It is very popular to play Three Card Poker online! It is found in both land-based and online casinos, and the rules are simple, while the game is both easy to play and super exciting. Read on to find out all you need to know about the game and check out our top recommended sites below.
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This page contains a complete guide on how to play three card poker online and the best Philippine sites. You will learn the rules and how to play the game. You will learn about the payouts of Three Card Poker and the best strategies to increase your chances of winning. The different variations you can play online are also outlined, along with the different side bets. Of course, we’ll also tell you about the best bonuses waiting for you, but first – let’s see why we chose these 10 sites to play 3 Card Poker online!
Three Card Poker Rules – How to Play 3 Card Poker?
When you consider that other casino table games, such as roulette and blackjack, have been around for hundreds of years, three card poker online is relatively new. It was created in 1994 by British gambler Derek Webb and patented in 1997. Advantage game. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck, which is shuffled after each round and you play against the dealer. Below, we will look at all three card poker rules.
The ranking of hands in Three Card Poker differs slightly from that of traditional poker. This is because playing with 3 cards, rather than the traditional 5 changes the mathematical probabilities of attaining certain hands. As such, in Three Card Poker, a straight will beat a flush. Here is an overview of the ranking of 3 Card Poker hands:
Straight Flush (3 suited cards in sequence)
Three of a Kind (3 cards of the same rank)
Straight (3 cards in sequence)
Flush (3 suited cards)
Pair (2 cards of the same rank)
High Card
There are two basic ways you can play the game. Ante-Play is played against the dealer, with the aim being to beat the dealer’s hand. The other is Pair Plus. This allows players to bet on whether their hand will contain a pair or a higher-ranking combination. Some variants allow you to play either or both of these options, whereas some versions only allow you to place a Pairs Plus wager in addition to the Ante-Play. There are also variants of Three Card Poker that feature additional side bets.
Ante-Play
The game begins by placing a wager on the Ante, which falls within the table limits. Three cards are then dealt to the player and the dealer, with the player’s cards face up and the dealer’s cards face down. The player can then decide whether to fold or play. If the player opts to fold, they lose the Ante wager and the round is over. To play, another wager, equal to the Ante must be placed. The dealer’s cards are then revealed and compared to the player’s hand.
The dealer’s hand must contain a minimum ranking of queen high in order to qualify. If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, then the players Play wager is returned (push) and the Ante wager pays out 1:1. When the dealer does qualify, their hand will be evaluated compared to the player’s. There are 3 possible outcomes:
When the dealer’s hand outranks the player’s hand, the Play and Ante bets lose.
When the dealer’s hand has an identical rank to the player’s hand, the Play and Ante bets will push, returning them to the player.
When the player’s hand outranks the dealer’s hand, both the Play and Ante bets pay out 1:1.
Ante Bonus
When playing Ante-Play, there are certain hand ranks that will reward the player with a bonus payout. If the hand contains a straight, 3 of a kind or a straight flush, a bonus will be paid, regardless of whether or not the dealer’s hand is higher. The Three Card poker payouts can vary slightly depending on the variant of the game being played, but usually, and according to Webb’s original 3 Card Poker rules, the bonus payments are as follows:
Straight Flush pays 5 to 1
Three of a Kind pays 4 to 1
Straight pays 1 to 1
Pair Plus
Alternatively, or in addition to Ante-Play, players can place a Pair Plus bet. This bet pays out if the player’s hand contains a pair, or a higher-rank. The payout is made for a pair or higher, regardless of whether the dealer’s hand beats the player’s hand. There are different pay tables for Pairs Plus, depending on the variant being played. Some variants include a payout for a Mini Royal, which is a suited ace, king and queen. This table shows the pay table for 3 popular online Three Card Poker variants, and the house edge of each.
| Pair Plus | Microgaming – Three Card Poker | Scientific Games – Three Card Poker | Evolution Gaming- Live Three Card Poker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Royal | – | 200:1 | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 | 40:1 | 40:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 30:1 | 30:1 | 30:1 |
| Straight | 6:1 | 6:1 | 5:1 |
| Flush | 4:1 | 3:1 | 4:1 |
| Pair | 1:1 | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| House edge | 2.32% | 4.38% | 4.49% |
3 Card Poker Game Variants and Side Bets
Popular gambling games with cards are often adapted to offer alternative side bets and game variations. Such alterations to tradition games and rules can offer extra excitement for players. In this section, you will find out about different Three Card Poker variants and the additional side bets which can be found.
Six-Card Bonus Bet
The 6 Card Bonus is a side bet featured in some 3-Card Poker games. It is an optional bet that is placed before the cards are dealt. The bet gives players a shot at bigger payouts than those featured in the Ante-Play and Pairs Plus bets. The 6 Card Bonus combines both the player’s 3 cards and the dealer’s 3 cards to create a traditional 5-card poker hand.
Straights occur more often than flushes with this side bet, the opposite of playing with 3 card hands. As such, the payout for a flush is higher than the payout for a straight in this side bet. As with the Pair Plus bet, the player does not have to beat the dealer to win on this bet. Likewise, the pay tables for the Six Card Bonus vary depending on the casino and game variant. Below, you can see an example of some of the pay tables that are featured for the side bet, along with their house edge.
| Hand | Pay Table 1 | Pay Table 2 | Pay Table 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 1000:1 | 1000:1 | 2000:1 |
| Straight Flush | 200:1 | 200:1 | 200:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 100:1 | 50:1 | 50:1 |
| Full House | 20:1 | 25:1 | 25:1 |
| Flush | 15:1 | 20:1 | 15:1 |
| Straight | 10:1 | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 7:1 | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| House edge | 8.6% | 10.2% | 14.4% |
The five-card Royal Flush, which is an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of the same suit offers the highest possible payout. This usually pays at 1000 to 1, yet there are some variants that offer a 2000 to 1 payout. The house edge is lowest when a three of a kind hand pays at 7 to 1, rather than 5 to 1, as this is the most frequently occurring hand.
Three Card Poker Prime
The Prime side bet offers players the opportunity to bet on the colour of the cards that are dealt. This optional side bet pays out if the player’s 3 cards are the same colour, or if both the player and the dealer’s cards are the same colour.
The suit does not matter in this bet, so any combination of hearts and diamonds (all red), or any combo of spades and clubs (all black) will produce a win. When all 3 of the player’s cards match in colour, a payout of 3 to 1 is made. When all 6 cards are the same colour, the payout is 4 to 1. This makes the house edge around 3.6% for this optional side bet.
Live Three Card Poker Online
While playing 3 Card Poker online is fun and exciting, playing the game with a real dealer can take the entertainment to another level. Live Three Card Poker provides an authentic real casino playing experience, with the convenience of online play. The basic rules are the same as playing an RNG game, yet, there is a time limit within which you must make your decisions. As such, you cannot determine the speed at which the game is played. When you play Live Three Card Poker, you can interact with the dealer and other players using the chat function, which offers a fun, social element to the game.
Three Card Poker Strategy and Tips to Improve Your Chances of Winning
A casino game is always more fun when you win, and there are basic strategies you can follow in Three Card Poker to optimise your chances of success. The good news is that learning online 3 Card Poker strategy is incredibly simple and straightforward.
Ante-Play Strategy
In the Ante-Play game, once your cards have been dealt, there is a basic strategy that should always be followed when deciding whether to play or fold. This is to bet when your hand contains queen-6-4 or better. If your hand ranks lower than this, you should fold. As such, you should place a Play bet when your hand contains the following cards:
A pair or higher rank
A king or ace high card
A queen high card with the second high card being a 7 or better
A queen high card with the second card being 6, and the third card being 4 or better
By playing every hand, regardless of its ranking, the house edge sits at around 7.65%. Yet when following this strategy for playing or folding, the house edge reduces to around 3.37%. These figures apply to games where the Ante Bonus pays the traditional 5 to 1 for a straight flush, 4 to 1 for three of a kind and 1 to 1 for a straight.
Pair Plus Strategy
When it comes to Pair Plus play, there is no specific strategy to improve your winning chances. This is because you do not have to beat the dealer’s hand, so winning simply comes down to luck. Yet, as we saw earlier in this article, there are different payouts available for Pair Plus bets, which impact the house edge.
If you want to play the Pair Plus bet, the best tip is to compare pay tables and opt for a variant which has the highest payouts for the more frequent hands. So, when a straight pays 5 to 1 and a flush pays 4 to 1, the house edge is lower than variants that pay 6 to 1 on straights and 3 to 1 on flushes.
Overall, Ante-Play has a lower house edge than Pair Plus. As such, for the best odds of winning, it is advisable to opt for this bet type. However, it is worth keeping in mind that payouts are smaller for wins than when playing Pair Plus.
Top Tip – Play Three Card Poker for Free
Whichever way you choose to play, another sound piece of advice is to play 3 Card Poker for free online before you play with real money. The best casino sites provide a demo version of Three Card Poker which you can play just for fun. In this way, you can practice playing the game and get to grips with the rules, gameplay and payouts with no risk involved. Free play is a great way to prepare yourself to play Three Card Poker with real money.
Don’t miss out – play Three Card Poker online!
Among the many poker variations available at online casinos, Three Card Poker is one of the most popular games. The rules are easy to learn, and you can use simple strategies to maximize your chances of winning. It offers fast-paced, exciting gameplay with the potential for great rewards.
If you’re ready to try this fun game, then you should check out SugarPlay Casino where you’ll find numerous variations of the game, including the option to play Three Card Poker with a live dealer. Furthermore, this operator is extremely popular in the Philippines, so it’s no surprise that it also features in our list of the best hi-lo casinos in the Philippines. Read everything you need to know about the operator here. I wish you a happy gaming experience!
Three Card Poker – Questions and Answers
Frequently asked questions are the thing that most players value the most so we try to include them on most of our pages. Below you will see the queries that gamblers had when it comes to Three Card poker. Our answers are tight and straight to the point and we strongly hope that you will find them useful and satisfying. Enjoy!
What is Three Card Poker?
Three card poker is a variation of the regular poker game with which we are all acquainted. The difference is obvious by the name – it is played with three cards only and this changes the mathematical probabilities of having certain hands in Three Card poker because it is anyway using a standard 52 card deck.
How to play three card poker online?
The very first thing you must do, before commencing your gameplay, is to learn the rules of Three Card poker by heart. The regular Straight, Flush and other combinations that you know from the standard poker are different, as are the strategies that you can use.
Which casino sites offer three card poker?
Most of the online casinos have the game in their catalogue, but before choosing one, you have to take into consideration certain factors. When we rank the operators, we check their licenses, certificates, safety, support, reliability, games, bonuses. The list is long. And to make it easier for you, we prepared a list with the the best Three Card poker casino sites.
How to win in online Three Card Poker?
You can easily win when playing online 3 Card Poker by following the game and when you are concentrated. In addition, try to use one of the top Three Card Poker strategies like the ‘Pair Plus’. Of course, this is also a game of chance and you will have to get lucky in the first place!
What's the difference between RNG and live 3 Card Poker?
There are several variations of the Three Card Poker game and each of which has slightly different rules and/or paytables, and/or betting limits. The software developers are also very important. For example, there is live Three Card Poker by Evolution Gaming which features plenty of advanced settings and improved graphics.
