3 Cards Poker is a casino table game that has become incredibly popular over the years. It's a player favorite at casino US sites like 888casino New Jersey, with easy-to-learn rules. 

What is 3 Cards Poker?

With 3 Card Poker games, online casino players get to compete against the dealer for the best 3-card hand, based on the combination of cards that have been dealt. Unlike traditional poker hands where 5 cards are used, this is basically poker with 3 cards. 

This wildly entertaining casino table game is readily available at casinos and online casinos around the world. In traditional poker games, players go head-to-head against other players for the best 5 card hand. Often, scores of players congregate at tables, seemingly competing against one another. 

In truth, each of these players is actually competing against the dealer for the best 3 card poker hand. Among the many benefits of playing 3 Card Poker are the mega-money payouts that are available in specific hand combinations are formed.

Table of Contents

•    What are the Rules of 3 Cards Poker?
•    How is 3 Card Poker different from Traditional Poker?
•    Can US online casino players practice 3 Cards poker for free?
•    Betting Options in 3 Cards Poker Games 
•    Winning Tips for 3 Card Poker Games
•    3 Cards Poker Games Versus Blackjack, Baccarat, and Video Poker

In 3 cards poker games, the contest is between the dealer and the players, not among the players themselves. Once the cards have been received, they are evaluated. If your hand is worth playing, you will place a bet equal to the amount of the Ante Wager. 

The player and the dealer go head-to-head in a battle royale for the best hand. The best real money casino players understand that the following hands should always be played. You could even say these are casino cheats!

•    Queen, 6, and 4

Players should fold all hands that are worse than a Queen, 6, and 4. Remember, once you fold a hand, lead hand is over. The house then collects your bets – the Ante Wager and the Pair Plus Wager. 

However, if you don't fold and you decide to play, the dealer's cards will be revealed and a quick assessment of the hands will take place. The strongest 3 cards poker hand will win. Suffice it to say, if the player's hand is stronger the player wins. If the dealer's hand is stronger, the dealer wins.

Determining winners is a matter of assessing the relative strengths of the dealer hand vs the player hand. Consider the following 3 card poker rules as guidelines when evaluating winning hands:

•    Dealer hand: Jack high or worse, the player receives the play wager.
•    Dealer hand: Queen high or better, the play wager and the ante wager pay out at 1:1 if the 3 cards poker player has a better hand than the dealer's hand.
•    Dealer hand: Better than the player hand, then the house collect the ante bet and the play bet.

Be advised that the Pair Plus Bet is independently determined of whatever cards the dealer is holding.

The game is played with a single deck of 52 cards and poker chips. In land-based casinos, the cards are automatically shuffled by specialized machines. This helps to keep the action rolling. Believe it or not, 3 card poker is a once-off deal. The 3 cards that you are dealt are actually the final cards that you play with!

This rule of 3 card poker differs considerably from how to play video poker games online and other poker games too. In standard video poker, players are dealt 5 cards with the option to hold or fold anywhere from 0 – 5 cards on the first draw. 

Any cards that are held will remain locked on the screen while discards are automatically replaced with a second and final round of play. At the conclusion of the second deal, video poker machines automatically tabulate winners and payouts are made according to the video poker pay table.

Since you are only dealing with initial cards dealt in 3 cards poker games, there are no second drawers to worry about. Naturally, your goal is to formulate a pair or better, or simply create a stronger hand than the dealer's hand. 

In traditional poker games, players are joking for position amongst one another. It's all about gaining a competitive edge over your opposition. The dealer in traditional poker games rotates in a clockwise fashion around the table, after each hand.

Poker with three cards is played on a blackjack casino table. Since the game only uses a 52-card deck, it's quick and easy to play. Before play commences, you have the option to decide how you wish to play. 

You can bet against the dealer, and you can simply bet that you will form a pair or better. The other option is both ways betting – against the dealer and against the pay table. The two bets available to you – the Ante and Pair Plus Bets are important in this regard.

If you place a bet on the Ante, you get 3 cards face down and the dealer gets 3 cards face down. You will turn over your cards and determine whether you want to remain in the game, or fold your hand. If you fold, you forfeit your Ante bet. 

Once the decision has been made to play or fold, the dealer will take a look at his/her cards. If the dealer has at least a Queen +, then it qualifies. The dealer will then compete against each player at the table remaining in the game.

Let's say you bet $10 with your Ante and Play bets, then you would win even money i.e. $10. However, if the dealer's hand beats yours, then you will forfeit all of your bets, including your Ante and Play bets. Please be advised that different online casinos may offer different betting rules and procedures. 

Certain online casinos may require the placement of Ante bet if you'd like to compete in a hand. The Pair Plus bet is usually an optional wager that you can place. If you are playing the Ante bet in 3 cards poker, then like blackjack, you are only trying to beat the dealer, not other players at the table.

It doesn't matter whether other players have stronger hands than you. All that matters is the relative strength of your hand versus the dealer's hand.

Pair Plus Payouts in 3 Cards Poker Games:

•    Straight Flush pays 40:1
•    Three of a Kind pays 30:1 or 25:1
•    Straight pays 6:1 or 5:1
•    Flush pays 3:1, or 4:1
•    Pair pays 1:1

Ante Bonus Payouts in 3 Cards Poker Games: 

•    Straight Flush pays 5:1 or 3:1 or 4:1
•    Three of a Kind pays 4:1, or 2:1, or 3:1
•    Straight pays 1:1

There are also other bets worth considering at 3 Cards Poker such as 6 card bonus options. This is a wildly entertaining prospect for players, since your cards + the dealer's cards can combine to pay huge winnings if a specific combination of cards results. This is a high-risk, high reward bet, with limited winning possibilities, but generous payout if it hits.

Of course, that only applies if you decide to compete against the dealer, by remaining in the hand. The Pair Plus Wager needn't be the same value as the Ante or the Play Wagers. You can toggle your bet size accordingly. Regardless, the amount you bet on the Pair Plus must be within the tables minimum and maximum betting limits.

However, if your hand value is less than that, fold. Recall that there is a notable house edge in 3 cards poker games of around 2% + over the long-term. Other bets on Ante Bonuses and Pair Plus wagers will differ according to where you are playing.

At US casinos, expect a house edge of 7.28% for Pair Plus and Ante Bonus bets are typically 3.37%, and significantly less at European casinos. Essentially, the only strategic decision that you have to make in 3 card poker games is whether you are going to fold, or play. 

A rather rudimentary rule to follow is to always play if your hand contains a Queen +. If not, fold your hands. Naturally, various experts have chimed in along the way, noting the ways that you can stick to a winning formula. 

The Queen-6-4 rule is ironclad in poker with three cards. Stick to it, and you should generally enjoy success with this casino card game. Games like Caribbean Stud Poker, or even Let It Ride Poker is significantly worse odds for players. It's far more profitable to simply play 3 Card Poker games online!

•    Players cannot bust in 3 cards poker games.
•    An optional bet known as the 6 card bonus is available.
•    Poker with 3 cards is played against dealer, not other players.
•    3 card poker games are played with a single 52 deck of cards.
•    3 card poker games include the Play Wager, Ante Wager, and Pair Plus Wager.
•    Poker with three cards features a house edge of 7.27% Pair Plus, and 3.37% for Ante-Wagers.
•    3 card poker involves a single round of cards dealt – there are no additional cards after the initial 3 cards.

Quick Facts about Blackjack:

•    Blackjack is played against the dealer, not against other players.
•    Any hand value over 21 automatically busts and the dealer wins.
•    Blackjack (ACE +10 value card) beats any 21-value hand of more than 3 cards.
•    Multiple betting options are available such as hit, stand, double, insurance, and split are available.
•    Blackjack table casino games our strategy-based games where players can reduce the house edge by implementing blackjack strategy, card counting (if applicable), and blackjack charts.
•    The objective of blackjack is to form the highest-ranking hand, less than or equal to 21.
•    The house edge blackjack can be whittled down to around 2% when players use perfect blackjack strategy.

Quick facts about Baccarat:

•    Players simply select one of 3 bets such as Player, Banker or Tie.
•    The magic number in baccarat is 8 or 9. Aces are valued at 1 and 10-value cards are valued at 0.
•    It is impossible to bust in baccarat since any hand value greater than nine automatically has the tens digit removed.
•    The player does not have to play the player bet – he/she can play any bet option.
•    The most profitable bet in baccarat is the banker bet. The worst bet in baccarat is the Tie bet. It has a house edge of 14.4%, while the Banker bet has a house edge of 1.06%, while the Player bet has a house edge of 1.24%.
•    The banker betting baccarat has a 5% commission known as the vigorish, this is done to dissuade the player from playing the banker bet all the time.

Quick facts about Video Poker: 

•    Similar strategies are used in video poker games and traditional poker games. 
•    Hand values in Video Poker are similar, but different to traditional poker games.
•    Payback percentages are plenty generous in video poker, with 9/6 Jacks or Better having a 99.54% RTP.
•    Video poker games are contests between player versus computer – not other players.
•    Skill is an integral component of video poker games.
•    It is always much better to bet maximum coin values on video poker machines, since that guarantees that maximum winnings pay out when the right combinations are formed.  

These video poker tips, along side other video poker tips, will stand you in good stead as you play 5 card draw games!