3 Card Poker Rules

3 Card Poker Game Rules

1. Place your ante and pair plus bets
2. The dealer will deal himself and you and three cards each. Your hand will be dealt face-up, and the dealers face down.
3. You will then decide on whether to play bet or fold the hand after you have seen your cards. If you choose to fold, you will lose your bet
4. If you decide to play bet, you have to raise the hand with a bet equivalent to your ante.
5. The dealer will turn his cards over, and a winner will be announced.

3 Card Poker Outcomes

The outcome of three poker is based on the dealer qualifying or not qualifying. The dealer only qualifies with a queen or better. If the dealer does not qualify you to win even money on your ante and the play bet is a push. Should the dealer qualify, the hands will be compared to see which of the two is better. If you have a better hand, you will win the ante and play bet. If the dealer has the better hand, you will lose both your bets. Should the game end in a tie then the ante and play bet is a push.

Winning doesn’t end there. If y9ou hold a straight or better, you will win an ante bonus regardless of the dealer’s hand. If you made a pair plus bet, it would be paid based on the value of the hand you hold.

Three Card Poker Hands

The poker hands in 3 card poker are derived from the standard US poker ranking and have been adjusted slightly to suit the nature of the card game. The adjustment is mainly with a straight and flush. It is rather tricky making a straight in three card poker than it would be making a flush. Therefore, the straight and flush hand ranking have been reversed.

Here are the poker rankings from highest to lowest.

Straight flush: Three cards in sequence and from the same suit

Three of a kind: three identical cards

Straight: any three consecutive cards

Flush: three cards from the same suit

Pair: two identical cards

3 card Poker Payouts

Players have to remember that payouts will vary from casino to casino, but most will follow the necessary pay tables that we have listed below.

The ante bonus is paid out if the players hold a straight or better hand.

• Straight Flush: 5 to 1
• Three of a Kind: 4 to 1
• Straight: 1 to 1

Players will win the pair plus bet on hands that have a pair or better. The bet still wins even when the player’s hand loses to the dealer.

• Straight Flush: 40 to 1
• Three of a Kind: 30 to 1
• Straight: 5 to 1
• Flush: 4 to 1
• Pair: 1 to 1

The 6-card bonus is an additional bet that is based on the five-card poker hand rankings. The hand is a combination of the players and the dealers’ hand.

• Royal Flush: 1000 to 1
• Straight Flush: 200 to 1
• Four of a kind: 50 to 1
• Full house: 25 to 1
• Flush: 20 to 1
• Straight: 10 to 1
• Three of a Kind: 5 to 1

Other Recommended 3 Card Poker Guides:

• 3 Card Poker Strategy