3 Card Poker. How To Play. Part 2. The Hand Rankings
You are dealt just 3 cards in this game, that’s why the hand ranking here have some differences from the play with traditional 5 card hands. It is happens because of the probabilities of making concrete hands. The hands are ranked in the next way – for the highest to the lowest:
- Straight Flush. 3 cards of the identical suit in sequence. For example, 5-6-7 of spades.
- Three of a Kind. 3 cards which have the same rank.
- Straight. 3 cards of different suits in sequence.
- Flush. 3 cards of equal suit.
- Pair. 2 cards of the same rank.
- High Card. The highest card you have in your hand.
Ante Bonus
You should know that there is a bonus payout on the Ante wager for concrete hands and this bonus does not demand one more bet. If you may boast of having a straight, 3-of-a-kind or straight flush, than you will get a bonus in any case whether you win the dealer or not. The bonus payout is paid according to the pay table that is posted at the table. The payout list for the Ante Bonus differs from casino to casino but just a little. For a Straight flush you will get five to one or four to one. For Three of a kind you will get four to one or three to one. For a Straight you will get one to one for your Ante wager.
The pay out schedule for the Ante Bonus influences on the overall house edge on the Ante/Play part of the game. A payout of five-four-one has a house edge of about 3.4%. Meanwhile the payout of four-three-one has a house edge of 6.8%.
Strategy
The strategy for Ante part of Three Card Poke does not have any hint at difficulty. In other words, it is very simple. In case when your hand lower than Queen-6-4 your action is to fold. If you have a hand which is better you should proceed and make the Play wager.
If you don’t know how to define whether your hand is higher than Q-6-4 the best way to do it is to begin with the first highest card and parallel it with the Queen. If this card is higher you may play. In this case don’t pay attention on the other two cards. If the first card is a Queen and the second one is better than 6 you shoud play ignoring the ranking of the last card. If the second card is lower than 6 it is not wise to play. In this case you should fold.
Pair Plus
The Pair Plus bet is based only on if your three card hand contains a Pair or higher. It is no difference if the dealer qualifies or even wins you if you have a wager on the Ante Game. If your hand contains a pair or better you are a winner. In case when it doesn’t have a pair you will lose. On average you have a chance to receive a pair in one case from four. The Pair Plus bet is paid according to the pay table fixed by a certain casino.
Easy and Fun
Three Card Poker is very popular mostly because of the simplicity of this game. Since you are not gambling against the other competitors a camaraderie can evolve amongst the gamblers as they root and exhilarate for each other to win the dealer.
Popularity: 60%
