Three Card Poker is a popular casino table game, in which the player’s hand must beat the dealer’s hand in terms of strength. Both the players and the dealer receive three cards. Hands in Three Card Poker are judged using the standard poker order of precedence chart in determining whose hand is stronger. The Three Card Poker game requires an ante to start, and additionally offers a pair plus bet - which pays out when players receive a hand stronger than a pair.

History of Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker traces its origins to Great Britain hundreds of years ago. The original incarnation of the Three Card Poker game was known as Primero. When the game moved into the US casinos, the name of the game was changed to Brit-Brag. Over time, Brig-Brag evolved and took on the Three Card Poker name, which it possesses to this day.

Three Card Poker Bets

There are three different bets that Three Card Poker players can make at the start of each hand. The first type of bet you can make is the ante bet. A player must place an ante bet if he wishes to play a hand of Three Card Poker. When you make this bet, you play heads up against the dealer. All ante bets are paid out 1:1, although depending on what you have - there may be an ante bonus payout. The following hands are usually paid out in additional ante bonuses:

Straight – Pays 1:1

Three of a Kind – Pays 4:1

Straight Flush – Pays 5:1

The second bet in Three Card Poker is known as the Pair Plus bet. The Pair Plus bet is simply a bonus bet that a Three Card Poker player will win in the event he receives a pair or higher. The pair plus bet pays out independent of the player’s ability to beat the dealer. This means a player who holds a pair or better will be paid on his pair plus bet, even if the dealer holds a better hand. The following list will show you the payouts that are generally seen in casinos for the pair plus bet.

Pair – Pays 1:1

Flush – Pays 4:1

Straight – Pays 6:1

Three of a Kind – Pays 30:1

Straight Flush – Pays 40:1

Finally, the third bet in Three Card Poker occurs after the cards are dealt. This bet is the call. In the event a player likes his cards, he calls. The call bet is the precursor to the showdown against the Three Card Poker dealer. In terms of bet size, the call bet is equal to the ante bet in Three Card Poker. Should a Three Card Poker player not like his hand, he may refuse to call. By refusing to call, you are surrendering the hand and lose your claim to the ante and pair plus bets.

Three Card Poker Strategy

In Three Card Poker, the dealer must have a hand strength of queen high or above in order to qualify. Should the dealer not have at least queen high, he does not qualify and the antes are a push or draw. All pair plus bets pay as appropriate regardless of the dealer’s ability to qualify. With that in mind, the Three Card Poker player is wise to surrender or fold hands that are valued below Queen - Six - Four. Any hand above this Queen - Six - Four threshold should be played, as this hand marks the statistical break-even point in Three Card Poker.

Three Card Poker offers the opportunity to win a lot of money when you are playing both the ante and pair plus bets. The pair plus bonus bet offers large payouts for the best hands in the game. Three Card Poker is a fun and potentially profitable casino game of chance.