How To Play 3-card Poker

Have you ever wanted to play 3-card poker but didn’t know how or didn’t think you were good enough to win? After going through our beginner's guide on how to play 3-card poker, you’ll have the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to crush it in the world of poker gambling. From Vegas to Monte Carlo, 3-card poker has gained popularity not only because it’s entertaining but because it’s also simple to master. In fact, 3-card poker is like getting two casino games in one. Yes, you do play against the dealer, but it’s also possible to rake in profits depending on how good the cards in your hand are. Sounds like a win-win situation, doesn’t it? The game's object is to make the best poker hand possible with only 3 cards. Without further ado, let’s get into the rules of 3-card poker.

3-card poker rules: a step-by-step walkthrough

No dilly-dallying here - let’s jump straight into 3-card poker rules. There are 2 kinds of betting options in 3-card poker:

• Ante-Play: Where you'll be competing against the dealer to produce the best poker hand possible.
• Pair Plus: Where you will try to construct a pair or better with your hand. (The dealer's hand has no bearing on this bet.)

To begin, the player puts an ante wager and/or a pair plus stake, wagering that they will have a pair or better hand. Each player and the dealer are then given 3 cards face down. According to 3-card poker rules, you are just competing against the dealer and not the other players at the table. 

This is the 3-card poker process, step-by-step:

• Before the cards are dealt, each player must place an ante wager and/or a pair plus stake.
• Each player and the dealer are then given 3 face-down cards. Players are only competing against the dealer and not the other players at the table.
• After seeing the 3 cards given to them, players have 2 options:
• Play: the player must place an additional play wager (equal to the ante wager) to stay in the game.
• Fold: if the player folds, the hand is over, and the dealer will collect the player's ante wager and the pair plus wager, if applicable.
• The dealer will collect all forfeited wagers and accompanying folded cards and place them in the discard rack once all players have taken action on their hands. The dealer then presents his 3 cards and compares them to the hands of each player, with the highest hand winning. To qualify for the round, the dealer must have a Queen or higher.
• If the dealer's hand does not qualify, the dealer is disqualified. The player's ante wager wins 1 to 1, and the play wager is refunded. In this scenario, the player wins both of these bets.
• If the dealer's hand qualifies, and the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, both the play wager and the ante wager are paid 1 to 1.
• If the dealer qualifies and has a better poker hand than the player, the player's ante and play wagers will be forfeited.
• If the dealer qualifies and the player ties the dealer, the ante and play wagers are considered a push and are refunded.
• The player wins if he or she makes the ante wager and has a straight or higher.

Ranking cards in 3-card poker

3-card poker hand rankings are simple - you want the highest poker-ranked cards in your hand to win. 

Keep in mind that 3-card poker rankings are somewhat different than in regular poker.

• Straights outrank flushes in 3-card poker.
• Flushes outrank straights in 5-card games.
• In 3-card poker, there are more methods to make flushes than straights.
• In most other games, there are more methods to make straights than flushes.

Here they are ranked from top to bottom:

• Straight Flush: 3 cards of consecutive value in the same suit
• 3 of a Kind: 3 cards that match of equal value
• Straight: 3 cards of consecutive value
• Flush: 3 cards of the same suit
• Pair: 2 matching cards of equal
• High Card: Cards that are not paired and do not match in sequential sequence or suit

Three-card poker payouts

Knowing what you’ll be getting paid is equally as important as knowing how to play, right? Here is a list of the payout odds in three-card poker. Pair plus payouts:

Ante bonus payouts:

These odds sound fabulous, don't they? Well, things get even better. In three-card poker, there’s a possibility of winning $100,000 through the six-card bonus paytable, which hits if the dealer’s and player’s cards combine nine through Ace in a royal suit of diamonds.

Learning how to play three-card poker: from schmo to pro in a matter of hours

There aren’t many casino games that are as profitable and as easy to master as three-card poker. Learn how to play three-card poker, follow our guidelines, combine them with a keen gambling instinct, and you could be a three-card poker pro in no time.