This version of poker is one of the most profitable table games, when measured by win generated for casinos or by revenue generated for the right owners. The idea of the three card poker is to combine the excitement of poker and the speed of regular casino games.
In three card poker, there are two bets: Ante and Pair Plus. It is your choice to make one of those bets, or both. Ante is wager against the dealer, while PairPlus is independent bet, and it is a wager if you have pair in hand or not. The Pair Plus wager loses if the player has less than a pair and wins with a pair or better.
Game Rules
Every player can make an Ante and/or Pairplus bet. Play starts after the dealer deals three cards to the players, and to himself. Players have an option to examine their own cards, while the dealer's cards are dealt face down.
Players making Ante bet, have the option to fold or rise. Folding forfeits the ante wager. When they rise, they must make another bet, equal exactly to the ante bet.
The dealer then turns over his cards, and he needs queen or better to qualify. The outcomes are: 1. the dealer does not play, situation in which wins money on the Ante bet, while Play is push 2. the dealer qualifies, and the one with the higher hand (player or dealer) wins. Ante and Play will pay even money when the player has the higher poker. When the dealer has higher value in his cards, bets lose. Bets push when the result is tied. Players receive an Ante bonus, regardless of the value of the dealer's hand, when they have straight or a higher hand.
Different from the Ante bet is the Pairplus bet, for which players get money solely on the value of their hand.
Hand Values
Three card poker is different from the other versions in many ways, and one of those is that a straight has a higher value than a flush. The reason because of this is that it is harder to make a 3 card straight than a flush. Aces can be both high and low and the ace high straight is the highest hand. Some casinos offer a mini-royal flush to the ante bonus.
Side Bets
There are a couple of side bets in three card poker. One is the 6 card bonus, an optional wager that gives one more chance to win. You need to place a wager on ante or/and pairplus. You combine your cards with the dealer cards, and form the best five card hand. The progressive version adds the jackpot element. For this, you need to place a bet on the progressive betting sensor and play your hand as usual.
The prime bet is the one when you place on the color of your cards. All three cards must be of same color or your cards and the dealer's card are all same color.