How to play Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker is two games on one hand. With the Ante you play against the dealer: after looking at your three cards, you play by matching your Ante, or you fold. With Pair Plus you simply bet that your hand holds a pair or better. A round takes seconds; here are all the rules, with a free table.

On this page
  1. How a round goes
  2. Try it on the table
  3. Three card poker hands, from best to lowest
  4. Who wins: the dealer must qualify
  5. Ante bonus and Pair Plus
  6. Four hands, settled
  7. When to play or fold: Queen-6-4
  8. How to play Three Card Poker: questions

How a round goes

  1. Bet the Ante, and Pair Plus if you want it.
  2. You and the dealer get three cards each, the dealer’s face down.
  3. Look at your hand. Play by adding a Play bet equal to the Ante, or fold and give up the Ante.
  4. The dealer turns over and needs a Queen high or better to qualify.
  5. Bets are settled as in the table below. The Ante bonus and Pair Plus are paid on your own hand, whatever the dealer holds.

Try it on the table

Play this table for real money300% up to €1,500 + 10% cashbackWithdrawals within a few hours(Partner link · 18+)Play this table for real money150% up to €750 + 50 free spinsWithdrawals within a few hours(Partner link · 18+)
Balance
5,000
Last win
0

Dealer

Dealer plays with Queen high or better

Ante bonus: straight 1 to 1 · three of a kind 4 to 1 · straight flush 5 to 1

You

Play

Put a chip on the Ante (and on Pair Plus if you like), then Deal.

Total bet0

Your session

Play a hand: your results will show here.

Keyboard: Enter deals, P plays, F folds.

Three card poker hands, from best to lowest

With only three cards, a straight is harder to get than a flush, so it ranks higher. Three of a kind beats a straight but not a straight flush.

  • 7♥8♥9♥Straight flush0.22% of hands
  • 5♠5♥5♦Three of a kind0.24%
  • 9♣10♦J♠Straight3.26%
  • 2♦7♦K♦Flush4.96%
  • Q♠Q♣4♥Pair16.94%
  • A♠9♦3♣High card74.39%

A-2-3 is the lowest straight and Q-K-A the highest. Two hands of the same kind are compared card by card from the top; pairs are compared by the pair first.

Who wins: the dealer must qualify

What happensAntePlay
You foldlostnone
Dealer below Queen high: does not qualifypays 1 to 1returned
Dealer qualifies, your hand is betterpays 1 to 1pays 1 to 1
Dealer qualifies, the dealer’s hand is betterlostlost
Dealer qualifies, same handreturnedreturned
The dealer qualifies on 69.6% of hands, computed over all 22,100 three-card hands.

Ante bonus and Pair Plus

Two payouts depend only on your own cards. The Ante bonus is paid when you play a straight or better, even if the dealer beats you. Pair Plus is paid on a pair or better, even if you fold.

Your handAnte bonusPair Plus
Straight flush5 to 140 to 1
Three of a kind4 to 125 to 1
Straight1 to 15 to 1
Flushnone4 to 1
Pairnone1 to 1
The pay tables of the free table on this page. Casinos print theirs on the felt, and Pair Plus tables vary: 40-25-5-4-1 costs 6.75%, 40-30-6-4-1 only 2.32%.

Four hands, settled

Your handDealerResult, with 10 on the Ante
K♠ 9♦ 4♣: playJ♥ 8♠ 2♦: does not qualifyThe Ante wins 10 and the Play bet comes back.
8♣ 8♥ 3♠: playQ♦ 10♣ 5♥: qualifiesA pair beats Queen high: Ante and Play win 10 each.
9♣ 10♦ J♠: play3♠ 3♦ 3♣: three of a kindThe dealer wins Ante and Play (−20), but the straight still earns the Ante bonus, 10, and a Pair Plus bet of 10 would pay 50.
J♦ 5♠ 2♣: foldnot shownBelow Queen-6-4: fold and lose the Ante, 10.

When to play or fold: Queen-6-4

Play every hand of Queen-6-4 or better and fold the rest. Compare card by card: Q-7-2 plays because 7 beats 6, Q-6-3 folds because 3 is below 4, and K-3-2 always plays. Checked on each of the 22,100 hands you can hold, this rule always makes the choice that loses the least.

Following it, you play 67.4% of your hands and the house keeps 3.37% of your Ante, or 2.01% of all the money you bet on Ante and Play.

How to play Three Card Poker: questions

What happens when the dealer does not qualify?

The dealer needs a Queen high or better. Without it, your Ante pays 1 to 1 and your Play bet comes back, whatever your cards.

Does a straight beat a flush in Three Card Poker?

Yes. With three cards a straight (3.26%) is rarer than a flush (4.96%), so it ranks higher.

Is the Ante bonus paid if the dealer wins?

Yes. It depends only on your hand: a straight, three of a kind or straight flush earns 1, 4 or 5 to 1 on the Ante, as long as you played.

What is the best strategy?

Queen-6-4: play that hand or better, fold everything else. It is the best decision on every hand and brings the house edge down to 3.37% of the Ante.