Three Card Poker
Three cards each, one decision: the rules of 3 card poker, the hand rankings, the Ante, Play and Pairplus payouts, and the Queen-6-4 strategy.
Three Card Poker is one of the quickest games on a casino floor: you and the dealer get three cards each, you decide once whether to play or fold, and the hand is over. It was invented by Derek Webb in 1994 and is now a fixture in UK and US casinos and in online table-game lobbies. There are really two games in one: the Ante and Play, where you take on the dealer, and Pairplus, a bet on your own three cards. This guide explains how to play 3 card poker, the hand rankings, every payout, the house edge and the one-line strategy.
How to Play Three Card Poker
- Place your bets. Bet the Ante, the Pairplus, or both.
- The deal. You and the dealer each get three cards face down. You look at yours; the dealer’s stay hidden.
- Play or fold. If you bet the Ante, you either fold (losing the Ante) or play by placing a Play bet equal to your Ante.
- The dealer reveals. The dealer needs queen high or better to qualify.
- Settlement. If the dealer does not qualify, your Ante pays even money and the Play bet is returned. If the dealer qualifies, the higher hand wins: Ante and Play both pay even money if you win, both lose if the dealer wins, and both push on a tie.
- Bonuses. The Ante Bonus and the Pairplus pay on your own hand, whatever the dealer holds.
At a land-based table the dealer deals one card at a time to each player and then to themself, all face down, and players signal play by placing chips on the Play circle. Online and live games do the same with buttons.
Three Card Poker Hands
With only three cards, the order of hands is different from five-card poker: a straight beats a flush, because straights are rarer. Ace can be high (A-K-Q) or low (A-2-3).
| Hand | Example | Chance of being dealt |
|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 8♥ 9♥ 10♥ | 0.22% |
| Three of a kind | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ | 0.24% |
| Straight | 4♣ 5♦ 6♠ | 3.26% |
| Flush | 2♦ 9♦ K♦ | 4.96% |
| Pair | J♣ J♥ 3♠ | 16.94% |
| High card | A♠ 10♥ 4♣ | 74.39% |
Payouts
Ante and Play
With an Ante of 10 (and a Play bet of 10 when you play):
| What happens | Ante | Play | Ante Bonus | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You raise with K-J-4, dealer has Q-9-2 and you win | +10 | +10 | — | +20 |
| You raise with a straight, dealer does not qualify | +10 | Push | +10 (1 to 1) | +20 |
| You raise with a pair of 8s, dealer has a pair of jacks | −10 | −10 | — | −20 |
| You fold | −10 | — | — | −10 |
Ante Bonus
Paid on the Ante whenever you play with a straight or better, even if the dealer beats you. The standard table:
| Your hand | Ante Bonus |
|---|---|
| Straight flush | 5 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 4 to 1 |
| Straight | 1 to 1 |
Pairplus
Pairplus pays on a pair or better in your own hand and ignores the dealer completely. Casinos use different tables, and the difference matters:
| Your hand | Table A (1-4-6-30-40) | Table B (1-4-5-25-40) |
|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 40 to 1 | 40 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 30 to 1 | 25 to 1 |
| Straight | 6 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| Flush | 4 to 1 | 4 to 1 |
| Pair | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| House edge | 2.32% | 6.75% |
The extra 1 on a straight and 5 on three of a kind are worth more than four percentage points of house edge, so read the paytable in the game’s help screen first. Some casinos add a Mini Royal (suited A-K-Q) line to either bet.
Three Card Poker Strategy
The whole strategy fits on one line: play with Queen-6-4 or better, fold anything lower.
- Any pair or better: always play.
- King high or ace high: always play.
- Queen high: play if your second card is 7 or higher, or if it is a 6 and your third card is 4 or higher (Q-6-4, Q-6-5).
- Jack high or lower: fold.
Why Queen-6-4? It is the break-even point: with anything lower, playing on loses more on average than giving up the Ante. Pairplus needs no strategy at all: it is decided the moment the cards are dealt.
House Edge
Played with the Q-6-4 strategy and the standard Ante Bonus, the Ante and Play has a house edge of 3.37% of the Ante. Because you only make the Play bet on some hands, that is about 2.01% of the total amount you bet. That figure comes from settling all 407,170,400 possible combinations of your three cards against the dealer’s. Pairplus runs from 2.32% to 6.75% on the two tables above.
Playing Three Card Poker Online
Online, Three Card Poker is mostly an RNG table game, alongside casino poker games such as Ultimate Texas Hold’em and Casino Hold’em; the live studios lean towards those two. Availability varies by casino and by country, so search the table-games and live-poker sections of the lobby. These casinos run large table-game lobbies, with Evolution on the live floor:
| Casino | Welcome offer | Our rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iWild Casino | Up to 550% + 400 free spins | 4.8 | Open iWild Casino |
| Amunbet | 450% up to €3,000 + 450 free spins | 4.2 | Open Amunbet |
| 1Red Casino | 225% up to €11,500 + 225 free spins over 3 deposits | 4.0 | Open 1Red Casino |
Three Card Poker vs Teen Patti
Both are played with three cards and rank a straight above a flush, though Teen Patti puts three of a kind (a trail) above a straight flush. Teen Patti is the Indian game played between players with rounds of betting and bluffing; Three Card Poker is a house-banked game against the dealer with a single play-or-fold decision.
More casino poker: poker hand rankings, video poker and poker rules.
Set a budget before you play for real money and stick to it. Free, confidential support is available at BeGambleAware.org. 18+ only.
Also worth a look: an even quicker game against the dealer is Casino War: one card each, higher card wins.
Also worth a look: 3 Card Brag uses the same three-card hands, but ranks a prial above a running flush and A-2-3 as the top run.
Another pay-table poker game: in Mississippi Stud you raise up to three times as the community cards are turned.
Another pay-table poker game: Let It Ride, where you can pull back two of your three bets.
The five-card version: Caribbean Stud Poker, where the dealer needs ace-king to qualify.
The bigger version: Four Card Poker, with an Aces Up side bet and raises of 1x to 3x.
Three card poker: frequently asked questions
How do you play three card poker?
What beats what in 3 card poker?
What does the dealer need to qualify?
What is the best three card poker strategy?
What is the Ante Bonus?
What does Pairplus pay?
What is the house edge in three card poker?
How often does the dealer qualify in three card poker?
Fadi Hayek
Author & Casino Expert
After going through several successful experiences with several industry pioneers, Fadi Hayek has managed to excel in the world of content for online gaming by providing unique content for several projects that allowed him to obtain the necessary experience to launch his career. Last but not least, Fadi also holds several certificates, including but not limited to content marketing and iGaming.
