Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker is a variation of regular poker that is played against the dealer in a casino setting, both on the Internet and at land-based casinos. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck, with the ace being the highest ranked card.

As its name implies, each player receives three cards, however, unlike some poker variants like Texas Hold’em, there are no community cards. Players simply need to make the best three card poker hand from the cards they’ve been dealt.

But this actually alters the traditional poker hand rankings, because with a three card hand it’s easier to make a flush then it is to make a straight. Besides this, though, there are no other changes to the poker hand rankings you’d be familiar with.

Hand Rankings - (lowest to highest)

No Pair - Three unsuited cards of a different rank. Ties are determined by the highest ranked card. For example, ace high would beat king high.

Pair - Two cards of the same rank and the third card is of a different rank. Ties are determined by the ranking of the pair.

Flush - Three cards of the same suit. In Three Card Poker, the suits have no rank, but ties are determined by the highest ranked card.

Straight - Three cards in sequential order. Ties are determined by the highest ranked card. There is one exception to this rule, A23 is the highest ranked straight.

Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank. Ties are determined by the ranking of the three cards.

Straight Flush - Three cards in sequential order and of the same suit. Ties are determined by the highest ranked card. There is one exception to this rule, A23 is the highest ranked straight flush.

How to Play Three Card Poker

Once a player sits down at a Three Card Poker table, they will see that there are three different betting options in front of them, including the Ante, Raise, or Pair Plus bets.

When playing Three Card Poker, you’re wagering that your hand will beat the dealer’s hand. Before any cards have been dealt, you must first decide whether to place an Ante or Pair Plus wager.

If a player believes their hand is good enough to beat the dealers, then they must match the ante bet by placing a casino chip in the Raise circle or muck your hand (which will forfeit your ante.)

The dealer will then deal their cards. If the dealer’s hand doesn’t qualify with Q-high or better, you win even money on the ante wager, but the play/raise bet is returned to the player.

However, if the dealer does actually have a qualifying hand, if you have the winning hand, you win even money on both the ante and play/raise bets. You’ll lose both bets if the dealer qualifies and you have the second best hand.

In addition to the standard payout for the ante and play/raise bets, if your hand is a straight or better you’ll receive bonus payouts which vary depending on the strength of your hand.

In the instance that the dealer ties with the player’s hand, then both the ante and play/raise wagers are pushed back to the player for the next round of betting.

The Pair Plus bet is an additional wager you can make and has its own payout table. Unlike the Ante wager it's not mandatory to make this bet. If the player’s hand makes a pair or better you will get paid as per the displayed Pair Plus pay table.

You can find Three Card Poker at just about any established online casino such as an online casino live, so you can play this fun casino table game from the comfort of your own home.