Three Card Poker Rules
The rules of 3 card poker are easy to learn if you have the knowledge of basic poker rules. There are just a few differences (because you're only dealt three cards). The game is available at many online casinos, and there's where you get the best possible odds. Before we get to the rules I would like to tell you the differences from a normal five card game. If you're not familiar with poker at all:
Click here to learn the hand rankings.
Differences from basic poker rules
Even though you only got three cards, it's not going to change much. The hands you can achieve are almost the same. The big difference is that you can't get those which require four or five cards, obviously. You can't get a royal flush, four of a kind or a full house. Which means that the following remain:
| Straight flush | All in denomination sequence, in the same suit. |
| 3 of a kind | Three of the same denomination. |
| Straight | All in denomination sequence. |
| Flush | All in the same suit. |
| Pair | Two of the same denomination. |
| High card | When you got nothing else. |
You can see that the straight is ranked higher than the flush when you're playing with fewer cards. 3 of a kind are even better than that, because they're so rare. Let's continue with the rules.
The Rules
Three card poker is played with a standard 52 card deck. Players receive three cards and so do the dealer. The player bets and here is where it starts to get interesting, because you can bet at two different games at the same time. You can choose either to play both or just one of them. The games are:
Ante/Play
- Player bets "ante" and your goal is to beat the dealer.
- Dealer will ONLY play with a hand of queen high or better (if full payout).
- If player wish to play the hand he has been dealt he has to pay for the play too, otherwise he has to fold.
- An important rule is that if you play and the dealer doesn't qualify, you win the ante regardless your own hand.
Pair Plus
- If player bets "pair plus" then you're hoping for a hand of at least a pair.
- If the players hand doesn't meet the requirements, then he loose his bet.
- If they do, player wins.
- You will win if you're hand is good enough EVEN if the dealer got an even better hand.
Full payout
Please notice that the payouts in three card poker may vary between different casinos. The payouts listed here are the maximum payout that you should be looking for when you're choosing your casino.
Ante/Play Payout
When player hand is better than the dealers:
| Dealers cards | Ante | Play |
| Dealer does not play | 1 to 1 | Push |
| Dealer does play | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
There's also an ante bonus which will pay you extra for good cards:
| Hand | Bonus |
| Straight | 1 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 4 to 1 |
| Straight flush | 5 to 1 |
Pair Plus Payout
| Hand | Payout |
| Pair | 1 to 1 |
| Flush | 4 to 1 |
| Straight | 6 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 30 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 40 to 1 |
Casinos with three card (full payout)
