3 Card Poker Online Casino

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Three Card poker is a relative newbie to the casino world. Played directly between the player and the dealer, this popular casino game is fast, easy to play, and offers a relatively high return to.

However, the standard version of 3-Card Poker maintains a low house edge of about 3%. You can find the title in most land-based casinos, and it is also a popular choice on online gaming sites. Live Three Card Poker is available at top online casinos, bringing a mix of the two worlds for a more exciting gaming experience while at home. One such new game is a casino-style poker version played with three cards or 3-Card Poker. The game has proven to be very successful and has become a big hit in both online and live dealer casinos. Live 3-Card Poker, in particular, attracts many casino players mainly because it offers something new and refreshing to the live casino game portfolio.

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Table Of Contents

  • Three Card Poker is a simple and fun Casino game based on Poker
  • 3-Card Poker requires a strategy but a very straightforward one
  • How to play Three Card Poker is explained in this article

Three Card Poker game has been around since the very beginning of the card game that is Poker.

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Since its invention, it has grown in popularity and is fair to say Three Card Poker is among the most well-known Casino games in the world.

A few facts have helped the game grow in stature over the years:

  • Three Card Poker is easy to learn and easy to play
  • Unlike some Casino games, Three Card Poker is not just based on luck because there's an element of skill involved in your hand selection
  • You can play Three Card Poker online for free and for real money right on this page

Three Card Poker is a fair slow-paced table game that is very simple to learn.

How to Play Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker, invented by Derek Webb in 1994, is the Poker version most people play when they head to their Casino.

Three Card Poker isn't played against other players. Instead, you play against the dealer.

You only have to be concerned with what your cards are and what the house's cards are. Making a mistake only punishes you and not your fellow players like at some other card game tables.

OK – so you want to try Three Card Poker? Good choice!

Here are the basics.

Three Card Poker Bets

In Three Card Poker game, the player makes an ante bet.

The dealer gives each player and themselves three cards. The dealer's cards are face down and you can only examine your own cards.

If you’ve made the ante bet then you must either fold or call.

Folding forfeits your ante wager, calling (raising) means you must make an additional play bet that is equal to your ante.

The dealer then turns over their cards.

Three Card Poker Outcomes

The dealer needs a queen-high or better to qualify:

  • if the dealer doesn't qualify, you win even money on the ante bet and play bet is a push
  • if the dealer qualifies, your hand is compared to the dealer's hand and the best hand wins

Whose hand is better?

  • If it is yours, congrats! You win even money on the ante and play bets.
  • If the dealer has a better hand, both your ante and play bets lose.
  • If it is a tie, then both the ante and play bets are a push.

But that’s not all.

If you have a straight or better, you receive an ante bonus regardless of the value of the dealer's hand.

If you have placed a pair plus bet, it is paid based on the value of your hand. This pays out differently depending on where you play.

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Practice Three Card Poker online before you play for real money. Or claim a bonus (or two) and dive into the real money games.

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How to Win at Three Card Poker: The Strategy

Three Card Poker has a relatively small house edge, usually around 3.3 percent. If you play optimally, that is.

This edge can increase significantly with side bets or incorrect strategy.

To avoid this, follow a couple of simple Three Card Poker strategy tips:

1. Don’t Make The Pair Plus Bets

Betting on the pair plus increases the house edge by more than 2.3 percent.

It is tempting with big payouts (e.g. straight flush pays 40 to 1) but you’re bound to lose more making this bet even if you have a rare bigger payout from it.

So, forget about the times you could have won a big payout when you've not placed a pair plus bet. Simply try to play in a way that minimizes the house edge.

2. Remember One Strategic Combination of Cards

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It’s not only the Three Card Poker rules that are easy to learn. So is the Three Card Poker strategy.

You only need to remember one combination of cards and base your decision to call or fold on it:

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  • Call with or higher hand
  • Fold everything else

See, I’ve told you it was simple.

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Because of it, you will find this game in a more relaxed setting as it’s pretty easy to avoid mistakes and nobody is worried about making mistakes that affect other players.

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Where to Play 3-Card Poker Online

There are many options to play 3-Card Poker on the Internet, but some sites offer better bonuses and value than others.

As a new player at this online Casino, you’ll get some free spins for Slots on registration (before making a deposit) and extra cash as well as more free spins when you finally make a deposit.

That's a great way to earn some free money before hitting the 3-Card tables.

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Invented in 1994, Three Card Poker is a fun and simple poker variant. The clue to the twist in the game is in the title; instead of a five-card hand, players are dealt three cards. This relatively new version of poker quickly became a favourite at brick-and-mortar casinos and is equally popular online. Three Card Poker is a deceptively simple game to play, but to master it online you’ll need some knowledge about the game, some tips for the best strategy, and a little bit of skill.

  • Great Poker Experience
  • Wide Range of Bet Limits
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The Basics: How to Play 3 Card Poker Online

The layout of any Three Card Poker table is the same; online, offline, wherever you go. The table includes three card spots in front of the dealer, a circular betting spot marked ‘Pair Plus’, a diamond betting spot called ‘Ante’, and the card spots labelled ‘Play’. There are two basic bets in three hand poker: Pair Plus and ante-play. In ante-play, players make their first bet in the ante spot and predictably in Pair Plus, players make their first bet in the ‘Pair Plus’ spot. The Pair Plus bet is a side bet that you don’t have to play. The Ante Bet is the main bet in.

The dealer then deals three cards to the players and him- or herself. If you’re playing Pair Plus, there’s nothing else to do. If playing ante-play then you’ll need to decide whether to bet or fold. To play, you must match your ante. To place a bet, players simply click or touch the betting spots on the computer screen or touch-screen device. Generally, your credits will be displayed in a virtual chip stack at the bottom of the screen. You can then select the size of the bet you want to place and click in the betting spot. Each click will add additional bet of the same size as your first selection. To change the size of your bet you can change the amount of the bet increments you add.

Despite being based on stud poker, the odds in 3 Card Poker are different, largely down to the extra card. Consequently, the hand rankings in 3 card poker are slightly different. Straights, for instance, are less frequent than flushes and are higher ranked as a result. The ranking of hands in 3 Card Poker runs: straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair, and finally high card.

The pay out on both the ante and Pair Plus side bet is 1-to-1, so you double your money on both bets if the dealer’s hand qualifies. The dealer’s hand qualifies if the dealer holds a queen high or better. A hand lower than a queen high doesn’t qualify and will pay out on the ante bet only. Pairs and flushes will always win out over any hand with a single high card. There additional bonuses for antes which are paid out for straights (1-to-1), three of a kind (4-to-1) and straight flushes pay out at 5-to-1. These bonuses are paid out even if you lose to a dealer’s hand. Independent of the dealer’s hand, pair plus bets are paid out at 1-to-1 for a pair all the way up to 40-to-1 for a straight flush, so whilst the pair plus bet is optional it can make all the difference between a big win and a huge one.

Why Play Online? The Advantages of Playing Three Card Poker Online

Aside from the obvious advantages of being able to play from home in your pyjamas, there are plenty of other advantages to playing 3 Card Poker online. The following are some of the best reasons to play 3 Card Poker online. One distinct advantage of three card poker online is that there are plenty of social casinos and instructional sites where you can practice with the help of free online three card poker games. These kinds of sites will often provide new players with tips and free credits to help improve their game and learn the game rules. The opportunity to learn and improve your gameplay before risking any money is one that players should relish and take advantage of. The learning curve in competitive card game play can be steep, so it’s a good idea to get some practice in before you put real money on the table.

Of course, 3 Card Poker also has the advantage that you can play it pretty much anywhere and at any time. Many live casinos have a chat function that enables players to not only talk with one another but also with the dealer. Players from around the world come together to compete in virtual tournaments and form social clubs online. The social aspect of online gambling is often undersold, but it’s there and is one of the advantages of playing games like 3 Card Poker online. Though you might get teased a bit, you can always ask the dealer for a reminder of the 3 Card Poker rules or to explain the basics. If you want to try out other live casino games, check out our live casino games page here.

Three Card Poker Rules & Tips: Everything You Need To Master The Game

As you’ve seen above, 3 Card Poker is easy to play. In the following, we’ll provide you with an overview of the rules and some tips to improve your game strategy. There’s only a moderate house edge in 3 Card Poker which means that players have a better chance of winning in 3 Card than in most poker variants. Given the two betting styles, the chances of winning big can be a lot higher than in some other poker games.

Depending on if you opt for a Pair Plus bet, strategies can wildly differ in this game. Whenever you bet on Pair Plus, you win whenever your three cards include a pair, flush, straight, three of a kind or straight flush. Given that the player’s focus is on pairs, Pair Plus strategy is relatively straightforward. You can’t change the odds of the hand you’re dealt in Pair Plus so much is out of your hands.

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The basic strategy for an ante-play approach is to bet when you hold a Queen-6-4 or better. If your hand isn’t as high then you should fold. This means betting on any pair or better. Without a pair or better, then you can make a bet only when your high card is an Ace or a King. In such an instance, the value of your other two cards is irrelevant. With a Jack or lower as your high card then you should fold. This Three Card Poker strategy comes down fundamentally to whether or not your highest card is a Queen or higher and whether or not you have a pair or better.

Check Out These Variants and Our Best Three Card Poker Casino!

Ultimate Three Card Poker is probably the most popular and readily available variant of 3 Card Poker online and with good reason – the play bet can be up to three times the ante instead of equal to it, so the stakes and consequently the wins can be a lot greater. There’s no ante bonus to Ultimate 3 Card Poker, but the game does add a blind bet bonus in the ante play. Generally the usual game strategy will work just as well in Ultimate Three Card, though the risks are higher. Instead of just starting with an ante, you have start with both an ante and a blind bet equal to the ante. Only after seeing their cards can players make a bet equal to their ante if they don’t have a pair or better. If the player does have a pair or better, then they can make a play bet that’s between one or three times the ante. No matter which variant you’ll, go for, you’ll be well entertained with Three Card Poker. You can play it for real money in our recommended Three Card Poker casino below, or check out our selections of the best casino operators on our homepage!

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