- Three Card Poker Table Games. Three Card Poker is the most popular table game added at casinos worldwide in the last twenty years. Its inventor, Englishman Derek Webb, toiled for years as a professional poker player and was convinced that a table game could capture the public’s interest in poker, even if it didn’t use the standard five-card hand.
- 3 Card Poker Rules: Hot table game Three Card Poker has gained popularity not only because it’s fun, but because it’s also easy to learn. Three Card Poker is like getting two Las Vegas casino games in one. Not only can you play against the dealer, you can also win based on how good your cards are.
Three Card Poker is a simple and fun Casino game based on Poker 3-Card Poker requires a strategy but a very straightforward one How to play Three Card Poker is explained in this article Three Card.
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Three Card Poker is the most popular table game added at casinos worldwide in the last twenty years. Its inventor, Englishman Derek Webb, toiled for years as a professional poker player and was convinced that a table game could capture the public’s interest in poker, even if it didn’t use the standard five-card hand.
The simplicity of the game may have been a great selling point when Webb first came to the US trying to get a casino or two to sign-on for a field trial, but he ingratiated himself with the casino brass by telling them that he would stay on property, train their dealers to deal his new game, and also train the first influx of new players on the game.
That meet-and-greet he did with the players was probably the most important aspect of getting them to try the game, but the fun of winning at Three Card Poker is what really sells the game! The first time I met Derek Webb was at the Atlantis casino in Reno, where the game had just been introduced to players in Nevada. After reading the easy rules I understood why players would be attracted; the game was easy to play, included an even-money payoff that happened regularly, and also had a big payoff for big hands.
To stabilize the game and give the house its 3.61% edge, the house pays the Ante wager any time the player’s hand is higher than the dealer’s hand. However, to qualify and also have action on the Play bet, the dealer must have a hand of at least Queen-high. If not, the Play wager is a push and no chips are exchanged. In addition, the player must always wager on the Play spot or fold their hand and lose their original Ante wager!
To keep the game exciting, the Ante payoff is always 1 to 1, or even money, but a special bonus is paid on certain hands:
- Straight Flush – 5 to 1
- Three of a Kind – 4 to 1
- Straight – 1 to 1
That’s all there is to the Ante and Play wagers. To make the game more exciting, players may also wager on the Pair Plus, where
payoffs are as high as 40 to 1.
Pair Plus Payoffs
- One Pair – 1 to 1
- Flush – 4 to 1
- Straight – 6 to 1
- 3 of a Kind – 30 to 1
- Straight Flush – 40 to 1
The Pair Plush wager does make the game more exciting, but I learned that you have to be patient waiting for payoffs. The house edge is higher, at 7.28%, but if you play both the Ante and Pair Plus, the house overall edge on your total wagers is closer to 5.45% which is about what a double-zero roulette wheel offers, and the game is leisurely, so you won’t get nearly as many hands per hour as blackjack.
Mini-Royal
In 2007, some casinos began offering a Mini-Royal bonus, which is a 50-1 payoff for any Ace-King-Queen suited hand. With the higher payout the house edge falls, but the option is only available at a few casinos: the Borgata in Atlantic City, Casino Arizona in Arizona, Galewind Internet Casinos, and the Wynn in Las Vegas.
Three Card Poker Strategy
Progressive
In 2009, a progressive jackpot was also added to the game. This optional feature is a $1 wager that wins a further bonus on any three of a kind, a straight flush, a Mini-Royal, or the progressive amount on a Mini-Royal in spades.
Prime
In 2010, a further feature was added to some Three Card Poker games called Prime, which is another wager that is won if the players three cards are all one color (pays 3 to 1) or if the player’s and the dealer’s cards are all one color (pays 4 to 1).
6 Card Bonus
As the game continues to evolve, another wager is also available at some casinos on the final outcome of the combined hand of the player and dealer. This wager pays on the best 5-card hand that can be made, from three-of-a-kind to a Royal Flush, and may even include a 6-card Super Royal payoff of 200,000 to 1. However, this bet starts with a house edge of just over 8% and runs to nearly 19%, depending on the payout chart used by the casino. Play at your own risk!
The simple strategy for playing Three Card Poker is to play just the Ante and Play wagers and you’ll experience the smallest house edge. Make the Play wager when you hold a hand of Queen-6-4 or higher, fold your hand when you don’t.If you want more action, play the Pair Plus for the same amount as your Ante bet. The Pair Plus won’t pay out as often, but when you hit a hand it will make up for a lot of bad hands. The other wagers like the Progressive, Prime and 6-card bonus will all increase your total bet and the total house edge.
Keep in mind that the more you bet and the higher the edge, the more it costs per hand to enjoy your casino gaming!
Three Card Poker is a casino table game based on poker.
- 2Rules
History[edit]
The casino variant of Three Card Poker was first created by Derek Webb in 1994 and patented in 1997.[1] Webb's goal was to create a version of poker that played with the speed of other table games. It was important to Webb that he got the correct mix of three important factors for any casino game: the game rules were easy to understand, the payouts were large enough to attract players, and the house edge was enough that casino owners would be interested in adopting the game.
Webb established a business called Prime Table Games to market the game in both the United States and United Kingdom.[2] The British Casino Association, now known as the National Casino Industry Forum (NCiF) suggested that Webb gain some experience in the US first, since the UK had regulations against such a table game and his application was not strong enough to convince regulators to make significant changes to their rules and regulations for a new game.
The first to adopt the game was Barry Morris, Vice President of Grand Casino Gulfport in Mississippi, after Webb had unsuccessful sales pitches with casino owners in Reno, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City. A key aspect of Webb's offer to Morris was to stand on the floor to train the dealers himself, as well as watch to make sure the game was being played correctly.[3] United Kingdom gambling regulations were changed to allow the introduction of Three Card Poker in 2002.
Prime Table Games continued marketing Three Card Poker until 1999, when Shuffle Master acquired the rights to the game outside the British Isles. The sale was prompted by a lawsuit filed that year in US federal court by Progressive Gaming International Corporation (PGIC), the then-owners of Caribbean stud poker, alleging patent infringement; Shuffle Master agreed to defend that litigation as part of the purchase. Subsequently in 2007, Prime Table Games showed in a countersuit that the 1999 PGIC litigation was based on invalid patent claims; PGIC settled for $20 million.[4] Further, Prime Table Games filed suit against Shuffle Master in 2008 alleging in part that Shuffle Master had undisclosed knowledge that the PGIC claims were invalid prior to the 1999 purchase; it was later settled for over $2 million.[5]
Rules[edit]
Three Card Poker is played as heads-up between the player's hand and the dealer's hand. After all ante wagers are placed, three cards are dealt to each player and the dealer. Players have a choice to either fold or continue in the game by placing a 'play' wager equal to their ante. Hands are then exposed and wagers resolved.[6]
The dealer's hand must be Queen high or better for the dealer hand to play. If the dealer does not play, then there is no action on play wagers and ante wagers are paid 1 to 1. If the dealer does play, the dealer and player hands are compared. If the player hand loses, both the ante and play wagers are lost. If the player hand wins both the ante and play wagers are paid 1 to 1. If the hands are tied, then there is no action on either wager.[6]
Additional optional bets are offered. The Pair Plus wager is a bet that the player's hand will be a pair or better. The Pair Plus wager wins if the player has at least a pair of twos. The payoff applies regardless of the dealer's hand, as the Pair Plus wager is not in competition against the dealer's hand. Some casinos also offer an Ante Bonus, which is paid on the ante wager for a straight or better. The typical Ante Bonus paytable pays 5 to 1 for a straight flush, 4 to 1 for a three of a kind, and 1 to 1 for a straight. Like the Pair Plus wager, the Ante Bonus pays regardless of whether that hand beats the dealer's hand.[6]
Hand ranks[edit]
Straight flushThree of a kind
Straight
Flush
Pair
High card
| Hand Ranks of Three Card Poker | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Description | Frequency | Probability |
| Straight flush | Three suited cards in sequence | 48 | 0.22% |
| Three of a kind | Three cards of same rank | 52 | 0.24% |
| Straight | Three cards in sequence | 720 | 3.26% |
| Flush | Three suited cards | 1,096 | 4.96% |
| Pair | Two cards of same rank | 3,744 | 16.94% |
| High card | None of the above | 16,440 | 74.39% |
| Total hands | - | 22,100 | - |
Probability of Queen high or better is 69.59%
Variations[edit]
Some venues have added a wager called Prime in United Kingdom casinos and the game is known as Prime Three Card Poker. The Prime wager is optionally placed before cards are dealt and pays on the color of the player cards. If all three cards are the same color the payoff is 3 to 1. However, when included with the dealer hand if all six cards are the same color then the payoff is increased to 4 to 1.
Another variation is 'six card bonus', in which the players are given a payout based on the best five-card poker hand that can be made using any combination of the player's three cards and the dealer's three cards. Payoff ranges from 5 to 1 for three of a kind to 1000 to 1 for royal flush. Payoffs are paid regardless of whether any other bets pay.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Three Card Poker'. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^'Intellectual Property Office patent entry'. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ^'3CardPoker.com'. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
- ^Stutz, Howard (November 7, 2007). 'Progressive agrees to pay $20 million to end lawsuit'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^Stutz, Howard (January 14, 2011). 'Charge hurts Shuffle Master earnings'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ abcMatt Villano (August 27, 2014). 'Winning a 3-card poker can be tough'. SfGate.