Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker is a fast banked poker game with three separate wagers: Ante/Play against the dealer, Pair Plus on your own hand, and in many versions a 6 Card Bonus. Each hand takes seconds to decide, and a single rule (Q-6-4) covers optimal strategy for the main game.
Hand Rankings With Three Cards
With three cards, the order of hands changes. A straight is harder to make than a flush, so it ranks higher. Out of 22,100 possible three-card hands:
| Hand | Example | Combinations | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ | 48 | 0.22% |
| Three of a kind | 9♣ 9♦ 9♠ | 52 | 0.24% |
| Straight | Q♠ J♦ 10♣ | 720 | 3.26% |
| Flush | K♦ 9♦ 4♦ | 1,096 | 4.96% |
| Pair | 7♠ 7♥ A♦ | 3,744 | 16.94% |
| High card | A♣ 10♦ 6♠ | 16,440 | 74.39% |
Note that three of a kind (52 combinations) is slightly more common than a straight flush (48), yet it ranks lower in most paytables. Aces can be high (A-K-Q) or low (A-2-3). Compare this with the five-card order on our poker hand rankings page.
How a Round Works
- Place an Ante, a Pair Plus bet, or both. Many tables also allow a 6 Card Bonus bet.
- You and the dealer each receive three cards. The dealer’s cards are face down.
- If you placed an Ante, choose Play (add a bet equal to your Ante) or Fold (lose the Ante).
- The dealer reveals. The dealer needs queen high or better to qualify.
| Outcome | Ante | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer does not qualify | Pays 1 to 1 | Push |
| Dealer qualifies, you win | Pays 1 to 1 | Pays 1 to 1 |
| Dealer qualifies, dealer wins | Loses | Loses |
| Tie | Push | Push |
Ante Bonus
The Ante also earns a bonus for a straight or better, whether or not the dealer qualifies and even if the dealer’s hand is higher. The most common table pays:
| Hand | Ante Bonus |
|---|---|
| Straight flush | 5 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 4 to 1 |
| Straight | 1 to 1 |
With this table and optimal play, the Ante/Play house edge is 3.37% of the Ante (element of risk 2.01% of total money bet). Lower bonus tables raise the edge: 4/3/1 gives 3.83% and 3/2/1 gives 4.28%.
Optimal Strategy: Q-6-4
- Play with Q-6-4 or better.
- Fold with anything lower than Q-6-4.
How to compare: look at your highest card first, then the second, then the third. Q-7-2 is better than Q-6-4 (play). Q-6-3 is worse (fold). Q-5-4 is worse (fold). Any pair or better is always played. Any hand with a king or ace high is played.
The difference between Q-6-4 and Q-6-3 is tiny, but over many hands the rule is exact. For comparison:
| Strategy | Ante/Play house edge |
|---|---|
| Q-6-4 (optimal) | 3.37% |
| Mimic the dealer (play Q-high or better) | 3.45% |
| Play every hand | 7.65% |
Playing every hand more than doubles the edge, so folding weak hands matters.
Pair Plus
Pair Plus pays on your own three cards, with no reference to the dealer. You win if you have a pair or better. Paytables vary, and the house edge depends entirely on them:
| Hand | 1-4-6-30-40 table | 1-3-6-30-40 table |
|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 40 to 1 | 40 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 30 to 1 | 30 to 1 |
| Straight | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 |
| Flush | 4 to 1 | 3 to 1 |
| Pair | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| House edge | 2.32% | 7.28% |
A single line, the flush paying 4 instead of 3, moves the edge from 2.32% to 7.28%. Check the flush payout in the paytable before betting Pair Plus. Pair Plus wins about 25.6% of the time.
6 Card Bonus
The 6 Card Bonus uses your three cards plus the dealer’s three to make the best five-card poker hand. It pays on three of a kind or better. A common paytable is:
| Hand (best 5 of 6 cards) | Pays |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | 1,000 to 1 |
| Straight flush | 200 to 1 |
| Four of a kind | 100 to 1 |
| Full house | 20 to 1 |
| Flush | 15 to 1 |
| Straight | 10 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 7 to 1 |
This paytable has a house edge of 8.56%. Other versions run from about 10% to over 15%. It is the most expensive of the three bets.
Worked Example
You bet A$10 Ante, A$10 Pair Plus (1-4-6-30-40) and no 6 Card Bonus. You are dealt 9♠ 10♠ J♠, a straight flush.
- Pair Plus: 40 to 1 = A$400.
- Ante Bonus: 5 to 1 = A$50.
- Play: you add A$10. The dealer shows K♦ 8♣ 2♥ (qualifies). You win: Ante A$10 + Play A$10.
Total profit A$470. If the dealer had J-7-3 (no queen), the Ante would still pay A$10 plus the A$50 bonus and the Play would push.
Choosing Your Bets
| Bet | Best common house edge | Decision needed |
|---|---|---|
| Ante/Play | 3.37% | Q-6-4 rule |
| Pair Plus | 2.32% (4-to-1 flush) | None |
| 6 Card Bonus | 8.56% | None |
Pair Plus on the 1-4-6-30-40 table has a lower edge than Ante/Play and needs no decisions, but it is more volatile because three of every four hands lose. Ante/Play loses less per decision once you count the Play bet (element of risk 2.01%). The 6 Card Bonus is optional and costly.
Playing Online and Live
Three Card Poker is available as an RNG table game and at live tables; Evolution’s live “3 Card Poker” is available at casinos with an Evolution lobby. Before you play, open the paytable to confirm the Ante Bonus and the Pair Plus flush payout. Casinos with Evolution live poker include MORI WIN; see our list of Evolution casinos for more. For a slower game with a lower edge, see Casino Hold’em; for a five-card alternative, see Caribbean Stud. The house edge guide explains how these percentages translate into expected losses. All poker formats are listed in the casino poker guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Queen high or better. If the dealer does not qualify, your Ante pays 1 to 1 and your Play bet is returned.
Play with Q-6-4 or better and fold anything lower. This gives a 3.37% house edge on the standard 5/4/1 Ante Bonus table.
Yes. With three cards there are 720 straights and 1,096 flushes, so the straight is rarer and ranks higher.
It depends on the paytable: 2.32% when a flush pays 4 to 1 and 7.28% when it pays 3 to 1, with the other lines at 1-6-30-40.
Yes. The Ante Bonus for a straight, three of a kind or straight flush is paid regardless of the dealer’s hand.
Every Three Card Poker bet carries a house edge. Play only if you are 18 or older; Gambling Help Online (1800 858 858) provides free, confidential support.