The game below fully recreates the experience of playing 3 Card Poker online and is free to play. If you want to play for real money, we've handpicked the top sites in which you can play this form of casino poker in the table further down the page. All these sites offer both free. Practice playing Three Card Poker for free or select a real money online casino to play at.
Live 3-Card Poker. Like many casino games in the last few years, 3-Card Poker can now be played at online casinos against a human croupier. Live 3-card Poker pits you against a human dealer streamed in from a TV studio or land-based casino. The cards are fitted with special chips which are picked up by sensors in the table. Free poker - free online poker games. 247 Free Poker has free online poker, jacks or better, tens or better, deuces wild, joker poker and many other poker games that you can play online for free or download.
Free Blackjack Plus 3 Card Poker
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Three Card Poker is the most popular table game added at casinos worldwide in the last twenty years. Its inventor, Englishman Derek Webb, toiled for years as a professional poker player and was convinced that a table game could capture the public's interest in poker, even if it didn't use the standard five-card hand.
The simplicity of the game may have been a great selling point when Webb first came to the US trying to get a casino or two to sign-on for a field trial, but he ingratiated himself with the casino brass by telling them that he would stay on property, train their dealers to deal his new game, and also train the first influx of new players on the game.
That meet-and-greet he did with the players was probably the most important aspect of getting them to try the game, but the fun of winning at Three Card Poker is what really sells the game! The first time I met Derek Webb was at the Atlantis casino in Reno, where the game had just been introduced to players in Nevada. After reading the easy rules I understood why players would be attracted; the game was easy to play, included an even-money payoff that happened regularly, and also had a big payoff for big hands.
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When the game was first introduced In Reno, Nevada, both the Atlantis and Harrah's set the minimum bet at $3, which was also their minimum blackjack bet. Players didn't have to risk much to learn the game, and they found that the Ante wager, backed-up with a 'bet' of the same amount when they wished to continue playing, was a reasonable bet they could afford. In addition, since the game is truly just the player's 3-card stud hand against the dealer's 3-card stud hand, players won their Ante wager quite often.Free Three Card Poker Download
To stabilize the game and give the house its 3.61% edge, the house pays the Ante wager any time the player's hand is higher than the dealer's hand. However, to qualify and also have action on the Play bet, the dealer must have a hand of at least Queen-high. If not, the Play wager is a push and no chips are exchanged. In addition, the player must always wager on the Play spot or fold their hand and lose their original Ante wager!
To keep the game exciting, the Ante payoff is always 1 to 1, or even money, but a special bonus is paid on certain hands:
- Straight Flush – 5 to 1
- Three of a Kind – 4 to 1
- Straight – 1 to 1
That's all there is to the Ante and Play wagers. To make the game more exciting, players may also wager on the Pair Plus, where
payoffs are as high as 40 to 1.
Pair Plus Payoffs
- One Pair – 1 to 1
- Flush – 4 to 1
- Straight – 6 to 1
- 3 of a Kind – 30 to 1
- Straight Flush – 40 to 1
The Pair Plush wager does make the game more exciting, but I learned that you have to be patient waiting for payoffs. The house edge is higher, at 7.28%, but if you play both the Ante and Pair Plus, the house overall edge on your total wagers is closer to 5.45% which is about what a double-zero roulette wheel offers, and the game is leisurely, so you won't get nearly as many hands per hour as blackjack.
Mini-Royal
That's all there is to the Ante and Play wagers. To make the game more exciting, players may also wager on the Pair Plus, where
payoffs are as high as 40 to 1.
Pair Plus Payoffs
- One Pair – 1 to 1
- Flush – 4 to 1
- Straight – 6 to 1
- 3 of a Kind – 30 to 1
- Straight Flush – 40 to 1
The Pair Plush wager does make the game more exciting, but I learned that you have to be patient waiting for payoffs. The house edge is higher, at 7.28%, but if you play both the Ante and Pair Plus, the house overall edge on your total wagers is closer to 5.45% which is about what a double-zero roulette wheel offers, and the game is leisurely, so you won't get nearly as many hands per hour as blackjack.
Mini-Royal
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In 2007, some casinos began offering a Mini-Royal bonus, which is a 50-1 payoff for any Ace-King-Queen suited hand. With the higher payout the house edge falls, but the option is only available at a few casinos: the Borgata in Atlantic City, Casino Arizona in Arizona, Galewind Internet Casinos, and the Wynn in Las Vegas.
Progressive
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In 2009, a progressive jackpot was also added to the game. This optional feature is a $1 wager that wins a further bonus on any three of a kind, a straight flush, a Mini-Royal, or the progressive amount on a Mini-Royal in spades.
Prime
In 2010, a further feature was added to some Three Card Poker games called Prime, which is another wager that is won if the players three cards are all one color (pays 3 to 1) or if the player's and the dealer's cards are all one color (pays 4 to 1).
6 Card Bonus
As the game continues to evolve, another wager is also available at some casinos on the final outcome of the combined hand of the player and dealer. This wager pays on the best 5-card hand that can be made, from three-of-a-kind to a Royal Flush, and may even include a 6-card Super Royal payoff of 200,000 to 1. However, this bet starts with a house edge of just over 8% and runs to nearly 19%, depending on the payout chart used by the casino. Play at your own risk!
The simple strategy for playing Three Card Poker is to play just the Ante and Play wagers and you'll experience the smallest house edge. Make the Play wager when you hold a hand of Queen-6-4 or higher, fold your hand when you don't.If you want more action, play the Pair Plus for the same amount as your Ante bet. The Pair Plus won't pay out as often, but when you hit a hand it will make up for a lot of bad hands. The other wagers like the Progressive, Prime and 6-card bonus will all increase your total bet and the total house edge.
Keep in mind that the more you bet and the higher the edge, the more it costs per hand to enjoy your casino gaming!
