Tri Card Poker

It's the three-card table game version of poker that you can play one of two ways, and it couldn't be easier to play.

How to Play Tri-Card Poker

The first way pits you against the dealer, with each side getting a three-card hand. With no flop included, it's much faster than regular poker and all you've got to do is put down your Ante bet, get three cards, and choose to Raise or Fold. Piece of cake.

The second way to play 3-Card Poker doesn't involve an opponent at all. You simply wager on the game's Pair+ bet and collect a payout if your three-card hand contains a pair or better. You can bet on the Pair+ in addition to playing against the dealer, or you can bet exclusively on the Pair+ option.

Convinced? Give the game a go at Slots.lv – just visit our online Table Games section and play Tri-Card Poker.

Tri-Card Poker Rules

You might not be making the rules, but you can choose if you want to Raise of Fold when you're playing against the dealer. The dealer, on the other hand, must follow a key rule: he only plays hands with a Queen or higher. If he doesn't have at least a Queen, he folds. Assuming you've chosen to Raise and play the hand, you'll find yourself in one of four scenarios, depending on whether or not the Dealer qualifies with a Queen:

Dealer Qualifies

1. Scenario: The dealer qualifies (has a Queen or higher), but you have the better poker hand.

Result: You win and get paid on the Ante bet and the Raise bet.

2. Scenario: The dealer qualifies and has the better poker hand.

Result: You lose your Ante and Raise bets.

Dealer Doesn't Qualify

3. Scenario: The dealer doesn't qualify and you have the higher hand.

Result: You win but get paid on the Ante bet only. The Raise is returned as a push.

4. Scenario: The dealer doesn't qualify and you have a lower hand.

Result: You still get paid on the Ante bet. The Raise is a push.

In these scenarios, we're assuming you Raised and took part in the round.

But you'll find yourself with some hands that aren't raise-worthy. In the case of a Player Fold, it doesn't matter if the dealer qualifies or not, you lose your Ante bet and the round ends. To start a new round, use the Re-Bet button to stake same amount you wagered last time, or use the Re-Bet x2 button to double your wager. You can also drag and drop casino chips to bet a different amount altogether.

Tri-Card Poker Hands

3-Card Poker hands are based on standard poker hands, with a few important differences in hand rankings. Since you're working with a three-card hand, there's no royal flush, four of a kind, full house, or two pair hands. In Tri-Card Poker, there are only six hands, and they rank as follows:
 

1. Straight Flush: Three cards of the same suit in consecutive rank (ex. 10♦, Jack♦, Queen♦). This is the top Tri-Card Poker hand at Slots.lv. Some casinos include a mini royal, which is suited Ace, King, Queen. 
    
2. 3 of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank (ex. three Queens).
    
3. Straight: Three cards of consecutive rank (ex. 7, 8, 9). In 3-Card Poker, the straight outranks the flush.
    
4. Flush: Three cards of the same suit (ex. Queen, 10 and 2 of spades).
    
5. Pair: Two cards of the same rank (ex. two Kings).
    
6. High Card: The highest rank card in a hand that doesn't have any of the aforementioned sets (ex. in a hand containing Ace ♠, 2 ♦, Jack ♦, the Ace would be the high card).

Hand Order and Probabilities

When you look at the 3-Card Poker odds for each of the six hands available, you can see why they rank differently from standard poker. Their probabilities are affected by the decreased number of cards in your hand.

1. Straight Flush: 0.21% (1 in 460 hands)
    
2. 3 of a Kind: 0.23% (1 in 425 hands)
    
3. Straight: 3.2% (1 in 31 hands)
    
4. Flush: 4.9% (1 in 20 hands)
    
5. Pair: 16.9% (1 in 6 hands)
    
6. High Card: 74.3%

Antes/Bets/Options

Every round of 3-Card Poker begins with an Ante bet, a Pair+ bet or both. To keep things simple, we'll start with Ante bets. The Ante bet has a $1 minimum and a $500 maximum, so to place your bet, you drag and drop the casino chips you want to wager on the Ante circle. Tap “Deal” to receive your three cards. The dealer also receives three cards, but his are placed face down on the board.

At that point, you have the option of Raising or Folding. A Raise commits you to the round and adds another bet to the table that's equal to the Ante bet. If you bet $5 on the Ante, your Raise will be another $5. Alternatively, folding ends the round and forfeits your Ante bet.

At Slots.lv, standard payouts for the Ante and Raise bets in 3-Card Poker are 1:1, but the Ante gives bonus payouts for premium hands. A straight flush awards a bonus 5:1 payout, meaning you get the standard 1:1 payout plus a 5:1 payout on top of that – regardless if the dealer qualifies. And the bonus payouts don't end there; a 3 of a Kind nets you a bonus 4:1 payout, and a straight gives out a bonus 1:1 payout. These bonus payouts are for the Ante bet only – not the Raise.

The second approach to 3-Card Poker is to wager on the Pair+ side bet. You can do this in addition to the Ante bet, or bet exclusively on the Pair+ option. This wager pays 1:1 for a pair, 4:1 for a flush, 6:1 for a straight, 30:1 for a 3 of a Kind, and 40:1 for a straight flush – regardless of what the dealer has. For example, receiving an Ace, and two Jacks would result in an even-money Pair+ winner. If, however, you have a high-card hand only, you lose the bet, so you'll win roughly a quarter of your hands using this bet. You can bet anywhere between $1 and $500 on the Pair+.

How to Play Tri-Card Poker at Online Casinos

Slots.lv offers online versions of 3-Card Poker for real money payouts and for practice, making it ideal for beginners. If you're well-seasoned, you probably want to play 3-Card Poker for real money, so select Real Play mode when you access the game from the menu. Newbies looking to play for free should opt for Practice Play mode. This lets you get your feet wet without having to risk real money.

In our Table Games section, you'll see two versions of Tri-Card Poker. We have a Classic version and a new version that's even better on your phone or a tablet so you get to take the action with you.  versions have the same rules and offer the same payouts; they simply give you the option to choose between two different styles.

Tri-Card Poker Strategy

For the highest return possible, the betting strategy for Tri-Card Poker is simple: Raise on hands comprising Queen/6/4 and fold everything else. That means your highest card should be a Queen or higher. If it's a Queen, your second-highest card should be a 6 or higher. If it's a 6, your third card should be at least a 4. Let's go over a couple example hands.
 

• You've received a King/4/2. According to 3-Card Poker strategy, you should raise.
• You've received a Queen/7/3. According to 3-Card Poker strategy, you should raise.
• You've received a Queen/6/5. According to 3-Card Poker strategy, you should raise.
• You've received a 10/9/7. According to 3-Card Poker strategy, you should Fold.
   

This strategy yields a house edge of 3.37%, compared to 3.45% for mimicking the dealer and raising on every hand with a Queen or higher. If you were to raise every hand indiscriminately, the house edge would be 7.65%.

As for the Pair+ bet, its house edge is 2.32% on full pay machines, such as the one at Slots.lv. Full pay machines pay 40:1 for a straight flush, 30:1 for a 3 of a Kind, 6:1 for a straight, 4:1 for a flush, and 1:1 for a pair. It may be tempting to bet only the Pair+ since the house edge is lower, but keep in mind, the element of risk is higher for Pair+ (2.32% vs. 2.01%), making the Ante & Raise the better overall bet.

In our guide to Three-Card Poker, we've covered the rules of the game, how to play, the different hand rankings and their associated probabilities, and we've even revealed the golden rule of Tri-Card Poker strategy: Raise for Queen/6/4. Now get out there and make us proud – it's time to take the Tri-Card tables by storm at Slots.lv today.