The rules of Three Card Poker are easy to understand once you get to grips with the basics. Three Card Poker has not just one but two betting options which are the Ante and Pair Plus. A player must place a bet on at least one of these options before the game begins.

A standard deck of 52 cards is used to play Three Card Poker with hands ranked in a similar manner to holdem as described in our Three Card Poker Hand Rankings article.

Unlike the game of Texas Holdem, playing Three Card Poker you simply play against the dealer, with you and the dealer receiving 3 cards.

Pair Plus

The Three Card Poker Pair Plus wager is not against the dealers hand. It is a single bet that pays out on a hand of a pair or greater to set odds.  The actual odds you receive vary from casino to casino with in many cases online casinos offering better odds than live casinos. If you intend to play online then we strongly suggest UK players play at Virgin Casino whilst players from other countries such play at 7Red Casino. Virgin Casino & 7Red Casino offer great odds plus fast cash outs and honest game play.

Pair Plus Odds

Straight Flush – 40/1

Three of a Kind – 30/1

Straight – 6/1

Flush – 4/1

Pair – 1/1

Ante Bet

Before any cards are dealt by the dealer the player must place an Ante bet. Once the Ante bet is placed, the cards are dealt and the player must decide to fold or play.

If the player folds then the Ante bet is lost. If the player decides to play then the player must make another bet that is equal to the initial Ante bet.

Showdown

If the player decides to play then the dealers hand is revealed, although the dealer must have a queen high hand or better to play against the player. If the dealers hand is less than queen high then the player wins even money on his bets placed.

If the dealers hand is better than queen high then the dealers hand plays against the player. For example is the dealer has a pair of 8’s and the player has a pair of 7’s then the player would lose both bets placed. If the player’s hand beats the dealers hand then the player wins even money on the bets placed.

Ante Bonus Payout

If the player’s hand is a straight or great then a bonus is paid to the player even if the player’s hand is outranked by the dealer’ s hand. The bonuses are as below.

Straight Flush – 5/1

Three of a Kind – 4/1

Straight – 1/1

Before playing for real money take the time to practice using our free Three Card Poker game to get a feel for the game.