Three-card poker rules

A three-card hand against the dealer, over in one round. Because there are only three cards, the ranking is not the one you know.

Hand ranking, highest first

Straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair, high card. A straight beats a flush here, which is the reverse of five-card poker, and for a good reason: with three cards a straight is harder to make.

An ace counts high or low, so Q-K-A is the highest straight and A-2-3 the lowest. Two hands of the same kind are compared card by card from the top.

The ante and play bets

Place an ante and receive three cards. Then decide: fold and lose the ante, or place a play bet equal to it and see the dealer's hand.

The dealer must qualify

The dealer needs queen high or better to play. If they do not qualify, the ante is paid even money and the play bet is returned. If they do qualify and you beat them, both bets are paid even money. If they beat you, both are lost. An exact tie returns both bets.

An example

You hold K♠ 9♦ 5♣ and play. The dealer turns over J♥ 8♥ 3♠: jack high does not qualify, so your ante is paid and your play bet comes back. Had the dealer held Q♥ 8♥ 3♠, they would qualify, and your king high would win both bets.

Ante bonus

A straight or better pays a bonus on the ante whether or not the dealer qualifies. A common table pays even money for a straight, four to one for three of a kind and five to one for a straight flush.

Pair plus

A separate optional bet, paid purely on your own three cards: a pair or better wins, with rising odds up to a straight flush. It is settled independently of the dealer.

Pair plus has to be placed with the ante, before the cards are dealt. A common table pays even money for a pair, three to one for a flush, six to one for a straight, thirty to one for three of a kind and forty to one for a straight flush. A pair comes about once in six hands; a straight flush about once in five hundred.

The simple strategy: play any hand of queen, six, four or better, and fold everything below it.