3 Card Poker House Advantage
Poker is all about making the best five-card poker hand from the seven cards available (five community cards plus your own two hole cards). That means in the event of a tie with four of a kind, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, or high card, a side card, or 'kicker', comes into play to decide who wins the pot. The house edge for Ante & Play in Three Card Poker is 3.37%. However, this jumps to 4.49% when you consider the Pair Plus side bet. The takeaway is that the 3 Card Poker payouts for a pair or better don’t make the side bet worth the risk. Check the Side Bet Payouts. We have taken great strides in creating an algorithm that helps determine the best video poker bonuses for players to take advantage of online. This bonus table takes into account several factors, including wagering requirements, the amount offered, whether the casino is reputable or not, and more.
Three Card Poker is two gambling games in one. You are usually allowed to play either one or both games at the same time, but some casinos will require you to play both. The two games are 'ante/play', where you compete against the dealer, and 'pair plus' that has different bonus payouts for hands of one pair or better. When both games are played at the same time, players may wager different amounts on each game.
Three Card Poker House Edge
The games are played with a standard 52 card deck. The cards are distributed to the dealer in groups of three by an automatic shuffling machine. The player's table layout is shown at the right. The rules are also printed on the table at each player spot, just like this: (note :) The rules listed below are FULL PAY. Always look for these!
- Play MUST EQUAL Ante
- Dealer Plays With QUEEN High or Better - At some casinos dealers play with a King High or Better. The result is a much higher house advantage.
- When Dealer Does Not Play:
- Play Pays: PUSH
- Ante Pays: 1 to 1
- When Dealer Plays:
- Play Pays: 1 to 1
- Ante Pays: 1 to 1
3 card hand values: The first thing you will probably notice from the hand rankings list below is that a straight has a higher ranking than a flush. That's simply because there are fewer ways to make a 3 card straight than a 3 card flush. As in most poker games, aces play both high and low to a straight. An ace high straight flush is the highest hand you can get and some casinos have also added a mini-royal flush to the ante bonus and pair plus pay table.
Rules - Ante/Play & Pair Plus
This game starts with the players placing bets in the 'ante', 'pair plus' or both spots on the table layouts. The ante and pair plus wagers can be any amount within the posted table limits. The players and the dealer all get three cards, face down. The players all look at their hands and either fold by giving their cards back and losing their ante bet, or play by placing a bet, equal to the ante, in the 'play' spot on the layout. Note that even if the player folds, pair plus wagers are still paid on any pair or better.
| Hand Rankings | Full Pay Pair Plus Table | Full Pay Ante Bonus Table |
|---|---|---|
| Mini-Royal | - | - |
| Straight Flush | 40 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 30 to 1 | 4 to 1 |
| Straight | 6 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| Flush | 4 to 1 | - |
| Pair | 1 to 1 | - |
| High Card | - | - |
The dealer then turns over his cards. If he does not have queen high or better, he doesn't 'qualify' to play and pays the active players even money on their ante bets and those with a straight or better are paid the additional ante bonus shown above. These players get a 'push' on their play bets. If he does have a qualifying hand, those who cannot beat it lose their antes and their play bets, but can still win the ante bonus with a straight or higher. Those who can beat the dealer win even money on their ante and play bets plus the ante bonus, if any.
Strategy - Ante/Play
In Three Card Poker ante/play, the only thing the expert player needs to know is how high his or her hand should be to produce the best possible long term results, if played. The answer to that question is Q-6-4 or higher.
High card hands between Q-6-4 through K-Q-10 are loss limit plays. These are hands with negative expectations. They will lose less if played than they will in ante forfeiture losses if they are not played. Ace high hands and better have positive expectations. The house advantage for ante/play, against the optimal strategy shown below is a comfortable 3.37%. Not too bad for the player.*
Optimal Three Card Poker Strategy
- Always play Q-6-4 or higher
- Never play anything lower
* Note: The house advantage percentages referred to are based on the full pay schedules shown above. Be aware that lower payouts, especially in pair plus, are used in many places that double and triple the house advantage against the player. Avoid games with a pair plus payout of only 3-1 for a flush instead of 4-1 etc. and look for full pay games.
Pair Plus 'Non-Strategy' and Unequal Bets Play
Since the only decision the player has to make in pair plus is how much to bet, there is no optimal strategy involved. However, at full pay the low house advantage of 2.3% makes it about as attractive as any table poker game you can find. You can't bet five dollars and win a house here, but the payouts are very generous and you should get a pay hand of some sort about 25% of the time. This is a good game but you want to remember that the win/loss swings are much more volatile in pair plus than in ante/play.
| Poker Hand | AB1 | AB2 | AB3 | PP1 | PP2 | PP3 | PP4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight Flush | 5 | 5 | 4 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Three of a Kind | 4 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 25 | 30 | 30 |
| Straight | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Flush | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |||
| Pair | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| House Advantage | 3.37% | 3.61% | 3.83% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 5.6% | 7.3% |
| AB = Ante Bonus, PP = Pair Plus | |||||||
Most places allow you to make unequal bets on the two games. A conservative bet would be two units on ante/play and one unit on pair plus, or equal bets. A more aggressive approach is to place more on pair plus than on ante/play. Many good players prefer to keep their pair plus to ante play ratio on the conservative side and try to get a little ahead before they get aggressive and load up on the pair plus.
6 Card Bonus
The 6 card bonus side bet is an optional wager that gives players one more chance to win. To play, place a bet within table limits inside the 6 card bonus betting circle. Depending on the casino you may also be required to place a wager on the ante and/or pair plus betting spots. You then combine your three card hand with the dealer's three card hand to form the best five card hand. A 6 card bonus winning hand is paid regardless of the outcome on the ante/play bet. Some of the more popular pay tables are listed below and will vary by casino.
| Poker Hand | Pay Table 1 | Pay Table 2 | Pay Table 3 | Pay Table 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 1,000 to 1 | 1,000 to 1 | 1,000 to 1 | 1,000 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 200 to 1 | 200 to 1 | 200 to 1 | 200 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 100 to 1 | 100 to 1 | 50 to 1 | 50 to 1 |
| Full House | 20 to 1 | 20 to 1 | 25 to 1 | 25 to 1 |
| Flush | 15 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 20 to 1 | 15 to 1 |
| Straight | 9 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 8 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 5 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| House Advantage | 6.74% | 8.56% | 10.23% | 15.28% |
| Hit frequency | 7.2798% | 7.2798% | 7.2798% | 7.2798% |
Even the best pay table gives the house a larger than acceptable advantage of 6.74%, which makes the 6 card bonus side bet a bad gamble.
Progressive
The progressive side bet, developed by Shuffle Master in 2008, adds a jackpot element that is popular with many players. The rules are simple: Place a bet, within table limits, on the progressive betting sensor and play your hand as usual. If your hand is a mini-royal AKQ of spades, you win the jackpot. The pay tables below show typical payouts and house edge numbers.
| Poker Hand | Pay Table 1 | Pay Table 2 | Envy |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKQ Spades | 100% | 100% | $100 |
| AKQ Hearts/Diamonds/Clubs | 500 for 1 | 500 for 1 | $25 |
| Straight Flush | 70 for 1 | 100 for 1 | |
| Three of a Kind | 60 for 1 | 90 for 1 | |
| Straight | 6 for 1 | - | |
| Seed Amount | $1,000 | $1,000 | |
| House Advantage | 22.33% | 22.85% | |
| Hit Frequency | 3.72% | .45% | |
| Probability of top payout | 22,100 to 1 | 22,100 to 1 | |
| Top payout average ($1 wager) | $4,000 | $5,000 |
Note that the payouts are listed as odds-for-1 which means the original wager is not returned. With a house advantage of 22% you should stay far away from this game unless the jackpot is very, very high.
Envy Bonus Payout
If you place a wager on the progressive side bet and another player seated at the table has AKQ suited (a mini-royal), you are eligible for the envy bonus payout. Here are a few rules to be aware of:
- Players with AKQ suited are paid according to the pay table and are not eligible to receive their own envy bonus.
- Dealer with AKQ suited does not trigger the envy bonus.
- If you are playing multiple hands and hit a mini royal, the other hands are eligible for the envy bonus. (the hands are considered independent of each other)
Prime
Prime is an optional side bet that was invented by Derek Webb, the same man who invented three card poker. To play you must put a wager on the prime betting spot, ante/play and/or pair plus as required by the casino. If all three of your cards are the same color or your cards and the dealer's cards are all the same color, you win.
| Hand | Pay Table 1 |
|---|---|
| Your three cards and the dealer's three cards are all the same color | 4 to 1 |
| Your three card hand is the same color | 3 to 1 |
| House Advantage | 3.62% |
If your three cards are not the same color, the prime bet is lost and collected by the dealer. The ante/play and pair plus games are played out as usual.
The house advantage on prime is 3.62%... not too bad for a side bet.
| Rank | Casino | Sign Up Bonus | Bonus Code | Full Pay Games | Visit Casino |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% up to $/€/£ 250 | Ante/Play Pair Plus | ||||
| €200 Free or 200 Free Spins | Ante/Play Pair Plus |
3 Card Poker Strategy
What is 3 card poker strategy? Does strategy play even truly exist? Well, through this guide, you will be able to learn more about the game and understand the ways of winning. So, YES, there are strategies to help you win and the rule is of course to beat the house edge.
If you would prefer a more in depth guide including Advanced 3 Card Poker Strategies, then head over to the Pros at casinobunsesindex.com
The ultimate three card poker tactics
So how does a player beat the house advantage? When it comes to poker in any form, there is a 48% advantage towards the casino and the dealer you are up against. In a game of poker, there are over 20,000 card combinations even in the three card poker game. The focus of the strategy is to reclaim the 2% margin and to go beyond this so that your style of play is more astute in the ways of how hands are able to be claimed and which tables to play on and avoid.
How the online card poker strategy works
If you have not played the 3 card poker game before, then the principle of play is very simple and that is to score a higher hand than the dealer.
There are overall six different hands that appear in a game of three card poker games, depending on the variant you wish to opt for. There are also additional betting options within the games called Pair-Play and Ante-Play. To play this game, you need to know the three card poker secrets which are revealed on internet !
Experience card poker games like never before
If you want to play online casino poker without loss and risks, then free online demo poker games are your best bet. There are many demo games out there that are the real money casino games without the payout. No deposits are needed to play and no downloads are required to access them on any device.
Start to play three card poker totally free
Through free online casino games, you are able to take your time learning the rules of 3 card poker games. You are able to recognize and learn about the hands that will allow you to win games against the poker dealer from the royal straight flush through to the pair.
Practice on demo games are the best strategy. It allows you to budget with the free money the games come with. You are able to familiarize yourself with the different software developers out there inside of the casinos.
You will also be able to understand Pair Play and Ante-Play should you select these betting options against your dealer opponent.
With our help, you can win card poker online all the time
By adopting the 3 card poker strategy which free demo games offer you will find that your success rate drastically increases. You are able to eliminate the developers which make their games harder to win at because not all of them have the same pay tables. You’ll find that some machines offer straight wins at 6 to 1 and others a 5 to 4, there is a significant difference and the 5 to 4 will land more than the 6 to 1. So, it is something to think about when picking the machines you play.
Set yourself up with 3 card poker games from the top US casinos online
Having a clear awareness of what you play is very much the best online poker strategy. Some players often play two games at one to keep an even balance of wins and losses. They incorporate the Play Pair and Ante-Play within the same game. Strategies can even extend to the actual casino you join because casino bonuses can cut the number of times you deposit your finances into the site and therefore limiting your spending, which can help set up your bankroll.