Three Card Poker
- Basic casino rules
- Variants and differences
- Payout cheat sheet
- Dealer glossary
- Test yourself
- In the Croupier Assistant trainer
Overview
Three Card Poker is played with three cards against the dealer. It has two independent parts: the game against the dealer's hand (ante and play) and the Pair Plus side bet, which pays on the player's cards alone.
- A single 52-card deck.
- The player and the dealer each get three cards; the dealer's cards are face down.
- Three-card hands rank differently from regular poker: a straight beats a flush.
Bets
- Ante — the bet on the game against the dealer.
- Play — placed if the player continues; equal to the ante.
- Pair Plus — an optional side bet: pays for a pair or better in the player's hand, regardless of the dealer's hand.
- You can play the ante only, Pair Plus only, or both.
Game procedure
- The player places the ante and/or Pair Plus.
- The dealer deals three cards to the player and to themselves.
- A player with an ante looks at the cards and decides: fold (losing the ante) or play — place a play bet equal to the ante.
- The dealer reveals their cards, checks qualification and settles the bets.
Three-card hands
| Hand | Example | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 3-4-5 of one suit | 0.22% |
| Three of a kind | three cards of the same rank | 0.24% |
| Straight | three cards in sequence | 3.26% |
| Flush | three cards of one suit | 4.96% |
| Pair | two cards of the same rank | 16.94% |
| High card | none of the above | 74.39% |
A straight beats a flush because it is harder to make with three cards. An ace can be high (Q-K-A) or low (A-2-3) in a straight.
Straight
Dealer qualification and settlement
The dealer qualifies with queen high or better.
| Outcome | Ante | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer does not qualify | 1:1 | Push |
| Dealer qualifies, player wins | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Tie | Push | Push |
| Dealer wins | Loses | Loses |
| Player folds | Loses | — |
Hands are compared by rank, then by the highest card, the second and the third.
Ante bonus
The ante bonus pays for a strong player hand if the player played — even when the dealer wins or does not qualify. The most common table:
| Player's hand | Ante bonus |
|---|---|
| Straight flush | 5 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 4 to 1 |
| Straight | 1 to 1 |
Pair Plus
Pair Plus pays on the player's cards; the dealer's hand does not matter. The most common table:
| Player's hand | Pair Plus | Win on a 100 bet |
|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 40 to 1 | 4,000 |
| Three of a kind | 30 to 1 | 3,000 |
| Straight | 6 to 1 | 600 |
| Flush | 3 to 1 | 300 |
| Pair | 1 to 1 | 100 |
Strategy
Play queen-six-four (Q-6-4) or better, fold anything weaker. The house edge on the ante and play is then about 3.37%; on Pair Plus with the 40-30-6-3-1 table, about 7.28%.
Example 1: a straight against queen high
Dealer
The player wins: ante +100, play +100, ante bonus for a straight +100, Pair Plus 6 to 1: +300. Total +600.
Example 2: the dealer does not qualify
Dealer
The ante pays 1:1 (+50); the play bet is returned. No ante bonus: the player has only high card.
Rules and pay tables are checked against wizardofodds.com. Casinos may differ — see Variants and differences.
Variants and differences
| Rule | Common version | Where it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Ante bonus | 5-4-1 (straight flush, three of a kind, straight) | 4-3-1 or 3-2-1 — a higher house edge |
| Pair Plus | 40-30-6-3-1 | Original table 40-30-6-4-1; also 35-33-6-4-1, 50-30-6-3-1 |
| Mini royal (A-K-Q suited) | Not paid separately | Some casinos have a separate line: 50 to 1 or more |
| 6-Card Bonus side bet | None | 6-Card Bonus: the best 5 of the player's three cards and the dealer's three |
Payout cheat sheet
Bets of 10
| Hand | Pair Plus 10 | Ante bonus 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 400 | 50 |
| Three of a kind | 300 | 40 |
| Straight | 60 | 10 |
| Flush | 30 | — |
| Pair | 10 | — |
When the player wins, the ante and the play each pay 1:1; if the dealer does not qualify, only the ante pays.
Dealer glossary
- Ante
- The bet on the game against the dealer.
- Play
- A bet equal to the ante, placed if the player continues.
- Pair Plus
- A side bet on a pair or better in the player's hand.
- Ante bonus
- An extra payout on the ante for a straight or better, regardless of the dealer's hand.
- Qualification
- The dealer plays with queen high or better.
- Mini royal
- Ace, king and queen of the same suit.
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