The dealer hand must be queen-high or better to qualify. When you decide to post the Play bet the dealer will then expose their cards to determine a winner. If you have a weak hand and decline to play, you can fold and forfeit your ante and bonus bets.

The odds of making either hand stand at less than 1 percent, while a straight (3.2 percent) and flush (4.9 percent) are far easier to make.īased on the strength of your hand, you can decide whether to match your Ante with an equal Play bet. With 52 combinations available to make three of a kind, this hand is actually nearly as difficult to make as a straight flush (48 combinations). But things change in Three Card Poker, and the hand values are turned upside down. Remember, in traditional five card poker a flush beats a straight because the hand is slightly easier to make, and both hands beat three of a kind for the same reason. This means high-card (A-3-2) is the lowest qualifying hand, followed by one pair (9-9-2), flush (any three cards of the same suit), straight (6-7-8), three of a kind (9-9-9), straight flush (6-7-8 of the same suit), and in some casinos, the mini-Royal (A-K-Q of the same suit). Three Card Poker relies on the traditional poker hand hierarchy to determine winners, but rather than five cards only three are needed. The player’s cards may be exposed at this point, but the dealer’s hand remains face down. After making the ante bet (along with the Pair Plus and other side bets, which will be explained below) players receive three cards, as does the dealer. This wager must be made for a player to take a hand. The first action in a Three Card Poker hand is a mandatory bet known as the Ante.

How to play casino 3 card poker