Three Card Poker Rules & Strategy Guide

Three Card Poker: Everything You Need to Know

You are likely to find players playing Three Card Poker in a casino at any given time. It's a popular game that can drive your adrenaline though the roof. If you are new to three-card poker, here is what you need to know: As the name suggests, three cards determine a winning outcome. As a player, you need to make a better poker hand than the dealer. There is not much to do at the table; essentially, the player calls to bet or fold. [caption id="attachment_24167" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

Three-Card Poker[/caption]

How to Play

To get started, the player needs to initiate a hand. It happens by placing two bets; an Ante bet and a separate Pair plus bet. However, the second side bet is optional. Then comes the three cards, dealt facing downwards with the characters hidden. The player then looks at his cards to determine whether to bet or fold. If a player believes his hand can beat the dealer's, they will then place a bet equivalent to the Ante. If not, they will fold.

How to Know if You Have Won or Lost

After the players play their turn, the dealer will then turn over all the cards to face up and compare what each of them has. If the dealer does not have a queen high, the player bet is returned, but the player wins on the Ante bet. The player automatically loses all their bets if the dealer has a better hand and a queen high. Sometimes both the player and the dealer have an equal hand; in this case, whoever has the highest card will win.

Odds in Three-Card-Poker

It all seems technical initially, but it all comes into perspective when you play. One thing that stands out from this game is that it has great odds, an excellent incentive to play. The house edge starts at 3% but can go slightly over 2% if you use a basic playing strategy. Another great fact is that different casinos will have different approaches to the game, such as allowing players to see what cards fellow players hold. It is an added advantage as with this information in mind, players can gauge what cards the dealer possibly retains, even if it is just an estimated guess.