HOW TO PLAY THREE CARD POKER
Three Card Poker is an exciting and fast-paced game played live against a dealer. And with so many winning hand combinations there’s no wonder it’s so popular. Here’s how to play.
PICK YOUR TABLE
Take your time and check out the different Poker tables, each will have a sign showing the minimum bet required to play.
Find the one that best suits your betting level and take a seat.
To get your playing chips, put your money on the table.
The dealer will exchange it for cash chips and you’re good to go.
There are three ways to play Three Hand Poker – Pair Plus, Ante/Play and Prime – and you can place a bet on any or all.
PLAYING THE PAIR PLUS
We’ll start with Pair Plus because it’s the easiest to understand. To play, place your bet inside the ‘Pair Plus’ box on the table. Once everyone at the table has placed a bet you’ll be dealt three cards face down.
Once the dealer gives you the nod, take a look at your hand.
If you’ve got any of the winning combinations to the right, you’ll be paid the fixed odds of that hand.
PLAYING THE ANTE/ PLAY
This time you’ll place your bet in the ‘Ante’ box on the table. Like before, you’ll be dealt three cards face down and the dealer will also receive three cards. Once you’ve looked at your cards you can decide whether to ‘play’ or ‘fold’.
If you ‘fold’ just push your cards, face down, towards the dealer and you’ll lose your ‘Ante’ bet. If you have any of the winning card combinations that you think may beat the dealer’s hand, you can choose to play against the dealer by placing a bet in the ‘Play’ box on the table. Make sure this is equal to your ‘Ante’ bet.
When everyone around the table has decided to either ‘play’ or ‘fold’ the dealer reveals their cards and one of
the following happens:
- The dealer doesn’t have a pair, Queen or higher so doesn’t qualify to play. All the ‘Ante’ bets still in play will be paid out and you’ll keep your ‘Play’ bet.
- The dealer has a Queen or higher, but your hand is better. You beat the dealer and both your ‘Play’
and ‘Ante’ bets are paid out and you’ll keep your ‘Play’ bet. - The dealer beats your hand and you lose both your ‘Ante’ and ‘Play’ bets – better luck next time.
- Both you and the dealer have the exact same hand. It’s a tie so you keep your ‘Ante’ and ‘Play’ bets.
If you have a Straight Flush, Three of a Kind or a Straight, you’ll also get an ‘Ante Bonus’. This pays out on the odds, even if the dealer’s hand wins.’
TRY YOUR HAND AT PRIME
An optional side game to Pair Plus and Ante/ Play is Prime. Simply place your bet in the ‘Prime’ square on the table and if your three cards are the same colour and the dealer’s are mixed, you’ll get 3 to 1 odds. If your three cards are the same colour and the same colour as the dealer’s, you’ll get 4 to 1 odds.
TIME TO CELEBRATE
If you’re a winner all you have to do to ‘cash-in’ your chips is visit the Cash Desk, then get celebrating!