How to To Play Three-Card Poker

Three-card poker, sometimes called tricard poker, involves using three cards to make a winning poker hand to beat the dealer. Three-card poker actually consists of two separate games, ante and pairplus. The ante game is strictly your hand against the dealer. The pairplus game offers a payout for all hands of a pair or better. Three-card poker can provide hours of entertainment if you follow these steps to refine your strategy.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Sit down at a three-card table, noticing the two circles and a square on the felt in front of you. The top circle is for your pairplus bet, the lower circle is for your ante bet, and the square is for your cards and your bet to play. Decide whether you're going to play an ante bet, a pairplus bet, or both. Place your bet by putting chips on the designated spots.

2. Take the three cards dealt to you by the dealer from an automatic shuffler. Don't touch the cards until the dealer tells you to. Then pick up your hand and look at your cards. If you have a pair or better, your best strategy is to keep the hand. Put the cards face down in the square and place a chip or chips on top of it to stay in the game. Your bet to stay in the game must equal your ante bet. If you are just playing the pairplus, just set the cards face down.

3. Check your cards to see if you have a queen or higher if you do not have a pair. Stay in with this hand. The dealer must have a queen or higher or a pair or better to play the game. If the dealer doesn't, you get your money back. If the dealer has a queen and you have something higher, you win. If you and the dealer both have queens, the person with the next highest card wins.

4. Fold if you do not have a queen or a pair or better. Toss the cards face down over your ante or pairplus bet, signaling that you fold. The dealer will collect your money and you will be out until the next hand.

5. Set your cards down if you are staying in. Don't touch them. The dealer will turn over his cards first, then the cards of each of the players. If you bet the ante bet and have a higher hand than the dealer, you win even money on the ante. If you have a pair or higher, and bet the pairplus, you win a multiplier of your bet. These multipliers are printed on the felt in front of you. There are also ante multipliers for certain hands.

6. The dealer will pay your money or take your money after looking at your hand. Then you can either collect your winnings or place your bet for the next game.

Tips & Warnings

• Some players like to "play blind" without looking at their cards. This strategy can help you win even money if the dealer doesn't qualify, instead of losing money by folding too early. It can also make the game more exciting.
• The more money you wager on the pairplus, the more money you're going to win. However, you also risk losing that money quickly.
• The goal is to hit a pairplus bet. As in all poker games, a straight flush—three cards of the same suit in sequence—has the highest payout. Three-of-a-kind has the second highest payout. Straights, flushes and pairs also have payouts.
• While you can win a lot of money in three-card poker, you can also lose a lot of money quickly. Be sure to watch your stack and use thoughtful strategy to place your bets.

Resources

• Find rules and strategy for three-card poker.
• Learn the rules and odds of all casino games.

[nomader]

on 5/11/2008 Q 6 4 or better is what you should be playing. Not just any Q. For example, Q 5 2 should be folded.