3 Card Prime Strategy

A free online version of 3 Card Poker with 6-card Bonus. Test out your 3 Card Poker strategy here. Practice for Vegas. Play Three Card Poker for Free. If you’ve never played any of the games described in this story, you might want to start with Three Card Poker because the optimal strategy for that game is super-easy to remember: Play every three-card hand that has a queen or better. Well, technically you’re supposed to play Q-6-4 and better, but if you forget that, just remember to look.

Pair Plus^®

Amazon Prime Card

Introduction

Three Card Poker was invented in England in the mid 1990's by Derek Webb. It was originally called Casino Brag, since it was inspired by 3-card Brag, adapted to create a casino game in which players bet against the house rather than against each other. The name Three Card Poker was adopted when this game was introduced to America; it is sometimes also known as Tri Poker. The game was initially marketed to casinos by Derek Webb's organisation Prime Table Games, but in 1999 the rights to the game were acquired by Shuffle Master, later renamed SHFL Entertainment, Inc. In 2012 SHFL took steps to emphasise their ownership of the game by registering the name of the 'Pair Plus' side bet as a service mark (trade mark).

An older game, also called Three Card Poker, is described in several 20th century American card game books. This was a Draw Poker game played with three-card rather than five-card hands, where players bet against each other in normal poker style.

Note. Gambling can be dangerously addictive. You can find information and advice on our Responsible Gambling page.

Cards and Initial Bets

The modern casino game of Three Card Poker is played with a 52-card pack at a special table on which the cards are dealt and bets placed. There are two bet types available.

Ante and Play - a bet that the player's hand will beat the dealer's
Pair Plus^® - a bet on the quality of the player's hand, paid independently of what the dealer is dealt.

Before the deal, in order to receive cards each player must place an Ante bet, and in addition may place a Pair Plus^® bet.

The ranking of hands for Three Card Poker from lowest to highest is:

High Card - three cards of different ranks, not consecutive and not all the same suit, such as Q-J-9. When comparing two such hands, the highest cards are compared first; if they are equal the middle cards are compared and finally the lowest cards. For example K-4-2 beats Q-10-9, which beats Q-10-7.
Pair - two cards of equal rank and one of a different rank, such as 6-6-Q. When comparing two hands with a pair, the rank of the pair decides; if both hands have the equal pairs, the hand with the better odd card ('kicker') wins.
Flush - three cards of the same suit. These are compared in the same way as 'high card' hands.
Straight - three consecutive cards of mixed suits. Between two straights the one with the higher ranked cards wins. Ace can count high or low: A-K-Q is the highest type of straight and 3-2-A is the lowest. 2-A-K is not a straight.
Three of a Kind - three cards of the same rank, higher ranks beating lower ranks.
Straight Flush - three consecutive cards of the same suit. These are compared in the same way as straights, ace counting high or low.

Note that there is no ranking among suits. Hands that have the same combination and equally high cards, differing only in suit, are tied.

Ante and Play

Three cards are dealt to each player who has placed an ante bet and three cards to the dealer. After viewing his three cards the player must decide to either:

make a play bet, placing an additional amount equal to the ante bet, or
fold, losing the ante bet.

Following this decision, the dealer's hand is revealed and there is a showdown.

If the dealer does not have Queen high or better, the ante bet is paid even money and the play bet is returned.
If the dealer does have Queen high or better and the player's hand beats the dealer's hand the ante bet and play bet are paid even money.
If the dealer does have Queen high or better and the player's hand is equal to the dealer's hand the player's ante and play bets are returned.
If the dealer does have Queen high or better and the player's hand is worse than the dealer's hand the ante and play bet are lost.

An additional bonus is also payed on the ante bet irrespective of dealer's hand or outcome of the hand if the player holds a strong hand

Even money for a straight
4 to 1 for three of a kind
5 to 1 for a straight flush

Pair Plus^®

The name of this special side bet, which has been a part of the game since its invention in the 1990's, was registered as a trade mark of SHFL Entertainment, Inc. in 2012.

The result of a Pair Plus^® bet depends only on the three cards dealt to the player - the dealer's cards are irrelevant. The Pair Plus^® bet is lost if the player does not hold a pair or better. Winning hands are paid as follows:

Even money for a pair
4 to 1 for a flush
6 to 1 for a straight
30 to 1 for three of a kind
40 to 1 for a straight flush

A winning Pair Plus^® hand is paid out even if the player folds, though in fact this situation rarely occurs, since with any such hand the correct strategy is to place a Play bet.

Alternative Names

Many online casino software providers have taken to calling this game by different names, presumably in an effort to avoid paying licensing fees for offering Three Card Poker. Some names that are currently in use are Poker Three, Trey Poker, Fast Poker, High Speed Poker, Triple Edge Poker, Trey Card Poker and Tri Card Poker.

Optimal Strategy and House Edge

The optimal strategy for Three Card Poker is far more straightforward that many other casino card games. The player should not place the Pair Plus^® wager and should place the Play wager with any hand of Q, 6, 4 or better.

According to the Three Card Poker Guide at The Pogg, the house edge when playing Three Card Poker using optimal strategy is 2.01% where the game offers the standard paytable detailed above. If you decide to place a Pair Plus^® bet, the House Edge is 2.32% if the paytable detailed above is used.

Variants

In some places a player is allowed to place only a Pair Plus^® bet without placing an Ante. It is to the player's disadvantage to exercise this option.

Some casinos both on- and offline have started to vary the paytables for the Ante and Play bet. Where this is the case the house edge will vary accordingly.

There is significant variation in the paytables being offered for the Pair Plus^® bet both on- and offline. In general these variations have a detrimental impact on the House Edge.

Other Three Card Poker Sites and Software

The Three Card Poker Guide at The Pogg provides rules, analysis, advice and odds calculators.

Steve Cross has written a page on Three Card Poker.

Wizard of Odds offers a free Three Card Poker game that can be played online in a browser.

(Redirected from Three card poker)

Three Card Poker is a casino table game based on poker.

History[edit]

A Three Card Poker table in a casino aboard the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship

The casino variant of Three Card Poker was first created by Derek Webb in 1994 and patented in 1997.^[1] Webb's goal was to create a version of poker that played with the speed of other table games. It was important to Webb that he got the correct mix of three important factors for any casino game: the game rules were easy to understand, the payouts were large enough to attract players, and the house edge was enough that casino owners would be interested in adopting the game.

Webb established a business called Prime Table Games to market the game in both the United States and United Kingdom.^[2] The British Casino Association, now known as the National Casino Industry Forum (NCiF) suggested that Webb gain some experience in the US first, since the UK had regulations against such a table game and his application was not strong enough to convince regulators to make significant changes to their rules and regulations for a new game.

The first to adopt the game was Barry Morris, Vice President of Grand Casino Gulfport in Mississippi, after Webb had unsuccessful sales pitches with casino owners in Reno, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City. A key aspect of Webb's offer to Morris was to stand on the floor to train the dealers himself, as well as watch to make sure the game was being played correctly.^[3] United Kingdom gambling regulations were changed to allow the introduction of Three Card Poker in 2002.

Prime Table Games continued marketing Three Card Poker until 1999, when Shuffle Master acquired the rights to the game outside the British Isles. The sale was prompted by a lawsuit filed that year in US federal court by Progressive Gaming International Corporation (PGIC), the then-owners of Caribbean stud poker, alleging patent infringement; Shuffle Master agreed to defend that litigation as part of the purchase. Subsequently in 2007, Prime Table Games showed in a countersuit that the 1999 PGIC litigation was based on invalid patent claims; PGIC settled for $20 million.^[4] Further, Prime Table Games filed suit against Shuffle Master in 2008 alleging in part that Shuffle Master had undisclosed knowledge that the PGIC claims were invalid prior to the 1999 purchase; it was later settled for over $2 million.^[5]

Rules[edit]

Three Card Poker is played as heads-up between the player's hand and the dealer's hand. After all ante wagers are placed, three cards are dealt to each player and the dealer. Players have a choice to either fold or continue in the game by placing a 'play' wager equal to their ante. Hands are then exposed and wagers resolved.^[6]

The dealer's hand must be Queen high or better for the dealer hand to play. If the dealer does not play, then there is no action on play wagers and ante wagers are paid 1 to 1. If the dealer does play, the dealer and player hands are compared. If the player hand loses, both the ante and play wagers are lost. If the player hand wins both the ante and play wagers are paid 1 to 1. If the hands are tied, then there is no action on either wager.^[6]

Additional optional bets are offered. The Pair Plus wager is a bet that the player's hand will be a pair or better. The Pair Plus wager wins if the player has at least a pair of twos. The payoff applies regardless of the dealer's hand, as the Pair Plus wager is not in competition against the dealer's hand. Some casinos also offer an Ante Bonus, which is paid on the ante wager for a straight or better. The typical Ante Bonus paytable pays 5 to 1 for a straight flush, 4 to 1 for a three of a kind, and 1 to 1 for a straight. Like the Pair Plus wager, the Ante Bonus pays regardless of whether that hand beats the dealer's hand.^[6]

Hand ranks[edit]

Straight flush

Three of a kind

Straight

Flush

Pair

High card

Examples of poker hand categories in descending order

Hand Ranks of Three Card Poker^[7]
Rank	Description	Frequency	Probability
Straight flush	Three suited cards in sequence	48	0.22%
Three of a kind	Three cards of same rank	52	0.24%
Straight	Three cards in sequence	720	3.26%
Flush	Three suited cards	1,096	4.96%
Pair	Two cards of same rank	3,744	16.94%
High card	None of the above	16,440	74.39%
Total hands	-	22,100	-

Probability of Queen high or better is 69.59%^{[citation needed]}

Variations[edit]

Some venues have added a wager called Prime in United Kingdom casinos and the game is known as Prime Three Card Poker. The Prime wager is optionally placed before cards are dealt and pays on the color of the player cards. If all three cards are the same color the payoff is 3 to 1. However, when included with the dealer hand if all six cards are the same color then the payoff is increased to 4 to 1.

Another variation is 'six card bonus', in which the players are given a payout based on the best five-card poker hand that can be made using any combination of the player's three cards and the dealer's three cards. Payoff ranges from 5 to 1 for three of a kind to 1000 to 1 for royal flush. Payoffs are paid regardless of whether any other bets pay.