3-Card Poker is one of the most popular variations of poker in the world. The game strips away the complexity of other poker variations, with players simply being dealt cards and needing a better hand to than the dealer. In this part of our how to play poker, we explore 3-card poker, explaining its rules, side bets, and more.
3-Card Poker is a lot less complicated than other traditional poker games and can be an excellent way into the world of poker for beginners. The game breaks down into the following stages.
At the start of a 3-Card Poker game, the ante is posted. This is the player’s opening bet and it is played before any cards are dealt.
When players play their ante, they also have the option to bet on any side bets. This includes Pair Plus and 6 card-bonus, which we will cover later in this how-to-play 3-Card Poker online game guide. Once these have been placed, the game can begin.
When all bets have been placed, the player and the dealer are both dealt three cards. The players cards are face-up and the dealer’s cards are face-down.
Now, the player can see their cards; they have to decide whether to fold or play. If they fold, the ante is lost. If they play, they make a second bet based on the outcome of their hand that is equal to the ante.
With all bets placed, the dealer reveals his hand. The dealer’s hand is only compared to the player’s if it is queen-high (a hand with no pairs, flushes, straights, flushes, or three-of-a-kind with the queen as the highest ranking card). If the dealer’s hand is worse than this, the ante bet is paid at evens. Otherwise, the hand will have one of three outcomes: a straight-flush, three-of-a-kind, or a straight. The rank is then compared to yours and paid out if it wins.
The rules for playing 3-Card Poker are straightforward. The following rules are applied to all versions of the game:
The game is played with a 52-card deck.
The ante must be placed before any hands are dealt.
Each player will receive only three cards.
The aim of the game is to beat the dealer’s hand.
Players can either raise, match the ante, or fold.
Hands are compared to the dealer’s hand, providing the dealer has a hand with a queen-high or of better value.
Players should remember that different games and casinos may have slight variations in the way the game is played. You should always check the house rules before playing at a physical casino, and the paytable before playing at an online casino.
The payouts in a game of 3-Card Poker are very simple to remember. If the player beats the dealer, they are paid out at events on their ante and play bets. If the dealer fails to have a queen-high, they are paid out at events on their ante-bet. Any side bets are paid out separately depending on their outcome and not the outcome of the overall game.
3-Card Poker is an extremely popular way to play poker, and you can find a lot of variations of the game at many top online poker sites in the UK. To find the best casino to play 3-Card Poker online, check out Gambling Zone’s top online casino reviews.