(Table Games continued)

3 Card Poker

     

Three card poker has two separate wagers. The first is called Pairplus. In Pairplus, the bettor makes a bet before the deal and then gets paid according to his hand. The hand of the dealer does not matter.

Typically, the payout for Pairplus is as follows. 

Straight Flush 40:1
3 of a kind     30:1
Straight            6:1
Flush               4:1
Pair                 1:1

The player will be dealt three cards. If the player does not have any of the above hands, he loses his wager.

The other bet is called Ante and Play. The bettor bets the ante before the deal. After being dealt three cards the player will have the option to fold or bet. The amount of the player's bet must be the same as ante. The dealer will then check his hand to see if he has at least a queen high. If not, he folds and the player is paid the ante wager. If he does have at least a queen high, then the dealer essentially calls the player's raise. If the player has the best hand, of course, he wins even money on his ante and raise. Otherwise he loses. 

In addition, the player will also receive a bonus for certain hands. The bonus payout breaks down as follows:

Straight Flush   5:1
3 of a Kind      4:1
Straight            1:1

The standard strategy for 3 card poker is to raise if you hold a Q-6-4 or higher. The reason for this strategy is that it is at this point where there is a 50-50 win/loss ratio. 

The house edge for Ante and Play is 3.3% while the house edge for Pairplus is 2.3%.