How to Play Three Card Poker

There is a little introduction for this flash game. Press Start to move on to the game. You must click and drag the chips onto either the Ante bet or the Pairs Plus bet. It is not necessary to bet on both spots. If you want to remove a bet, press the X button.

You will not be able to place chips on the Play betting square because this don't not become a factor until after the cards are dealt.

Once you are finished betting, press the Deal button to receive your cards. If you bet on the Ante, you must decide whether to Play or Fold by pressing the buttons accordingly. The dealer will then show his cards and you will find out whether you have won or loss.

Three Card Poker Rules

The basic rules to three card poker are relatively easy. Both you and the dealer receive 3 cards. If you are confident that your hand will beat the dealers, you must make another bet equal to your Ante wager. If you fold, you only lose your Ante.

The dealer needs to have a Queen or higher to qualify for the hand. If the dealer doesn't qualify, you automatically win the hand, but you are only paid on your Ante bet. If the dealer qualifies, then you must have a better hand to win. You will then be paid on both the Ante and Play bets. Otherwise if the dealer wins, you will lose both bets.

As the name suggests, you can only win Pairs Plus by receiving a Pair or better in your hand. You can look at the Pairs Plus table to see how much you can win.

If you get a Straight or better, you will win a bonus for your Ante. The Ante Bonus prizes are listed right below the Pairs Plus table.

Hand Rankings

Here are the hand rankings from best to worst:

1. Straight Flush - three consecutive cards of the same suit
2. Three of a Kind - three cards of the same rank
3. Straight - three cards of consecutive rank (7, 8, 9)
4. Flush - three cards of the same suit
5. Pair - two cards in your hand match
6. High Card - none of the above

Three Card Poker Strategies

Here are the major important things to remember while playing 3 card poker:

1. The dealer has about a 70% chance of qualifying for the hand. Fold your hand if it does not qualify.
2. Any pair or higher must be played, as you have a 75% chance of winning even on a pair of 2's
3. You (and the dealer) have about a 17% chance of receiving a pair, as well as an 8.5% chance of getting higher than a pair.
4. The above statement means you have a little better than 1 in 4 chance of winning your Pairs Plus bet.

What is the cutoff point at which you should play or fold?

If you have any King high, you have 42.5% chance of winning your hand. I would recommend playing with any King high. If you have  a Queen high, you have about a 30.4% chance of winning. The odds are closer to 40% if you make sure to play with at least a Queen/9 or higher.