Free 3 Card Poker / 3 card poker rules
3 card poker rules
In 3 card poker you and the dealer each get three cards. You bet an Ante, then either fold or make a Play bet equal to the Ante. The dealer needs queen high or better to qualify. A separate Pair Plus bet pays on your hand alone.
The deck and the deal
The game uses one standard 52-card deck with no jokers. It is shuffled before every hand. You get three cards face up, and the dealer gets three cards face down. There is no drawing and no swapping cards: the three you get are your hand.
The bets
| Bet | When | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Ante | Before the deal | Your bet against the dealer. |
| Pair Plus | Before the deal | A bet that your three cards make a pair or better. Optional. |
| Play | After you see your cards | Equal to your Ante. Making it means you stay in the hand. |
You can bet the Ante alone, Pair Plus alone, or both.
Play or fold
After seeing your cards, you choose. To play, you put a bet equal to your Ante on the Play spot. To fold, you give up the hand. Folding loses the Ante and the Pair Plus bet. You can't change the size of the Play bet; it always matches the Ante.
When the dealer qualifies
The dealer qualifies with queen high or better. Queen-2-3 qualifies. Jack-10-8 does not. Any pair, flush, straight or better qualifies. The dealer qualifies on about 70% of hands.
| Result | Ante | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer doesn't qualify | Pays 1 to 1 | Push (returned) |
| Dealer qualifies, you win | Pays 1 to 1 | Pays 1 to 1 |
| Dealer qualifies, dealer wins | Loses | Loses |
| Dealer qualifies, exact tie | Push | Push |
Hand rankings
Best to worst: straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair, high card. A-K-Q is the highest straight and A-2-3 the lowest. There is no two pair, full house or four of a kind with three cards. Suits never rank. Hands, with odds.
How ties are broken
- High card and flush: compare the highest card, then the second, then the third.
- Pair: the higher pair wins. Same pair? The third card decides it.
- Straight and straight flush: the higher top card wins. A-2-3 counts as 3 high, the lowest.
- Three of a kind: the higher rank wins. With one deck, two hands can't both hold the same three of a kind.
Only when all three ranks match is it a tie, and then the Ante and Play both push.
The Ante Bonus
When you play a straight or better, you get an extra payout on your Ante. It is paid whether the dealer qualifies or not, and whether you win or lose the hand.
| Hand | Ante Bonus |
|---|---|
| Straight flush | 5 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 4 to 1 |
| Straight | 1 to 1 |
Pair Plus
Pair Plus pays on your three cards against a fixed table. The dealer's hand and whether the dealer qualifies don't matter. The table played here: pair 1 to 1, flush 4 to 1, straight 6 to 1, three of a kind 30 to 1, straight flush 40 to 1. More on Pair Plus.
What "1 to 1" means
Odds "to 1" mean you win that many times your bet and keep the bet. A 10 Pair Plus bet on a flush at 4 to 1 wins 40 and you keep your 10.
The rule that matters most
The rules leave you one choice per hand. Play queen-6-4 or better and fold the rest. 3 card poker strategy.
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Questions
What does the dealer need to qualify in 3 card poker?
Queen high or better. Any hand with a queen, king or ace, or any pair or better, qualifies. Jack high or lower does not.
What happens on a tie in 3 card poker?
If your hand and the dealer's qualifying hand match card for card, the Ante and Play both push. Suits don't break ties.
Does folding lose the Pair Plus bet?
Yes. Folding gives up the whole hand, Ante and Pair Plus. Every hand worth folding is high card, which loses Pair Plus anyway.
Is the Ante Bonus paid if I lose to the dealer?
Yes. The Ante Bonus is paid whenever you play a straight or better, win or lose, qualified dealer or not.
Is A-2-3 a straight in 3 card poker?
Yes, and it is the lowest straight. A-K-Q is the highest. K-A-2 is not a straight.
More: How to play 3 card poker · 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