3 Card Poker is one of the most popular casino games at the moment, particularly in the light of the poker playing boom which has meant more players understanding the ranking of poker hands as well as the probability of receiving them. 3 Card Poker is actually two games in one, with a Pair Plus game as well as an Ante game, with both games allowed to be played either individually or together. The game is played with a single deck of 52 cards.

The Ante game has both regular and bonus payouts, with regular payouts depending on the rank of yours and the dealers hand, and bonus payouts being paid for certain hand combinations. Bonus payouts are not dependant on the rank of the dealers hand.

Play starts by placing a stake of your choice in the Ante box and then the cards being dealt. Three cards are dealt to you, the player, face up and the dealer also receives three cards although these are face down. You will then have the choice of whether to Play or Fold, if you fold then you will forfeit your stake and the game will finish, if you decide to play then you will be required to place a further stake of an equal amount to your Ante within the Play box.

If you decide to play then the dealers cards will be revealed and the result known. The hands relate to standard poker hands albeit only with 3 cards, hence a straight flush would be 3 cards of the same suit in sequence. Because only 3 cards are used, getting a hanf of 3 of a kind is actually second in rank only to a straight flush.

Payouts depend on whether the dealer has a qualifying hand or not, which is a Queen high or above. If the dealers hand does not qualify then you will receive your Play bet and double your Ante, regardless of the rank of your hand. If the dealer does qualify, then the hands are compared, and if you have a higher hand than the dealer then you will receive a payout of 1:1 on both your Ante and Play bet. If the dealers hand is better then you will lose both your Ante and Play stakes.

If you have a particularly good hand than you may qualify for a bonus payout on your Ante. The hands which qualify for this are:
• Straight Flush – pays 5:1
• Three of a Kind – pays 4:1
• Straight – pays 1:1

The Pair Plus game has payouts which are based on certain hand combinations, and do not depend on the dealers hand. You can play just the Pairs Plus game, or play it in conjunction with the Ante game. If you play both games, and choose to fold then you will lose both your Pair Plus and Ante bet, regardless of the hand that you hold. The payout structure for the Pairs Plus game is as follows:
• Straight Flush – pays 40:1
• Three of a Kind – pays 30:1
• Straight – pays 6:1
• Flush – pays 4:1
• Pair – pays 1:1

These payouts are made regardless of the dealers hand, so if you were dealt a straight but the dealer had three of a kind you will still win at the rate of 6:1

3 Card Poker is available at Purple Lounge in both standard and gold layouts, and you are also able to play multi-hand versions, where up to 5 hands can be played at once. It is one of the most popular games at the moment, and is well worth a look to see if it suits your tastes!

Tags: cards, casino game, table game

This entry was posted on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 3:20 pm and is filed under Casino Games. Both comments and pings are currently closed.