|
Player Hand |
Bonus |
|
Straight flush |
40 to 1 |
|
Three of a kind |
30 to 1 |
|
Straight |
6 to 1 |
|
Flush |
3 to 1 |
|
Pair |
1 to 1 |
Strategy
The strategy is very simple, raise with Q-6-4 or better, otherwise fold.
Odds
In the base game, the house edge, defined as the ratio of the expected player loss to the Ante bet, is 3.37%. However, the player will raise 68% of the time, for an average final wager of 1.68 units. This makes the element of risk, defined as the ratio of player loss to average final bet, 2.01%.
The house edge on the Pairplus, under the 1-3-6-30-40 pay table is 7.28%.
More Information
There is a wealth of information about the game at our sister-site Wizard of Odds. Other than the basics above, the Wizard covers:
- Effect of alternate Ante Bonus and Pairplus pay tables
- A host of other side bets
- How to adjust your strategy if the dealer inadvertently exposes one of his cards
You may also play for free at our Three Card Poker trainer.
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