How to Play Three Card Poker

The game of Three Card Poker is played between a Dealer and a Player with a 52-card deck. Tri-Card Poker is two games consisting of the Ante/Play and Pair Plus. The object in the Ante and Play (raise) portion is to receive a higher 3-card poker hand than the Dealer. The object of the Pair Plus game is simply to bet on whether you will receive a 3-card poker hand with any pair or better. The Player may bet on either or both games for any amount within the posted table limit. The bets do not have to be equal amounts.

 Three Card Poker Rules:

·        Cards are dealt from a single deck.

·        Both Dealer and Player receive three cards. The Dealer’s cards are dealt face down.

·        Pair Plus winnings are paid based on the pay table located below.

·        Cards are reshuffled after each hand.

·         Please note: Any three-card straight outranks any three-card flush.

Card Values

Cards are ranked from 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, with 2 being lowest and ace being highest.

The Ante Bet

After placing an Ante bet the Player is dealt 3 cards face up and the Dealer receives 3 cards face down. If the Player does not believe the hand can beat the Dealer, the Player can fold the hand and the bet is lost.

If the Player believes his or her hand can beat the Dealer’s hand, the Player must Raise with a bet equal to the Ante amount. After Raising, the Dealer will reveal his or her cards. If the Dealer has a Queen or higher he will then compare his hand to the Player, the winner being the highest ranked poker hand. If the Dealer has the higher hand the player loses both the Ante and Play (Raise) bets. If the Dealer does not have at least a Queen, the Dealer does not compare hands. The Player is paid 1/1 on the Ante bet and the Raise is returned as a push. If the Player has a straight or better, the Player is paid an Ante bonus according to the chart on the left of the table.

The Pair Plus

The Pair Plus is won if the Player's hand is dealt a pair or higher. The Pair Plus bet is a separate bet that is not measured against the Dealer's hand, it is paid out based on the rank of the hand dealt (see chart below). If the Player bets on the Ante and folds the hand, the Pair Plus bet is also forfeited.

The Player can win:

·        Ante - If the Player’s 3-card poker hand outranks the Dealer’s hand, or if the Player Raises and the Dealer does not qualify with at least a Queen.

·        Raise - If the Player’s 3-card poker hand outranks the Dealer’s hand and the Dealer qualifies by having at least a Queen as a high card.

·         Pair Plus - If the Player is dealt a pair or higher.

The Player loses:

·        Ante - If the Player folds or the Dealer has a higher ranked 3-card poker hand.

·        Raise - If the Dealer has a higher ranked 3-card poker hand.

·         Pair Plus - If the Player does not receive a minimum of a pair, when dealt three cards.

Player Actions/Button Descriptions for Online Games

Bet - To place an Ante bet, the Player must click on the Ante circle and then the chip value that he or she wishes to bet. To place a Pair Plus bet, click on the Pair+ diamond and then the chip value.

Deal - Press Deal to begin the game once a bet has been placed. The Player gets three cards face up and the Dealer gets three cards face down.

Raise - If the Player feels that he or she can beat the Dealer, he or she clicks Raise to continue. The Raise amount will be equal to the Ante. The Dealer's cards are then revealed and compared to the Player's hand to determine a winner.

Fold - Clicking on the Fold button ends the current game and forfeits the Ante and Pair Plus bets.

Play In a Land-Based Casino
There are two play options: the Ante wager, which pits a player's hand vs. the dealer's hand, and Pair Plus, which involves simply making the best hand you can.

To play the first option, the player places a wager, and the dealer deals three cards, face down, to each player, followed by three cards, also face down, to himself. Based on his own three-card hand, a player can fold and forfeit, or he can make a bet equal to the original ante. Once all players have made their decisions, the dealer reveals his three cards. The dealer must have at least a queen high to stay in play. If he does not, the players' antes are paid even money, and their additional wagers are returned to them.

If the dealer's hand does qualify, and his hand beats a player's hand, the player loses the ante and the additional wager. If the dealer's hand is beaten by a player's hand, the player wins even money on both the ante and the additional wager.

To play Pair Plus, place a wager on the Pair Plus spot on the table. The dealer deals three cards to the player. If the player's hand contains a pair or better, he wins. The Pair Plus payouts: one pair, 1 to 1; a flush, 4 to 1; a straight, 6 to 1; three of a Kind, 30 to 1; a straight flush, 40 to 1.

To play both Ante/Play and Pair Plus, you must make a play wager when you make the ante. The Ante and Pair Plus wagers can be different amounts, but if you fold on the Ante bet, you also lose the Pair Plus wager.

Payouts

Pair Plus

Pairplus is a simple bet on the cards with a payout for all hands of a pair or better. Below are probabilities and six examples of actual payout tables used by some casinos

Normal Ante and Play Game Play

For ante and play, the player places an ante bet before receiving his cards. The player is then dealt his cards and after seeing them, the player can fold his cards and lose the ante bet, or raise by placing out a bet of equal money to the ante bet. If he chooses to play, there are three possibilities. The first is that the dealer does not 'qualify'. To qualify, the dealer must have a hand of a queen high or better. If the dealer does not qualify, the ante bet is paid out even money, but the play bet is simply returned. If the dealer does qualify, the player wins if his hand is of higher value than the dealer's, and gets paid out even money on both his ante and play bets. If the dealer's hand is of higher value, the dealer takes the Ante and Play bets. Rules vary on what happens when the hands are of exactly equal value: some say that the player simply gets his money back, but others say that the player is paid even money on his bet.

If the player decides to make the Play bet, the dealer's hand is revealed and a showdown occurs. If the dealer has a Queen high or better the hand is said to qualify. The result of the hand is determined as follows with the rank of hands compared if the dealer qualifies:

The Ante Bonus

In addition to normal ante/play game play, there is a bonus payout on the ante bet for especially good hands.

These bonus payouts are paid only on the ante bet for any player who chooses to play, regardless of whether the dealer qualifies or whether the player wins or loses

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