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3 Card Poker Odds

Even though 3 Card Poker tends to be a simpler version of traditional poker, the game still poses its challenges. Mastering the odds and making the right call still requires skill and understanding just like it would in any regular game of poker. In our 3 Card Poker strategy, we will tell you more about the frequency of winning hands, help you come up with a working ante-play combination strategy and generally assist you with pay tables and odds.

The house edge for Ante & Play in Three Card Poker is 3.37%. However, this jumps to 4.49% when you consider the Pair Plus side bet. The takeaway is that the 3 Card Poker payouts for a pair or better don’t make the side bet worth the risk. Check the Side Bet Payouts. Odds to win in 3 card poker are better than at other casino games. But all in all 3 card poker is still a -EV (expected value) game. For every $100 wagered expect to lose $2.20 in the long term. Three Card Poker Odds & Bets So, there are two kinds of bets available in the game, each with their own house edge percentage. These bets are the ante bet and the pair plus bet. If you choose to play the pair plus bet you must expect a house of 2.32% on all wagers.

The Pair Plus Odds and Payouts – Tell the Difference

Like with any strategy for poker variants, it is crucial to understand the math behind the game. The first step to devising any successful 3 Card Poker strategy is to familiarize yourself with the Pair Plus odds. There are 22,100 winning hands, or around 25.6% of the total possible combinations. In 3 Card Poker you win if you successfully produce a pair, flush, straight, three of a kind or straight flush. And of course, the payout will depend on the strength of your hand.

Some casinos get tempted to introduce another, conciliatory reward, which is actually pretty decent. Known as mini-royals, this hand consists of Queen, King and Ace of the same suit, but are only added to the gameplay at the discretion of the casino.

  • Three card poker odds and payouts We described the standard 1:1 payouts in the 3 card poker rules outlined above, but those are just one part of this game. The excitement jumps up a few notches because three card poker also includes an ante bet bonus.
  • A free online version of 3 Card Poker with 6-card Bonus. Test out your 3 Card Poker strategy here. Practice for Vegas. Play Three Card Poker for Free.

Now, you may be wondering. Why would you play any game that only pays one in four times when there are others that arguably pay better? The key lies in the payout ratio. While most other games have a 1:1 payout for most bets, 3 Card Poker doesn’t mind offering you a bit more if you happen to be just a bit lucky.

A straight flush will usually grant you 40:1 and mini-royals, if applicable, could distribute a 50:1, 100:1 or even a whopping 200:1 payout. Now, the chances of turning a mini-royal are 1 in 5,252 according to the hand frequency. Most pairs will start at a 1:1 payout, and then a flush will usually offer 4:1, and a straight 5:1.

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If we had to sum up this chapter, we would mention that games that pay 5:4 on straights and 4:1 on flushes usually have a smaller house edge than games that offer 6:1 on straights and 3:1 on flushes. It’s a mild difference, but still one to help you make the correct choice for yourself. Naturally you want the more frequent payers and lower house edges as no matter how lucky or psychic you’re feeling on the night, house edges are real and built into every game.

The house edge will vary between 4.49% and 7.28% for most versions of 3 Card Poker, which definitely gives the house a pretty big advantage.

Ante Play – Do or Do Not

Another 3 Card Poker strategy to look into is how you read and play the Ante Play odds and payouts. Each game begins with the ante, which you either bet to match up or fold if you don’t feel too sure. Now, remember that the dealer will only play if they are holding a Queen or better. If they don’t, they will fold, which will secure you a quick 1:1 payout on both your ante and bet pushes.

The payout doesn’t depend on the strength of your hand, so long as the dealer has decided to fold. Now, if the dealer decides to play, you will have to beat him or her with a stronger hand, naturally. Remember that any ties are broken by the second highest card you both have. If all three cards are the same, all bets are off and you start from the beginning.

So, what 3 Card Poker strategy is there for ante-play? A popular community wisdom is to only bet when you have Queen-6-4 or better. Now, you will probably argue, that you sometimes get a Queen, but then again, your second and third cards aren’t really as good.

Well, while this can be a reason for hesitation at first, most experienced players will know when to play and when to fold. Generally, Queen is a good start, but if your second card is 5, you should fold. The same goes if your second card is 6 but the third one is 2 or 3.

The Ante Play Bonus – Way to Top Your Bankroll Up

Now, one thing that everyone factors in their 3 Card Poker strategy for ante play is the ante bonus, which will be paid to you every time you get three of a kind, a straight or a straight flush. The ante bonus will be paid out to you directly, no matter whether you end up beating the dealer or otherwise.

Owing to the ante bonus the house edge will usually fall a little. It’s almost as thinking about the game as French Roulette. Thanks to the ante bonus, you can slash the house edge to 2.01% from 3.37% previously.

Before we move on to the final notes, if you already feel armed with the information and odds you need to practice a few hands of real money poker, we’ve recently come across MoneyPokerSites.com which actually have fairly good selection of poker sites to play on and they’re separated into poker for US players, Canadian, New Zealand, etc. so just make sure not to jump into a poker room that isn’t available in your country.

Is Ante Play and 3 Card Poker Really Worth It?

Now, looking at the odds and payouts, one thing that stands out is that 3 Card Poker is definitely a bit more challenging than any of the other table games out there. Players who opt for popular gems as roulette or blackjack often have to deal with pretty small house edges, and a payout frequency that can be controlled with the help of a strategy, such as Martingale, Fibonacci or any of their variants.

3 Card Poker Odds Mini Royal

However, in 3 Card Poker, the house edge is usually a bit steeper than, say, blackjack, and winning combinations happen 1 in 4 times. Yet, the game has its appeal and it’s definitely a worthwhile choice owing specifically to the big payouts you can turn off a single bet. The ante-play bonus makes it possible to hedge your bets a bit and offset any potential loss whereas a payout on anything bigger than a pair already offers a pretty good return.

If you are one of the lucky players to hit a mini-royal, assuming this type of bet is available, you will make up for your last 100 hands, especially if they turned out somewhat unsuccessful. It’s easy to stay on top of the game so long as you design and stick to the best 3 Card Poker strategy based on the odds and payout values.

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This table game is one of the simplest types of casino poker. Unlike many other types of poker, both the dealer and the player are dealt only three cards. In BetVoyager’s version of this poker game, we have altered the standard rules in order to increase payouts when the player wins (see table 1). Furthermore, the player can play on four boxes at once and view all his cards as soon as they are dealt. The basic rules of casino poker are described in our Guide section.

BetVoyager online casino features our conventional version of 3 Card Poker and a version of this casino game with no house edge.

Main Features of 3 Card Poker

  1. The player can play on up to four boxes in three card poker. The player can place an ANTE bet and/or a bet on the bonus (called Pair Plus) on any box.

  2. Each box in play is dealt three cards. The cards on all boxes are turned face-up immediately after the deal in 3 Card Poker. The dealer also receives three cards, which are dealt face-down.

  3. Poker hands are not ranked in the same order as 5-card poker. 3-card poker hands are ranked in the following order of seniority:

    • Straight Flush
    • Three of a Kind
    • Straight
    • Flush
    • Pair
    • Ace High or Less

    The hand A-K-Q is the highest straight and the hand 3-2-A is the lowest one in three card poker.

  4. If the player made his ANTE and has a straight or higher, he receives an ANTE Bonus (table 1). This payout is made regardless of the strength of the dealer’s hand.

  5. On each box, the player can either fold and lose his ANTE, or continue the game by making a BET equal to the ANTE.

  6. The dealer needs a queen high or better to qualify. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, the ANTE pays out 1:1 while the BET doesn’t pay anything. If the dealer has a qualifying hand but the player’s hand is better, both bets pay out 1:1.

  7. If you play more than one box, the ante amounts cannot be 5 times more or less than each other.

Basic Rules of 3 Card Poker

  1. Before the cards are dealt, the player chooses which boxes he wants to play on and makes his ANTE. In addition to this basic bet on the box (or instead of it), the player can also make a Pair Plus bet. With this bet, the player is betting on receiving a pair or higher in his original hand.

  2. A sign on the table indicates the range of bets permitted (minimum and maximum). The size of a Pair Plus bet is independent of the size of the ANTE, but both of these bets must fall within the table’s range.

  3. Each box has the following three figures: a square, an ellipse, and a rectangle. The ANTE is placed on the ellipse and the Pair Plus bet is placed on the square. The rectangle is intended for the BET (see paragraph 7).

  4. To make a bet in three card poker, it is first necessary to choose a chip with the desired face-value. At the beginning of the game, this chip is chosen by default, and the chip with the minimum face-value fixes itself onto the cursor. If the player wants a chip with a different face-value, he can select it by clicking on that chip with the cursor. The player can also use the scroll wheel on his mouse to change the chip’s value. After the chip is selected, the player can place a bet by clicking the mouse on the desired part of the game table and his bet will appear there. Each subsequent click adds another chip of the selected face-value to the bet. If the player wants to remove the last chip from his bet, he can remove the chip fixed onto the cursor by clicking the cursor on any empty part of the game window and then clicking on this bet.

  5. The 'Clear' button can be pressed to remove all the bets from the table. If the player wishes to repeat his bets from the previous hand, he can press the 'Rebet' button. The 'Deal' button will begin the game after all bets have been made.

  6. After the cards have been dealt, successive play on boxes begins. First, the Pair Plus bet is settled. The payouts for this bet are shown in table 1. If the player made his ANTE and has one of the three best hands — a straight flush, three-of-a-kind or a straight — he immediately receives an ANTE Bonus.

  7. The player has two options on each box:

    • raise the initial wager by making a BET equal to the ANTE (the Bet button)
    • fold and lose the ANTE (the Fold button)
  8. When the player has made a decision on his boxes, the dealer’s cards are turned over and the final results are determined. The dealer qualifies with a queen high or better, and his minimal qualifying hand is Q-3-2 in 3 Card poker. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, the ANTE pays out 1:1 and the BETS are not paid.

  9. If the dealer qualifies and his combination is better than the player’s, the player loses his ANTE and his BET. If the player and the dealer have hands of equal value, the game ends in a draw and the ANTE and BET are returned to the player. If the player has the better hand, both his bets pay out 1:1.

Table 1. Bonus payout for the ANTE and the Pair Plus in 3 Card Poker

HandANTEPair Plus
Straight Flush9:140:1
Three of a Kind8:132:1
Straight1:16:1
Flush4:1
Pair1:1

3 Card Poker Odds Payout

3 Card Poker with No House Edge features a slightly different payout scheme. It can be viewed in the game window of this poker game. The casino doesn’t have an advantage on either the ante wager or the Pair Plus bet.