How to Play Three-Card Poker: Rules, Strategy, & Tips

3-Card Poker is a type of casino card game that combines elements of poker with parts of traditional table games played in casinos, such as blackjack or baccarat.

Like traditional poker, it’s a game about drawing cards and arranging them into hands of varying value. In fact, the system of poker hands and their rankings are completely identical to most other poker variants.

However, the main difference from a classic poker table is that you’re playing against the casino instead of other players. This means that the game has a house advantage instead of the usual vigorish. Also, the rules are generally much simpler to facilitate speed.

In practice, this also means that 3-Card poker involves a lot less strategy. For example, you can’t bluff because the social aspects of poker are mostly gone. On the other hand, it’s much easier for beginners to start playing Three-Card Poker because they won’t have to face experienced, skilled players.

3-Card Poker vs. Traditional Poker – Main Differences

If you’re just looking for ways to play poker online, Three-Card Poker can be a great way to do so without the usual hassle of finding multiplayer tables and tournaments. However, you should be aware of some crucial differences.

This table covers the most important points. Note that the term “traditional poker” here refers to most popular types of poker, including 5-Card Brag, Texas Hold’em, Omaha, etc.

Also, note that there are other popular variants of casino poker, such as Caribbean Stud Poker and Casino Hold’em. You can find an overview of their rules and how they compare to 3-Card Poker here.

Three Card Poker Rules

The rules of this game were designed to be simple and easy to jump into. Players who already have some basic poker experience, such as knowing how poker hands work and rank, will have a very easy time learning this variant.

The main goal of 3-Card Poker is to draw three cards that form a stronger poker hand than the dealer’s three cards. With that in mind, only some classic poker hands are available. For instance, you can’t get a four-of-a-kind if you’re only playing with three cards.

To reach that goal, players start by placing a blind Ante bet. They then receive three cards which inform them whether they want to Fold or keep playing. If they want to keep playing, players then need to double their stake with a Play bet.

However, the dealer also needs to qualify for the given round. This means that they have to have at least a Queen High Card for the round to progress further. If they don’t, the player wins the Ante bet but pushes the Play bet, which means the Play bet stake is returned to you.

If the dealer qualifies, the player’s three-card hand is compared to the dealer’s three-card hand. If your hand is stronger, you win both the Ante and Play bets for a 1:1 payout. If the dealer is stronger, you lose the entire stake for the round.

How to Place Bets

There are only two bets you can make in the main game. Both of them have the same stake, but their payouts and mechanics are different.

• Ante bet: To start playing, players have to place an Ante bet. This is a blind wager that you make before seeing or knowing any of the cards. Without an Ante bet, you can’t participate in the current round. If you win the round or the dealer fails to qualify, you win 1:1. Additionally, having a hand of Straight or stronger gives you an Ante bonus regardless of the dealer’s hand. The Ante Bonus can go up to 5:1 depending on the strength of your hand.
• Play bet: Sometimes also called a Call bet, this is the wager that you place after seeing your hand. It uses the same stake as the Ante bet, essentially doubling your total stake. If you don’t make a Play bet you’re basically deciding to Fold, which gives up the Ante bet but prevents you from losing anything else.

Side Bets

Many variants of 3-card Poker, especially online, also offer a selection of side bets. Like most table game side bets, these are completely optional and have no impact on the game round or the main bets you make.

Three Card Poker by Evolution, which has exclusive rights to make this game in a live casino format, features two such side bets:

• The Pair Plus side bet simply predicts that your hand will make a pair or better. The better your hand, the higher the payout – up to 100:1 for a mini Flush Royal. Note that the Pair Plus side bet can win even if your Ante and Play bets lose.
• The 6-card Bonus bet is all about using both the player cards and the dealer cards to make classic 5-card poker hands. If the 6 cards form a Three-of-a-Kind or better, this side bet wins, offering increasing payouts for stronger hands. The Evolution version ranges from 7:1 to 1,000:1.

How Hands Are Ranked

Hand rankings in Three-Card Poker are clearly inspired by common poker rules. However, they were also severely impacted by the fact that a single hand consists of only three cards.

For example, classic poker hands that require more than 3 cards are not available – for obvious reasons. This means you can’t get a Full House, Four-of-a-Kind, or similar results. However, most other hands work exactly the same as in traditional 5-card poker.

To give you a clearer picture, the table below shows every possible poker hand in 3-Card Poker, ranked from strongest to weakest. We have also included the probability of every hand appearing.

If the Dealer and the Player have the same type of hand, the hand with the higher-ranking cards wins. For example, a pair of Jacks beats a pair of 5s.

In the unlikely event that the Dealer and Player are evenly matched, both the Ante and Play bets push.

How to Play Three Card Poker – Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s summarize everything we’ve learned with a complete step-by-step walkthrough of a typical round of Three Card Poker.

• Step 1: Ante and Side Bets – You have to place a blind Ante bet to participate in the upcoming round. Any available side bets can also be placed at this time.
• Step 2: The Deal – The dealer places three cards on your side of the table face up. They also place three face-down cards on their side of the table.
• Step 3: The Decision (Play or Fold) – After seeing your cards, it’s time to decide whether you want to Play or Fold. Choosing to Play requires you to bet the same amount you used for the Ante wager.
• Step 4: Flipping the Cards – The dealer will now reveal their cards.
• Step 5: Dealer Qualification – The dealer has to have at least a High Card hand with a Queen. If they do, the round progresses normally. If they don’t, players all win their Ante bets but Push their Play bets and the round ends.
• Step 6: Comparing the Hands – If the dealer qualifies, their cards are compared to the player’s. If the player’s hand is stronger, they win both the Ante and Play bets for a 1:1 payout.
• Step 7: Ante Bet Bonus – If you decide to Play and have a hand of Straight or better, you win a special additional bonus that depends on your hand’s strength, regardless of the contents of the dealer’s hand. The bonus totals 1:1 for a Straight, 4:1 for Three of a Kind, or 5:1 for a Straight Flush or better.
• Step 8: Resolving Side Bets – If any side bets are available, they are resolved at the end of the round.

Possible Outcomes

Due to rules such as dealer qualification, there are several possible outcomes of a round of Three Card Poker. We’ll list them here for the sake of clarity.

• Player Folds – If you decide not to place a Play bet, you lose the Ante bet. Only side bets can win in this case.
• Player Calls, Dealer Doesn’t Qualify – If you opt to make a Play bet but the dealer’s cards are all lower than a Queen, you win the Ante bet for 1:1 but push the Play bet, receiving its stake back.
• Player Calls, Dealer Qualifies, Player Wins – If the dealer successfully qualifies but has a weaker hand than the player, the player wins both the Ante and Play bets for 1:1.
• Player Calls, Dealer Qualifies, Dealer Wins – If the dealer successfully qualifies and has a stronger hand than the player, the player loses both the Ante and Play bets.
• Player Calls, Dealer Qualifies, Tie Hands – If the dealer’s and player’s hands are exactly the same in terms of rank, both the Ante and Call bets push.

Payouts and House Edge in Three-Card Poker

The way payouts work in this game is relatively straightforward, but there are multiple levels to it.

Let’s start with the two main bets – Ante and Play. Both essentially pay even money, which means that you’ll win 4 times the Ante stake if you win the round.

Note that the house edge of the Ante bet is always the same at 3.37%, assuming standard rules. That’s always true because the deck is shuffled after every round.

However, the RTP and house edge of the Play bet depend on your actions as a player. This decision impacts your chances of winning, thus impacting the RTP. Playing the optimal strategy for 3 Card Poker keeps this house edge around the same level as the Ante bet. However, folding or Playing when you’re not supposed to can substantially increase your losses, thus decreasing the RTP. We’ll discuss this more in the Strategy section below.

Ante Bonus Payouts

Having a strong hand means you also win an Ante bonus. You must decide to Play to collect this bonus, which you should be doing anyway since the bonus is only awarded for Straight or higher.

As per the most common Three Card Poker paytable, the Ante bonus looks like this:

Note that this payout is granted on top of the standard payout for Ante bets. You receive the bonus even if you lose the main game, provided your hand is strong enough.

The Ante bonus is taken into account while calculating the RTP of the Ante bet.

Side Bet Payouts

We will now showcase the standard paytable for common Three Card Poker side bets.

The Pairs Plus side bet only pays if the Player’s hand contains a Pair hand or stronger. The total payout depends on the strength of the hand but can win or lose regardless of the main outcome.

Assuming the table you’re playing on has the exact same payouts, the Pairs Plus side bet has a 4.49% house edge, which is noticeably higher than the main wager.

The 6 Card Bonus bet pays depending on the strength of the strongest 5-card poker hand that can be made using both the player’s and dealer’s cards. The standard paytable looks like this:

With these odds, the 6 Card Bonus side bet has a staggeringly high house edge of 8.56%. It’s also completely luck-based, so there’s no way to increase its RTP.