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Three Card Poker – How to play it? A Strategy guide
Three card poker is a form of poker most commonly seen in casino table games. Three card poker can surely be traced back to origins poker. As with many forms of poker the exact history of three card is unclear. However, the first evidence of three card poker was played in the 16th century British game called “Brag.” Brag was a card game played by British royal courts that was played in gambling sessions hosted by the kings and queens. Hoyle added the rules of the game to its handbook of card games in 1983. Three card poker reached the casinos first in 1994 when it was introduced by Derek Webb. This form of 3 card poker is the most common found in the poker world today.
Three Card Poker Rules
So how do you play three card poker? Three card poker has two parts, the ante and play part and the pairs plus part which requires a separate wager. The ante wager is the initial bet that is required to enter the game and play. The pairs plus wager is a wager in which you betting that your hand is going to make a pair or better. The play part is when you decide to make a bet after seeing your cards. The table is set up with 3 different betting sections. One section is for the ante, one for the play, and one for the pairs plus. To start play each player places an ante wager on the board. Some casinos the ante part is optional but most require it. Players may also place a pairs plus wager. Then players are dealt 3 cards face down. As with most casino table games players are competing with the “house” or dealer. Players then look at their cards and determine if they want to place a bet or fold. If a player does decide to place a bet it must be equal to the initial ante bet. The dealer’s hand only qualifies against the players hands when it contains at least a queen high. If it does not have a queen or better then all players who have not folded receives even money on their ante bet and their play bet is returned. If the dealer’s hand does qualify then the hands are then compared. Here are the ranking of hands:
1. Straight flush,
2. Three of a kind,
3. Straight,
4. Flush,
5. Pair,
6. High card hand.
If there is a tie then the player always wins. Usually there are bonuses paid out to straight flushes, three of a kind, and straights which vary from casino to casino and range from 3 to 1 pay out all the way up to 5 to 1. The pairs plus wager made at the beginning of the hand is also determined. Since it is a side bet it is not involved in the player’s hand versus the dealer. The pairs plus bet is paid out when a player holds a hand with a pair or better regardless if the dealer qualifies or not. Again the payout varies from casino to casino but most pay range paying out with a 40 to 1 payout for straight flushes, three of a kind usually 25 to 1, straights payout usually 5 to 1, flushes 3 to 1 and pairs are even money.
Three Card Poker Strategy Guide
There is not a great deal of strategy in playing three card poker. When playing this game consider these few basic decisions. As with any form of poker the first thing to determine is whether or not to play or fold. The best strategy is to only play if your hand is a Q-6-4 or better. Remember, the dealer only qualifies with a queen high or better so you are only going to beat or tie that hand if you at least have a queen. Another thing to consider is whether you want to place a pairs plus bet. In general most pairs plus bets should be avoided in casinos because the high house edge and your payout will be minimal. Before you decide to play in any three card poker game consider the payout odds. Of course if you are a specialist at the game then you can play in a game with any odds. However, if you want to only play in a game where the odds are good then a game with ante bet bonus structure of 5/4/1 is best. Anything less than that you should not sit down and play in.
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