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How to play 3 card poker

3 card poker is you against the dealer with three cards each. You bet, look at your cards, and decide to play or fold. If you play, your hand goes up against the dealer's. There is one decision per hand, and one rule tells you how to make it.

One hand, step by step

  1. Bet. Put chips on the Ante, on Pair Plus, or on both. The Ante plays against the dealer. Pair Plus is paid on your three cards alone.
  2. Deal. You get three cards face up. The dealer gets three cards face down. A fresh 52-card deck is shuffled for every hand.
  3. Play or fold. If you bet the Ante, you now choose. Play means putting a second bet, equal to your Ante, on the Play spot. Fold means giving up the hand and losing your Ante and any Pair Plus bet.
  4. The dealer shows. The dealer turns over three cards. The dealer needs queen high or better to qualify.
  5. Get paid. Your Ante and Play are settled against the dealer, your Pair Plus is paid by its table, and an Ante Bonus is paid on a straight or better.

When the dealer doesn't qualify

If the dealer's best card is a jack or lower and there is no pair, the dealer does not qualify. Your Ante pays 1 to 1 and your Play bet comes back to you. It doesn't matter what you hold. This happens on about 30% of hands.

When the dealer qualifies

The higher hand wins. If you win, the Ante and the Play each pay 1 to 1. If the dealer wins, you lose both. If the hands are exactly the same, both bets push. Ties are rare, well under one hand in a thousand.

The hands, best to worst

With three cards there are six hands: straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair, high card. A straight beats a flush here, because with three cards a straight is harder to make. 3 card poker hands, ranked.

The only decision: play or fold

Play any hand that is queen-6-4 or better. Fold anything worse. That means you play every pair or better, every ace high, every king high, and queen high when the next two cards are 6-4 or higher. You fold queen-6-3, queen-5-anything, and every jack high or lower. Following this rule, you play about two hands in three. Why Q-6-4 is the line.

The two bonus payouts

An example hand

You bet 10 on the Ante and 5 on Pair Plus. You are dealt 7-8-9 of mixed suits, a straight. You play, adding 10 on Play. The dealer shows king-jack-4, which qualifies. Your straight wins: Ante pays 10, Play pays 10, the Ante Bonus pays 10 for the straight, and Pair Plus pays 30. You are up 60 on the hand. Every payout.

Try it for free

The quickest way to learn is to play a few dozen hands. Our table deals the same game with play money, and it tells you after each decision whether play or fold was right. Practice 3 card poker.

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Questions

Should you ever fold in 3 card poker?

Yes. Fold any hand worse than queen-6-4, which is about one hand in three. Playing every hand more than doubles what the game costs you over time.

When should you bet in 3 card poker?

Make the Play bet whenever you hold queen-6-4 or better: any pair or better, any ace high, any king high, and queen high with 6-4 or better behind it.

Can I bet only Pair Plus?

Yes. With only Pair Plus there is nothing to decide. You are paid if your three cards make a pair or better, no matter what the dealer has.

What happens if the dealer doesn't qualify?

Your Ante pays 1 to 1 and your Play bet is returned. The dealer qualifies with queen high or better.

Is 3 card poker luck or skill?

Mostly luck. The only skill is the play-or-fold decision, and the Q-6-4 rule covers it completely. Learn that one rule and you are playing the game correctly.

More: 3 card poker rules · 3 card poker strategy · 3 card poker payouts · 3 card poker hands · 3 card poker odds · Pair Plus in 3 card poker · The 6 Card Bonus in 3 card poker · How to win at 3 card poker · Practice 3 card poker