Aim of the game: To have a better 3-card poker hand than the dealer.
Hand rankings:
How to play 3-card poker: a step-by-step guide:
Pair Plus: This is an optional side bet on the player’s 3-card poker hand, placed at the same time as the ante. Fixed odds are paid if the player is dealt hands of a pair or better in the poker hand ranking or better.
Payout odds are posted on the table.
Hand rankings:
- Straight flush: Three cards of consecutive value in the same suit (ie Ace, King, Queen of hearts)
- Three of a kind: Three cards of equal value (ie three 10s)
- Straight: Three cards of consecutive value (ie 9-10-Jack)
- Flush: Three cards of the same suit
- Pair: Two matching cards
- High card: Three cards in no consecutive order or matching suits
How to play 3-card poker: a step-by-step guide:
- The ante - A game of 3-card poker begins with the ante. This is the player’s opening bet and is placed before the cards are dealt.
- Side bet - The pair plus bet is optional and must be made at the same time as the ante. Scroll down to find out how it works and the win odds it offers.
- The deal - Next the dealer deals three cards face up to the player and three cards face down to themselves.
- Fold or play? At this point the player checks their cards and makes the decision whether to fold or play based on the strength of their hand. Folding means that the ante bet has been lost. If the player decides to play then they make a second bet on the outcome of the hand of equal value to the ante.
- The reveal - Finally the dealer reveals their 3-card poker hand. At this point the dealer’s hand is only compared with the player’s to decide a winner if the dealer’s hand is queen-high (a hand with no pairs, flushes, straights, three of a kind or straight flushes, but a queen as highest ranking card) or better.
- If the dealer’s hand is worse than queen-high then the player’s ante bet is paid out at evens.
Pair Plus: This is an optional side bet on the player’s 3-card poker hand, placed at the same time as the ante. Fixed odds are paid if the player is dealt hands of a pair or better in the poker hand ranking or better.
Payout odds are posted on the table.