How to Break Vegas – Three Card Poker

OK, well you can't really beat three card but, you can get close. Learn how to play and get the best odds.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Money
• Time

1. Place Ante Bet: The Ante is the first bet you place. The Ante bet is lost if you choose not to play the hand. If you win the ante bet, you can win a bonus in addition to the standard payout. Here are the standard odds.
   
   Straight flush 5 to 1
   Three of a kind 4 to 1
   Straight 1 to 1

2. Place Pair Plus Bet: This bet is optional. It is played completely independent of the Ante and Play bets. This bet is more aggressive as it only pays out on a pair or better. These are the standard odds for the Pair Plus Bets. If they are much lower than this, I wouldn’t recommend playing.
   
   Straight flush 40 to 1
   Three of a kind 30 to 1
   Straight 6 to 1
   Flush 4 to 1
   Pair 1 to 1

3. Deal the cards: The dealer will deal 3 cards to each player including himself/herself. At this point you evaluate the cards. If you have a Queen, Jack, Six or higher hand, the odds are best to bet. If your hand is lower, fold. Most play on a Queen regardless of the other 2 cards.

4. Play: If you decide not to play your cards then place the cards on the table and do not place an additional bet. If you decide to play, place your cards on the place circle on the table. Put a bet on top of the cards of the same value as the ante bet. This is considered a raise.

5. Read em’ and weep: At this point, the dealer will show their cards. If the dealer has a Queen or better, then the hand qualifies.

6. 
   This is an example of each type of hand.

   Pay me: Here are the scenarios at this point.
   
   Dealer doesn’t qualify—If the dealers hand is not Queen or better, then they do not qualify to play the hand regardless of the cards you hold. The players ante is matched. The play is returned to the player. The Pair Plus is either lost or paid based on the Pair Plus table above.
   
   Dealer qualifies—If the dealer has a Queen or better then your hand is ranked against the dealer based on this criteria, a Strait Flush being the best.
   
   Straight flush
   Three of a kind
   Straight
   Flush
   Pair
   High card
   
   Win—If you beet the dealer then your Ante and Play are both paid at 1 to 1. If you earn an additional Ante bonus, that is paid as well based on the Ante table above. The Pair Plus is either lost or paid based on the Pair Plus table above.
   
   Loss—If you do not beet the dealer then your Ante and Play are both lost and you do not win the Ante bonus even if you qualified. However, the Pair Plus is either lost or paid based on the Pair Plus table above since it is an independent bet.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have $100 to play with, find a $5 table. Play the Ante and Pair Plus at $5 each. If you want to play more aggressively, Play $5 on the Ante and $10 on the Pair Plus.
• Keep your bets consistent. Always bet the same and always fold or stay based on the same criteria. If you don’t stick to it, you will regret it.
• Don't drink too much while you are playing. It makes it difficult to keep track of your bets.

Resources

• How to Break Vegas – Black Jack (21)
• How to Break Vegas – Let it Ride
• How to Break Vegas – Pai Gow Poker

[cowboybuff]

on 8/26/2009 A stratagy that i have used and succeeded with many times is as follows: illistrated on a 5 dollar table

if the dealer is simi-consistantly to consistantly not "qualifying" (which has the greatest odds of happening) play your bets as follows...

Pair Plus-- $5
Ante-- $10
Play-- $10

total bet $25
now say that you dont have a pair, and the dealer doesnt qualify. he/she will take your pair plus bet. then he/she will pay you 1:1 on your ante bet. And your play bet will be a push ( you dont loose or gain here) the table after the bet will look like this

pair plus-- $0
ante-- $10 $10
play-- $10

total winnings $30

you just made $5 on an otherwise loosing hand! hope this helps anyone out there looking to make a little money very very slowly!

[mastersonc]

on 4/26/2008 A couple of corrections here:
1. Three Card Poker is two separate games that you can play at the same time, on the same table, both games are optional. You can play the Pair Plus and not the Ante and Play if you chose.
2. From the Wizard of odds: http://wizardofodds.com/threecardpoker
“If the player made the Ante bet and has a straight or higher then the player will receive an Ante Bonus, regardless of the value of the dealer's hand.”

I should note here the operative word “Bonus” a bonus payout is always separate from whether you beat the dealer. If to meet the criteria for the bonus you should be paid the bonus. If you get an argument from the dealer or even the pit boss don’t be afraid to as them (nicely) to check the house rulebook that they have in the pit. If you are proven correct they will be happy to pay you. Contrary to popular belief the dealers and even the pit boss

[PrinceofSlots]

on 11/26/2007 Q,6,4 is the usually the best criteria for 3 card poker. Keep that in mind when playing, and you should do alright.