3 Card Poker Real Money
Games involving three cards have been around for a very long time, most notably the game of three card brag, which goes back to the 16th century. Three card games are fairly new to the casino world though, but it does offer the benefit of simplicity which both casinos and casino players tend to love.
Real Money Three Card Poker is a widely played poker variant in casinos globally with three-card hands. It is believed to be originated from the British card game version “Brag”. 52 decks of playing cards are used on a betting surface specifically for this game. Three card poker is played with 3 cards and offers simple betting. Before the game starts, each player needs to decide what bet to place. Unlike traditional poker, three cards draw poker, is a game played against the dealer or casino no other players. Because there is no pot system some games are played without the compulsory ante bet.
Poker has a rich history and is a game that people have really enjoyed playing for a long time, and casinos often will offer it in several forms, although the action does tend to be on the slower side compared to most casino games. In particular, the thought process of players can often result in more deliberation than the casino would prefer, and casinos make money by the hour basically, so the slower the action, the less they tend to make.
This is why, with casino poker, the decisions by the players are simplified, even though there still may be some strategy involved. The art of bluffing is taken out of the game entirely, as is the concern about what hands your opponents may hold, and the goal is to get the games to proceed much like blackjack, where players are simply making decisions whether to stay or fold, much like blackjack has them deciding whether to hit or stand.
Poker slot game will keep you interested for long. It combines the characteristics of classic one-armed bandit with the theme of poker and unusual system of bets. There are two modes to choose from: for free and for real money.
So three card poker was invented by poker player Derek Webb in 1994 to come up with a fast paced version that combined the excitement of poker with the speed that casinos desire, and was also easy for players to understand.
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Casinos didn’t exactly line up to roll out the new game though and it’s not always easy to promote a new casino game, as while casinos are somewhat open to new ideas, new games compete alongside ones that are already well tried and true and you have to show them that they will really benefit from running a new one.
So after Webb failed to convince casino owners in Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City to give three card poker a try, he then tried his luck at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he agreed to personally train their dealers and teach players the rules for free.
The game proved to be successful and now we see three card poker being offered at a variety of casinos, both live and online. It certainly does have an appeal of its own and a lot of that appeal is indeed the very fast pace of the game, where you can pack a whole lot of action in per hour.
How Three Card Poker Works
Since the game is called three card poker, players are dealt three cards each, and they look to make the best poker hand with them. Actually this is not even a matter of making the best poker hand, it is simply a matter of seeing what poker hand one is dealt, and then comparing it with the three card poker hand dealt to the dealer, and seeing who wins.
So there are no cards drawn here, the cards are just dealt and then revealed and based upon this result, bets are paid out or not. It’s not hard to see that this game was specifically built for speed and achieves this goal very well.
Prior to the deal, players may place two forms of bets, the ante and the pair plus bet. In some casinos the ante is mandatory, but players of course must place one or the other form of bets, or both, in order to participate.
After a player gets dealt his or her hand, they may either fold or place a “play” wager equal to the ante. If they fold, they forfeit the bets they already have made. If they play on, and the dealer does not have a qualifying hand of a queen high or better, the ante bet gets paid out 1:1 and the play bet is returned.
If the dealer has a qualifying hand, and the player wins, both the ante and the play wagers get paid out 1:1. If not, the bets are lost. If the player has a pair or better and placed a pair plus wager, they get paid out according to the strength of the hand, with a pair paying 1:1 and stronger hands earning higher payouts.
How To Play Three Card Poker
Unlike some casino games, the strategy with three card poker is very straightforward. Technically, players should fold hands weaker than Q-6-4, which is easy to remember, although playing on with a queen or better hand is very close to optimal and is also one that players can remember even more easily.
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Making pair plus bets should actually be avoided, as the house edge with these bets is quite a bit higher than with the ante and play bets, which is often the case with additional optional bets at casino games generally. The ante and play bets have a very acceptable house edge of around 2%, where the pair plus bets tend to have considerably poorer odds for the player.
Overall, three card poker is a very simple and relaxing way to gamble, which is interesting enough to capture the interest of a lot of players and therefore provide a most entertaining way of spending time at a casino.
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Many casino games have been around for centuries, but in recent decades, new favorites have emerged to give players new options for their gambling dollars. One of the most popular new games is Three Card Poker, a game that is simple to play but offers big payouts for players who get dealt the right hands. Real money online Three Card Poker is one of the most popular games at most online casinos, in large part because both the rules and strategy of the game are easy enough to learn in just a few minutes.
Where to Play Three Card Poker Online
Three Card Poker is offered at most online casinos, though it is sometimes offered under alternative names for legal reasons. These games, with names like Tri-Card Poker, may also have some cosmetic differences from the Three Card Poker games we describe here. However, none of these changes affect the strategy or odds of the game.
The key thing to watch for when playing Three Card Poker online is the pay tables being used. Most casinos use the standard ante bonus pay table, but the PairPlus payouts can vary dramatically. Other than that, though, most online Three Card Poker games should play similarly.
How to Play Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker is really two games in one. When you play online Three Card Poker for money, you can choose to play either or both games. We’ll cover the two games separately, starting with the simpler of the two. Both games begin with each player receiving a three-card hand; the dealer will also get a hand. All hands are face down, though players may examine their own cards.
PairPlus Rules
The PairPlus bet is often seen as a side bet; however, it’s actually a game that may be played even without making the ante bet. The PairPlus bet pays out if the three-card hand the player is dealt is strong enough. As the name of the bet implies, players need at least a pair in order to win. The best pay table commonly offered is as follows:
- Straight Flush: 40-1
- Three of a Kind: 30-1
- Straight: 6-1
- Flush: 4-1
- Pair: 1-1
Ante Bet Rules
The ante bet is normally seen as the standard Three Card Poker bet, as most of the action at the table revolves around resolving it. The ante bet also allows players to incorporate some strategy, unlike the PairPlus bet, which is entirely based on luck.
3 Card Poker Money Glitch
After receiving and taking a look at their cards, all players who have made the ante bet now have a decision to make. Players can choose to fold – forfeiting their ante bet – or make a second play (or raise) bet of equal size if they wish to stay in the hand.
Once all players have chosen to play or fold, the dealer reveals his hand. The dealer must have at least a queen-high to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify, all players remaining in the hand win even money on their play bet, while all ante bets push.
If the dealer does qualify, the dealer and player hands are compared. If the player hand is better, the player wins even money on both the play and ante bets; if the dealer hand is stronger, then all player bets lose. Three Card Poker rankings are as follows:
- Straight Flush
- Three of a Kind
- Straight
- Flush
- Pair
- High Card
In addition, there is an ante bonus that is paid on hands of a straight or stronger. This bonus should be paid whether the player wins or loses. The most common pay table for the ante bonus is as follows:
- Straight Flush: 5-1
- Three of a Kind: 4-1
- Straight: 1-1
Keep in mind that neither the ante bonus nor PairPlus pay tables are set in stone, and both have several variations that can be seen at different casinos. When playing online Three Card Poker for real money, always check the pay table before playing if you want to be sure about the payouts for various hands.
Online Three Card Poker Strategy
If you’re going to play Three Card Poker online, it’s worth memorizing the very simple strategy required to get the most out of the game. First, let’s state the obvious: the PairPlus bet has no strategic element. You’re paid based on what you’re dealt, and you have no control over that, so that bet is entirely luck-based.
On the other hand, the ante bet does require you to make a decision on whether or not to play each hand. The optimal real money online Three Card Poker strategy is to play all hands of queen/six/four or better (including all pairs and better hands), and fold everything that’s worse. If even that feels like too much to memorize, you can simply copy the dealer’s strategy and play any queen-high hand; this will add a tiny bit to the house edge, but comes relatively close to the optimal strategy.
If you play in a real money Three Card Poker game using the ante bonus table we outlined above, the house edge is 3.37% with optimal strategy. As we said earlier, using a simpler “queen-high” strategy is almost as good, raising the house edge to just 3.45%. the house edge on the PairPlus bet can vary significantly depending on the pay table; the table we used in our example above is the best one you’ll find, and has a house edge of 2.32%. Another common pay table reduces the amount paid for a straight from 6-1 to 5-1, which raises the house edge to 5.57%.