3 card poker rules and strategies

In a previous article, we discussed the rules of Caribbean poker. Now is the time to learn three card poker. Casino poker has many card gaming variants a player can choose from. Among the options, the 3 card poker presents the most thrilling and paced casino poker gaming variant. Learning and playing the game is very easy; thus, anyone can quickly learn and play this game. However, it’ll be good to understand all the 3 card poker rules before playing the game online.

King and two queens - 3 card poker online rules how to play

 However, before you understand how to play the game, it’ll be necessary to go through all the details about the fast-paced casino poker games. This article guides all the players on what they need to understand: 3 card poker rules, the hand ranking, and strategies they can use while playing the game. 

3 card poker rules

Before you start playing any poker game, it’ll be good to start by understanding all the 3 card poker rules. Once you understand the rules well, you can go ahead and play 3 card poker online successfully. The main achievement of this game is for the player to use the three bigger cards in your arms to beat the dealer. While playing this casino game, the players use a standard 52-card deck. Below is the step-by-step guide of the rules for the first round. However, in a single game, there will be four equal rounds depending on the results of the prior round.

Cards and chips on the table

How to play?

  1. The player placing an ante bet is the first step of beginning the first round.
  2. After which, the dealer will deal the three face-up cards to a player and deals three face-down cards for himself.
  3. This player can either fold their hand or place a play bet to continue. The player loses the entire original wager if he folds the hand, while the ante bet cost and that of the play bet becomes similar if he continues. 
  4. If the player continues, the dealer will now turn over his cards. If the cards on hand don’t qualify, the player wins on the ante bet; then, the dealer returns the play bet. 
  5. There is usually a comparison between the player’s and dealer’s hands if the dealer qualifies. Then the winner of the game will be determined by order of the 3 card poker hand rankings. 
  6. If he wins the round, the player will get a 1:1 payment on both bets (the ante and play bet). Alternatively, if the dealer wins, the player loses all the bets. In case of a tie, the dealer pushes both the bets to the next round. 
A lot of chips

3 card poker hand rankings

Compared to other forms of casino poker, there is some alteration in the ranking of this game. Because the chances of hitting a straight draw in this game are very low, as the most likely result is the flush draw, the dealer will base the outcome on the ranking. The following are the 3 card poker hand ranking; on top of the lists is the highest 3 card poker hands:

  • Straight flush – occurs when three similar cards are coming in consecutive order.
  • Three of a kind – presence of 3 cards that have the same value of the face
  • Straight – 3 cards with mixed or different suits coming in consecutive order
  • flush – when three cards occur with a similar suit, however, they are in a non-consecutive order
  • Pair – similar face value on two cards.  
  • High card – when the outcome is none of the above-listed hands, thus implying then you’ve got only a high card. 
3 players three (3) card poker hands

3 card poker strategies 

The experts classify the 3 card casino poker game as a decision-based game. The reason being the player will make their decision after seeing the cards in his hands. The player will decide to continue by placing a play bet or folding to quit the game. All the decision-based games have specific optimal strategies the players can use. The 3 card poker strategies involve studying playing charts or patterns. 

The optimal 3 card poker strategy for the play and ante bet includes QUEEN- SIX – FOUR. The strategy implies that if the player’s hand is the same or stronger than the Q-6-4, the best decision is to make and raise the play bet. While using this technique, it’ll always be good to check each card separately while playing.

One player three (3) card poker strategy strategies and 3 card poker hand rankings

8 strategy tips

  1. Have your highest card at first – if the value of the card is higher than the queen, then proceed with the play bet. However, if the value of the card is lower, fold the hand.
  2. If you find the highest card as ace or king, then you should raise it. 
  3. It’s good to check at the second-highest card if your highest card is a Queen. After checking, fold your hand if the highest card is lower than 6. It’ll be good if you raise it if the value of the card is higher than 6. 
  4. However, if you find the second-highest card value being 6, then proceed to the third card. For the third card, a value lower than four is good to fold while raising if the value is four or higher than four.
  5. Other strategies the player can use to increase the chances of winning includes:
  6. Avoid double bets, as they increase the chances of losing on the wager and increase the house edge.
  7. Memorize a particular strategic winning combination of cards; this combination should allow you to avoid silly costly mistakes.
  8. Choose to fold or leave the game anytime you feel the cards in your aren’t good enough. You can also fold when someone in front of you bets and raises; it’ll help prevent the loss of your play bet wager.

Conclusion

The 3 card poker card game is a straightforward casino poker game to play. The game uses the traditional 5-card poker concept for the gameplay. After learning the 3 card poker rules, hands, strategies, and how to play the game, you can easily get online and enjoy the game. To easily beat the dealer in the game using the cards on the hands, using the optimal strategy will be the best way to go. The gaming experience presents a more exciting and thrilling experiment for the players, especially first-time casino players.