Six Card Poker
- Basic casino rules
- Variants and differences
- Payout cheat sheet
- Dealer glossary
- Test yourself
- In the Croupier Assistant trainer
Overview
Six Card Poker is played against the dealer: each side has six cards, and the best five-card hand out of six wins. Three of the dealer's cards are face up, so the player sees half of the dealer's hand.
- A single 52-card deck.
- Standard poker hand rankings (see Poker Hand Rankings).
- Players do not compete with each other.
Bets
- Ante — the required opening bet.
- Raise — the play bet, equal to the ante.
- Aces Up — an optional side bet: pays for a pair of aces or better in the player's hand.
- Two-Way Bad Beat — a side bet in some casinos: pays when a strong hand (a pair of aces or better) loses.
Game procedure
- The player places the ante (and side bets, if they want).
- The dealer deals the player six face-down cards and themselves six: three face up and three face down.
- The player folds (losing the ante) or raises an amount equal to the ante.
- The dealer reveals their cards, checks qualification and settles the bets.
Dealer qualification and settlement
The dealer qualifies with ace-king or better.
| Outcome | Ante | Raise |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer does not qualify, player wins | Push | 1:1 |
| Dealer does not qualify, dealer wins | Push | Loses |
| Dealer qualifies, player wins | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Tie | Push | Push |
| Dealer qualifies, dealer wins | Loses | Loses |
Even a non-qualifying dealer compares hands for the raise: the ante is returned, and the raise wins or loses.
Aces Up
Pays on the best five of the player's six cards; the dealer's hand does not matter:
| Player's hand | Aces Up | Win on a 100 bet |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 500 to 1 | 50,000 |
| Straight flush | 100 to 1 | 10,000 |
| Four of a kind | 30 to 1 | 3,000 |
| Full house | 10 to 1 | 1,000 |
| Flush | 8 to 1 | 800 |
| Straight | 6 to 1 | 600 |
| Three of a kind | 4 to 1 | 400 |
| Two pair | 2 to 1 | 200 |
| Pair of aces | 1 to 1 | 100 |
Strategy
- Fold if the dealer's three face-up cards already beat the player's hand.
- Play ace-king or better, fold anything weaker.
With optimal strategy the house edge on the main game is about 1.27%, and on Aces Up about 3.30%.
Example: raising against three face-up cards
Dealer
Aces are higher: ante +100, raise +100, Aces Up for a pair of aces 1 to 1: +50.
Rules and pay tables are checked against wizardofodds.com. Casinos may differ — see Variants and differences.
Variants and differences
| Rule | Six Card Poker (wizardofodds.com) | Where it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Raise size | 1 ante | 6 Card Poker 1-2-5: raise of 2 antes, and you can buy a sixth card or switch cards for a fee |
| Side bets | Aces Up, Two-Way Bad Beat | Depend on the casino |
Payout cheat sheet
Aces Up, bet of 10
| Hand | Pays | Win |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 500 to 1 | 5,000 |
| Straight flush | 100 to 1 | 1,000 |
| Four of a kind | 30 to 1 | 300 |
| Full house | 10 to 1 | 100 |
| Flush | 8 to 1 | 80 |
| Straight | 6 to 1 | 60 |
| Three of a kind | 4 to 1 | 40 |
| Two pair | 2 to 1 | 20 |
| Pair of aces | 1 to 1 | 10 |
The ante and the raise pay 1:1 when the player beats a qualifying dealer; if the dealer does not qualify, the ante is returned.
Dealer glossary
- Ante
- The required opening bet.
- Raise
- The play bet, equal to the ante.
- Dealer's up cards
- Three of the dealer's six cards, visible before the player decides.
- Aces Up
- A side bet on a pair of aces or better.
- Bad beat
- A strong hand losing to an even stronger one.
Test yourself
Three payout questions. Answer with the net win or the amount asked for, not including the bet itself.
This game is not in the trainer yet. Its hands and payouts will help you in the trainer's other poker games.
Open the trainer