What Is Three-Card Poker?
Three-Card Poker is a fast-paced casino card game where you play against the dealer, not other players. You receive 3 cards and the dealer receives 3 cards. You can bet on your hand quality (Pair Plus) and/or bet that your hand beats the dealer’s (Ante and Play). The whole thing takes about 2 minutes per hand, making it one of the fastest table games in any casino.
What You Need
- A standard 52-card deck (or 6-deck shoe at casinos)
- 1 to 7 players competing against a dealer
Hand Rankings (Three-Card Version)
- Straight Flush (highest): three same-suit consecutive cards
- Three of a Kind: three cards of the same rank
- Straight: three consecutive cards, any suits
- Flush: three cards of the same suit
- Pair: two cards of the same rank
- High Card (lowest): none of the above
Note: Straight Flushes beat Three of a Kind in 3-card poker — this is different from regular poker!
Setup
- Place your bets before cards are dealt. You have two betting spots: Ante (play against dealer) and Pair Plus (bet on your own hand quality). You can bet one or both.
- Dealer deals 3 cards face-down to each player and to themselves.
How to Play — Step by Step
- Look at your 3 cards.
- If you placed an Ante bet, now decide: Play (place a Play bet equal to your Ante and continue) or Fold (lose your Ante).
- Dealer reveals their 3 cards.
- Dealer must have Queen-high or better to ‘qualify.’ If the dealer doesn’t qualify, all remaining players win their Ante (even money) and Play bets push (returned).
- If dealer qualifies: compare hands. Higher hand wins.
Payouts
- Ante win: Even money (1:1)
- Play win: Even money (1:1)
- Ante Bonus (regardless of dealer hand): Straight = 1:1 / Three of a Kind = 4:1 / Straight Flush = 5:1
- Pair Plus: Pair = 1:1 / Flush = 4:1 / Straight = 6:1 / Three of a Kind = 30:1 / Straight Flush = 40:1
Strategy Tips
- The optimal strategy is simple: Play (don’t fold) with any hand of Queen-6-4 or better.
- Fold everything below Queen-6-4 — the house edge makes those hands not worth chasing.
- Pair Plus is a side bet with a significant house edge — fun but not efficient.
- Never split your bet unevenly between Ante and Pair Plus.