Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker is a friendly game, which is based on the traditional game of Brag. 

The object of the game is to have a higher hand than the dealer’s hand – you are not competing against another player, as in other poker games.

Each Player has two rectangular boxes and a circle on the layout in front of them.  These are marked ‘Play’, ‘Ante’ and ‘Pair Plus’.  Before you are dealt a hand, you must place a stake that you want to bet in the rectangle, marked ante and/or the pair plus.  The Minimum and maximum bets are displayed at each table.

The dealer then deals three cards to each player, and three cards to themselves.

After the cards are dealt, each player picks up their hand and takes a look to see what they have.  This is the moment when you must make a decision.

You have two choices:

1. If you think your hand is a winning hand and you fancy your chances, you can ‘Play’. You must lay your cards face down in the ‘Play’ box and place an additional wager equivalent to your initial stake on top of your cards.  If your first bet was £10, the Play is also £10.
2. If you feel your hand is likely to be a loser, you can surrender your initial stake right away, by pushing your cards towards the dealer.

When all the players have decided whether to ‘play’ or fold, the dealer will turn their three cards over.  The rule of Three Card Poker is that the dealer must have a Queen high or better to qualify.

If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, the dealer simply pays out all the players still playing their ante stake, at even money. 

If you have a Pair Plus bet they will turn your cards over to see if you will be paid.

Now here is where the ‘Pair Plus’ bet works.

The ‘Pair Plus’ bet is an optional or additional bet; you do not have to have an ante but to play.  This bet does not rely on the dealer’s hand but rather is a side bet.  Whatever the dealer hand is, regardless, if their hand is better than yours, you still get paid out on this bet.  Naturally, you have to have at least a pair or better to be paid out.

If the dealer’s hand qualifies, they then turn over the players’ hands over, one by one.  If your hand beats the dealer’s hand you win. If the dealers’ hand bet as your hand, you lose.

However, if you have a straight or better you are paid out on the ‘ante’ as a bonus, win or lose this is an extra pay out to you.  

Ties are a stand off, but note that all three cards count.