Three Card Poker

Though it lacks the social element of a multiple-player poker game, three card poker continues to grow in popularity thanks to its ease of play on the casino floor.

This game consists of two games in one. Some casinos require players to play both games simultaneously while others give players the option of playing just one of the two games.

Pairplus

Pairplus starts with the player placing his bet before the dealer doles out the player’s three-card hand. In a nutshell the player is betting that his three cards will consist of a pair or better. The payouts for pairplus will vary depending on the quality of the player’s hand.

1. A Straight flush pays out at 40 to 1.
2. A Three of a Kind pays out at 30 to 1.
3. A Straight pays out at 6 to 1.
4. A Flush pays out at 4 to 1.
5. A simple pair pays out at 1 to 1.

The House Edge

Great risk takers will want to understand the house advantage before they place their bets. With Pairplus, the house advantage ranges from 2.3 percent to 7.3 percent.

Ante and Play

As stated before, some casinos require players to play both Pairplus and Ante/Play simultaneously. If this occurs, a player must place two bets: one for Pairplus and the other for Ante/Play.

With Pairplus a player just plays against himself, but with Ante and Play, a player must play against a dealer. Like with Pairplus, the player places his bet before he ever touches his cards. This initial bet is referred to as the “ante” bet.

Once he receives his cards, the player can either fold, thus surrendering his ante, or he can raise by placing a bet equal to his ante. If he chooses to continue playing, one of three things will occur.

1. The dealer will not qualify. For a dealer to qualify, he must have a hand with a Queen or higher. If this occurs, the dealer pays the ante is paid out in equal money but the raised bet simply goes back to the player.

2. The dealer qualifies and player has a higher hand than him. In this case the player wins the hand and receives even money out on both his ante and play bets.

3. The dealer qualifies and has a higher hand than the player. In this case the dealer takes both the ante and the play bets.

On a rare occasion the dealer and the player will have equal hands. If this occurs, rules vary based on the casino. Some casinos will simply give the player his money back but others will pay the player even money on his bet.

In addition to the possibility of winning the ante and play, a player might receive an ante bonus payout if he has an especially good hand. This payout ranges from 5 to 1 for a straight flush to a 1 to 1 for a straight. Casinos will pay the bonus payout only on the ante bet for a player who chooses to play, regardless of whether the dealer qualifies or whether the player wins or loses.