Three Card Poker

Three card poker

Game summary

Three card poker

Three card poker is played with three cards per hand, where all players at this game, unlike other poker games, play against the dealer or against a payout schedule of specific hands.

The Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno was the first casino in Nevada to introduce this new and innovative game and currently has Three Card Poker table with a $3 minimum and $200 maximum.

Three Card Poker is a relatively new and unknown casino game, which uses a 52-card deck. It was invented by Derek Webb, the owner of Prime Table Games, and a successful poker player from the UK. Played on a table similar to a blackjack table, it is actually two games in one. As the player, you may bet on either game, one game or both games, and with different amounts for each game.

Each player has three betting markers in front of him/her. The marker that is closet to the player is labeled "play", the one above it labeled "ante" and above the "ante" is the "pair plus" marker. Those bets are the only bets allowed in three card poker. (PAIR-ANTE-PAIR PLUS)

Starting out, all players make their bets. Players can either wager that they will have a higher ranked hand that the dealer's hand (the 'ante' and 'play' wager) or they can wager that they will have at least a pair or higher ('pair plus' wager) All players and the dealer are then dealt three cards, giving each player one card face down until the player and the dealer have three face down cards.

The 'pair plus' bet is the easiest to make. In that bet, it doesn't matter whether the player's hand is better that the dealer's. It is a completely independent and the payout is based only on the rank of the player's three card hand. If you do not have a pair or higher, you lose the 'pair plus' wager. If you have a pair or higher, you win. The higher the rank, the greater the payout, as follows:

Three Card Poker Payouts

A pair pays 1 to 1
A flush pays 4 to 1
A straight pays 6 to1
Three of a kind pays 30 to 1
A straight flush pays 40 to 1

The above are the valid ranking hands in Three Card Poker in ascending order starting from the lowest.

The second bet available to the player is the bet on the 'ante', similar to the ante bet in Caribbean Stud poker. On this bet, the player competes against the dealer's hand. The player places his bet, and after looking at his cards decides on one of two options:

Either place a bet on the 'play' marker equal to the 'ante' amount and continue the game or fold and withdraw from that round and forfeit the 'ante' wager. If the player has played two bets, one on the 'pair plus' and one 'play, ante' then both are forfeited.

Once all the players make their decisions, the dealer will show his/her cards. The dealer's hand must contain a Queen or better to qualify and challenge the players hands, otherwise the dealer folds and the 'ante wagers are paid, at 1:1 irrespective of the ranking and the 'play' bet is then returned to the player.

If the dealer's hand does qualify with a Queen or better, then the players cards are laid down and compared against the dealer's. If the dealer's hand is better than the player's hand, the player loses both his 'ante' and 'play' wager. If the player's hand is better than the dealer, then the dealer pays the player at 1 to 1 for both his 'ante' and 'play' wagers. The player is also eligible, on a good hand, to win a bonus payment on the 'ante' wager as follows:

For a straight, the bonus is 1 to 1
For three of a kind: 4 to 1
For a straight flush: 5 to 1

The bonuses are awarded regardless if the player has a better hand in ranking than that of the dealer. If the dealer's hand is better than the players hand, then the player loses both 'ante' and 'play' wagers.

As an example, if a player places two bets of, say $10 each on the 'ante' and 'pair plus' and the player, with a good hand, follows up the 'ante with a $10 bet on the 'play' marker. The dealer flips his/her cards and qualifies with a Queen. The player's card shows three of a kind. The player is then awarded a total of $360. $10 each for his 'ante' and 'play' wager, $40 bonus for the 'ante' bet for the three of a kind hand, and $300 at 30:1 for the 'pair plus' wager.

House advantage
Pair plus 2.3%
Ante + play: 1.5%