Play Three Card Poker Online

Three Card Poker is a game that has been popular in land casinos and now becoming very popular in the online version of casinos. The game was first invented 16 years ago, in 1994, when Derek Webb wanted a different way to play the game. It was originally called Bit Brig and Casino Poker. The game is played with one 52-card deck.

Basic Rules
Just like all casino games, Three Card Poker has a special set of rules that is essential to know before beginning. Some places deal with the abuse of rules differently than others, and players do not want to risk losing their privilege to play by breaking the rules. Here are a few rules that you should know regarding the game of Three Card Poker.

* The dealer must have queen or higher for his/her hand to play.

* Do not, under any circumstances reach for any chips once the hand has been played.

* Do not communicate with other players at the table regarding what your/their cards are.

How to Play
When playing three-card poker, you have two options of how to play. You can either play the Ante mode and the Play mode. This game is played against the dealer (house) and not against other live players. When you play the pair plus mode, you only get paid if you have a pair, no matter if you beat the dealer or not. The ante is the amount you are wagering on that particular hand. All games will have a minimum ante and a maximum ante. Be sure to check these before you start playing. Once all antes have been made, each player will be dealt three cards face down. After you get your cards, players have have bet ante have a chance to bet the same amount as your ante, or folding, and avoid losing any more money. After all decisions are made, players expose their cards, as does the dealer. If the dealer has a hand that doesn’t play, ante wagers are payed 1 to 1, and there is no action on play wager. If the dealer’s hand does play, the hands are compared and if the dealer wins, he/she will take the money and cards. If the player beats the dealer, the money won will be handed out.

Payouts and Odds
When you are playing Three Card Poker, you should always know the odds of each hand you may win with. When playing the pair plus version of the game, the following odds are typically paid out for at all casinos, except for those in the United Kingdom. Casino’s in the UK, typically pay out a bit less. The top hand you can have is a straight flush, and only using three cards, that would be the Queen, King and Ace of the same suit. Suits are hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. This pays out 40 to 1, which means a $10 bet would garner you $ 400. Next is the three of a kind. Obviously this would be three cards the same number (for example, 5, 5, 5). This pays out 30 to 1. Next is a straight, which are three cards in a row (for example – 6, 7, 8) no matter what the suit is. This pays out 6 to 1. A flush is next, and it pays out 4 to 1. A flush is three cards of the same suit. Last is a pair, which is two cards, the same number. This simply pays 1 to 1. The house edge is any where from 2% - 7%. There is also a version of “Ante Bonus”, where it pays out Straight Flush, Three of a Kind and Straight. Your chances at the following hands are as followed:

* Straight Flush - .22%
* 3 of a Kind - .24%
* Straight – 3.26%
* Flush – 4.96%
* Pair – 16.94%