Tag Archives: 3 card

3 Card Poker – Strategy

Three Card Poker is a very popular game in many casinos and can provide relief from the intensity of playing Texas Holdem or Omaha poker. The game is quick and easy to play. Because Three Card Poker is a negative expectation game, it is very difficult to come up with a strategy that will beat the house. Here are some tips to give you a slight advantage.

When playing Three Card Poker you should always play when your hand contains at least a queen, a six and a four. Any smaller hand will give too big an advantage to the house. You can also raise with any queen or better but you’ll probably lose more money. Never raise with just anything, the house advantage is much too high.

The best strategy for Three Card Poker, however is to enjoy yourself. You’re never going to be a big winner at the game, so have fun instead.

Different Hand Ranks in Three Card Poker

Despite the recent upsurge in popularity of poker variants such as Texas Hold ‘Em, the popularity of the simple format – Three Card Poker – remains. As the name suggests, each player is dealt three cards which are ranked as follows:

Straight Flush

– Best possible hand. Made by having three cards of the same suit, in sequence.

Three Of A Kind

– Three cards of the same rank.

Straight

– Three cards in sequential rank, but with at least two different suits.

Flush

– All three cards are of the same suit.

Pair

– Two cards of the same rank, and any other random card.

High Card

– When none of the above five hands are ‘made’, the highest card of the three in your hand comes into play.

Good luck at the table!

History of 3 Card Poker

The original game of poker is thought to date back to the 16th century. More recently 3 Card Poker was derived from the British game of Brag. The casino version was created by British professional poker player Derek Webb in 1994. It was initially known as Casino-Brag and Brit-Brag to differentiate it from the original game. Patents for the game were granted in Britain and the United States. Webb established Prime Table Games which marketed the game up until 1999 when Shuttle Master acquired the rights outside of Britain. Since then, there have been various legal battles over the ownership. Although it is quite different from traditional poker, Shuttle Master renamed the game to appeal to American players. In 2002, gambling regulations were changed in the United Kingdom, to legalise playing casino 3 Card Poker. The game has grown in popularity from the introduction of internet casinos in the 1990s.