Three Card Poker is quick, simple and played against the dealer rather than other players. You make one decision per hand — play or fold — yet the rules hide some interesting probabilities. This table uses free play chips, standard pay tables and a Hint button that applies the optimal strategy to your exact hand.
How to play
- Choose your ante and an optional Pair Plus side bet, then press Deal (or N).
- You and the dealer each get three cards; the dealer’s are face down.
- Look at your hand and choose Play (P), which places a play bet equal to your ante, or Fold (F), which gives up the ante and Pair Plus.
- The dealer reveals. The dealer must have queen-high or better to qualify.
- Bets are settled as shown below, line by line under the cards.
How the bets pay
| Situation | Ante | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer doesn’t qualify | Wins 1 to 1 | Push (returned) |
| Dealer qualifies, you win | Wins 1 to 1 | Wins 1 to 1 |
| Dealer qualifies, tie | Push | Push |
| Dealer qualifies, dealer wins | Loses | Loses |
On top of that, if you play you receive an ante bonus for a straight (1 to 1), three of a kind (4 to 1) or straight flush (5 to 1), even if the dealer beats you. The Pair Plus bet pays on your hand alone: pair 1 to 1, flush 4 to 1, straight 6 to 1, three of a kind 30 to 1, straight flush 40 to 1.
Three-card hand odds
There are C(52, 3) = 22,100 possible three-card hands. Because a straight is rarer than a flush with three cards, the ranking differs from five-card poker:
| Hand | Combinations | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 48 | 0.22% |
| Three of a kind | 52 | 0.24% |
| Straight | 720 | 3.26% |
| Flush | 1,096 | 4.96% |
| Pair | 3,744 | 16.94% |
| High card | 16,440 | 74.39% |
Counting the straights: there are 12 rank sequences (A-2-3 through Q-K-A) and 4 × 4 × 4 = 64 suit choices for each, or 768, minus the 48 straight flushes, leaving 720. An ace counts high or low, but K-A-2 is not a straight.
Worked example: should you play queen-5-3?
The optimal rule is to play queen-6-4 or better. Q-5-3 is below that line: the 5 loses to the 6 in the second position, so the strategy says fold. Q-6-5 or Q-7-2 would be a play, as would any king-high or ace-high hand and anything with a pair. The cutoff sits where the extra play bet stops having positive expected value: most of the time a hand that weak only wins when the dealer fails to qualify.
House edge
Computed by checking every one of the 407,170,400 possible player-versus-dealer deals:
- Ante and Play with the queen-6-4 strategy: the player loses about 3.37% of the ante per hand. Because many hands also add a play bet, the loss per total amount wagered is lower, about 2%.
- Pair Plus with the 1-4-6-30-40 table: house edge 2.32% — the expected loss is (16,440 − 3,744 − 4 × 1,096 − 6 × 720 − 30 × 52 − 40 × 48) ÷ 22,100 = 512 ÷ 22,100.
Some casinos pay less on Pair Plus (for example 3 to 1 on a flush), which raises its house edge considerably. Always check the posted pay table.
Want a game where skill matters more? Try blackjack with basic strategy, or play Texas Hold’em against computer opponents. Full five-card rankings are on the poker hand rankings page.
Free game with play chips only — no money can be wagered or won. If you play casino games for real money, set a limit beforehand and treat losses as the cost of entertainment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best strategy for Three Card Poker?
Play any hand of queen-6-4 or better and fold anything worse. That simple rule is the optimal strategy for the Ante and Play bets, giving a house edge of about 3.37% of the ante.
What does it mean when the dealer doesn't qualify?
The dealer needs queen-high or better to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify and you played, your ante pays 1 to 1 and your play bet is returned, no matter how weak your hand is.
Is a straight better than a flush in Three Card Poker?
Yes. With only three cards there are fewer ways to make a straight (720) than a flush (1,096), so the straight ranks higher, just below three of a kind.
Is the Pair Plus bet worth it?
It pays on any pair or better regardless of the dealer's hand, but with the 1-4-6-30-40 pay table used here it has a house edge of about 2.32%. It is a fun side bet, not a profitable one.
What happens to the Pair Plus bet if I fold?
At this table, folding forfeits the Pair Plus bet along with the ante, as at many casinos. With a pair or better you should always play anyway.