How to play Three Card Poker
Three cards, one decision. Here is the full sequence and the ranking that trips up most new players.
The short answer
Post an Ante, look at your three cards, then Play (match the Ante) or fold. The dealer needs Queen-high or better to qualify. Best three-card hand wins even money on both bets. Remember: a straight beats a flush here.
The sequence of a hand
- Post the Ante. This is mandatory to be dealt in. You may also place the optional Pair Plus or 6 Card Bonus side bets now.
- Look at your three cards. The dealer's three cards stay face down.
- Play or fold. Make a Play bet equal to your Ante to stay in, or fold and forfeit the Ante.
- Dealer reveals and qualifies, or not. The dealer needs Queen-high or better. About 30.4% of the time the dealer does not qualify.
- Settle. If the dealer does not qualify, the Ante pays 1 to 1 and the Play bet pushes. If the dealer qualifies, the higher hand wins even money on both the Ante and the Play, and a tie pushes both.
Hand ranking, highest to lowest
This is the part to get right. In three-card poker a straight beats a flush, the opposite of five-card poker, because with only three cards a straight is harder to make than a flush.
| Rank | Hand | How many exist | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Straight flush | 48 | 0.2172% |
| 2 | Three of a kind | 52 | 0.2353% |
| 3 | Straight | 720 | 3.2579% |
| 4 | Flush | 1096 | 4.9593% |
| 5 | Pair | 3744 | 16.9412% |
| 6 | High card | 16440 | 74.3891% |
Counts are the exact number of distinct three-card combinations in each category, out of the 22,100 total. The Ace plays high (A-K-Q) or low (A-2-3) for straights.
The side bets
Pair Plus pays on your three cards alone, regardless of the dealer or your play or fold decision. 6 Card Bonus pays on the best five-card poker hand made from your three cards plus the dealer's three. Both are optional and both are covered on the side bets page with computed edges.
Once the sequence is second nature, the only skill left is the play-or-fold call. Learn it on the strategy page or drill it in the trainer.
Common questions
What are the three-card hand rankings?
From highest to lowest: straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair, high card. A straight outranks a flush because three-card straights are rarer than flushes.
When does the dealer qualify?
The dealer qualifies with Queen-high or better. If the dealer does not qualify, your Ante pays even money and the Play bet is returned as a push.
Do I have to make the Play bet?
No. After seeing your three cards you either make a Play bet equal to your Ante or fold and lose the Ante. The Play bet is the only in-hand decision.
What is the Ante Bonus?
A bonus paid on your Ante for a straight or better, regardless of the dealer or the outcome. The common schedule is straight 1 to 1, three of a kind 4 to 1, straight flush 5 to 1.