Three Card Poker
A fast three-card game against the dealer with one decision that matters: play or fold. Learn the single rule that makes your play optimal, then drill it.
The short answer
The house edge is 3.37% per ante under optimal play, about 2.01% of the total money wagered. The one rule that gets you there: play any hand of Queen-6-4 or better, fold everything worse.
What the game is
You post an Ante and receive three cards. The dealer also gets three cards, one of which you see in most layouts is kept hidden until the showdown. After looking at your hand you make one choice: add a Play bet equal to your Ante, or fold and forfeit the Ante. The dealer then reveals. The dealer must have Queen-high or better to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify, your Ante wins even money and your Play bet pushes. If the dealer qualifies, the higher three-card hand wins even money on both bets, and a tie pushes.
The one idea that matters
Play Queen-6-4 or better. Fold anything worse.
That is the whole optimal strategy for the base game. We did not take it on faith. The engine computed the expected value of playing every one of the 22,100 possible hands against every dealer hand, and the exact point where playing beats folding lands on Queen-6-4. Playing that hand returns about −0.993 of an ante, better than the −1.000 you lose by folding. One rank lower, Queen-6-3, playing returns about −1.003, so you fold.
Explore the guide
How to play
The full sequence, the three-card hand ranking, and the side bets.
Strategy
The Q-6-4 rule, why it is the cutoff, and what mistakes cost.
Odds
Hand frequencies, dealer-qualify rate, and win, lose, and push rates.
House edge
Ante and Play edge, element of risk, and Pair Plus by pay table.
Side bets
Pair Plus and the 6 Card Bonus, with computed edges.
Common mistakes
The leaks that cost the most, measured in real expected value.
Open the trainer →
Drill hand ranking, play or fold, side bets, and full hands, graded.
Common questions
What is the house edge in Three Card Poker?
Under optimal Q-6-4 play the Ante plus Play edge is about 3.37% of the ante, which is about 2.01% of the total money wagered. The Pair Plus side bet is separate and runs higher, about 7.28% on the common 1-3-6-30-40 table.
What is the single most important rule?
Make the Play bet with any hand of Queen-6-4 or better, and fold everything worse. This one rule is the entire optimal strategy for the base game.
Does a straight beat a flush in Three Card Poker?
Yes. With only three cards a straight is harder to make than a flush, so a straight ranks higher than a flush, the reverse of five-card poker.
How often does the dealer fail to qualify?
The dealer needs Queen-high or better to qualify and does so about 69.6% of the time, so the dealer fails to qualify about 30.4% of hands. When the dealer does not qualify the Ante pays even money and the Play bet pushes.
Is the Pair Plus bet worth it?
Pair Plus pays on your three cards regardless of the dealer, but it carries a higher house edge than the base game, about 7.28% on the common table. It is fine for the swings it adds, but the base Ante and Play is the lower-edge bet.