History of The Game
Three Card Poker is the most exciting and successful table game invented in the past century. While games like roulette, blackjack and craps may be better known, players have flocked to Three Card Poker because it is easy to learn and easy to play. There are over 1,800 Three Card Poker tables found in casinos throughout the world, and the success of the game has much to do with the personality and persistence of the man responsible for its introduction to the casinos of the world.
The game of Three Card Poker was invented by Englishman Derek Webb, a professional poker player, who thought a game that combined the excitement of poker and the speed of regular casino games might just be a great combination. He was right. Using a Standard English deck of 52-cards, the game pits each player’s three card hand against the dealer’s, and includes a bonus payoff up to 50-1 on a mini-royal hand of suited Ace-King-Queen.
Webb toyed with his game idea for several months, striving to keep the rules easy, the payoffs large, and the house percentage reasonable enough to get casino owners interested in housing his game. Originally marketed as Brit-Brag and then Casino Brag, Webb tested the waters in 1994 after applying for patents in Great Britain and the United States. His marketing was done under the name Prime Table Games, but the British Casino Association (now know as National Casino Industry Forum) suggested that he first try gaining experience in the United States, since United Kingdom gaming regulations did not permit a table game such as Three Card Poker and the regulators were reluctant to make substantial changes to their rules and regulations for an unproven game.
After meeting with casino owners in Reno, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City, Webb finally convinced Barry Morris, Vice President of Grand Casino, Gulfport (Mississippi) to allow a trial on the casino floor. The 3.5 percent house edge was just right as far as Morris was concerned, but it was Webb who made his most important decision upon gaining Morris’s trust: he promised to train the casino’s dealers at no cost.
Instead of getting the trial started and leaving, Webb stayed at the property, trained the dealers in the finer points of dealing the game, and then stood by the table for hours each day, convincing players to give the game a try, and teaching them the simple rules of play. Webb had a great time introducing his game to new players. He joked with them, explained the finer points of play, and was a pleasure to have on the casino floor. Players loved him and the game, and then, with a successful start under his belt, Webb convinced two casinos in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada to allow his game a field trial.
Again, Webb spent hours training the dealers and hawking the game on the casino floor. Players found the game to be fun, easy, and often filled with big payouts. The trip to the US had originally been nothing more than a chance to get a game or two on trial and gather the stats for the United Kingdom regulators; instead, the game was so popular that competing casinos in many cities fought for a chance to have Webb bring his game to their properties next.
Too Popular?
In fact, the game was so popular so fast, that Webb couldn’t keep up with the expansion of his business. In addition, he was hit with a lawsuit filed by Progressive Games Inc. citing patent infringement. Under the stress and demands of marketing the new game and the lawsuit, Webb met with Joseph Lahti, President of Shufflmaster (think shuffle machines and Let it Ride), who offered to help defend Webb’s original patent claims in court and a $3 million check for the rights to Three Card Poker.
Webb retained certain rights, agreed to be the principle salesman for the game, and took the deal, giving Sufflemaster the rights to the game outside the British Isles. The continued success of the game forced United Kingdom regulators to finally allow the introduction of Three Card Poker in 2002.
At the same time, Webb countersued Progressive Games Inc., claiming their lawsuit forced him to sell his intellectual property at a lower price than it was worth. Progressive settled outside court and paid Webb $20 million, while the success of Three Card Poker helped make Shufflemaster a ton of money in monthly licensing fees.
Today, Webb defines his success as knowing “When people walk into a casino, mine is the game they want to play.” An inventor can’t do any better than that!
Moving Around Our Site
Our aim is to provide the most up to date information about 3 Card Poker. With optimal strategy, rules and odds covered, we like to keep an eye on both the online and off-line environment for our readers. We have dedicated guide for those visiting gambling hotspots Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Online casino fans can check out the sites mentioned throughout our site for recommendations on the best places to play based on their country of residence.
Further down on the left side bar we have listed other popular casino pokers which are mostly available both online and offline with 4 Card Poker being the exception. We have searched the internet from top to bottom to find a reputable site that offers 4 Card Poker (for real money obviously) and came up empty. We would love to see it available online and have contacted many gambling/gaming software developers. We encourage any fans to do the same if they would like to see it offered online.
Finding 3 Card Poker Online
Many users have contacted us saying they couldn’t find 3 Card Poker when they visited certain casinos which is a common problem. Let us explain. As hinted to earlier, gambling/gaming software developers develop casino games that are bundled into a package (called a platform) which are then used by the various gambling sites. Popular software developers are Realtime Gaming, Microgaming, Playtech and Net Entertainment. There are many more developers but these are the most popular. Because many of the gambling games are trademarked and developers operate in different jurisdictions we see them developed under different names such as Cyberstud Poker for Caribbean Stud. The play is exactly the same, only the name is different to protect the developer from infringement. In the case of 3 Card Poker you will see it listed as Tri Card Poker on Realtime Gaming and Trey Poker at Net Entertainment sites. It is important to note this and remember that the play, rules and odds are all the same. The only difference is the name.
Tournaments – Not Online Yet
Many casino games are now played out in tournament format. Poker, slots and blackjack all have hugely popular tournaments that are played both online and in brick and mortar casinos. 3 Card Poker is a newer arrival on the tournament scene. While these tournaments are not yet played online, they are offered by a number of real world casinos in the USA including the Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas and Sams Town Hotel & Casino in Tunica. With the ever increasing popularity of the game, tournaments are sure to become more popular in Vegas, Reno, Tunica and further afield as well as being a shoe in to make an appearance at online casino sites.
Other Resources
Wikipedia is a great source of information about almost any topic. Their 3 card poker page is the top ranked site on Google. You can view it here.
The Wizard of Odds is one of the most famous gambling sites on the internet. The Wiz has written incredibly detailed mathematical analysis of the majority of casino games, including a perfect basic strategy for each. His 3 card analysis is equally in depth. You can read it in full here: Wizard of Odds 3 Card Poker Analysis.
Pagat.com is a huge card game database that outlines the rules and formats for thousands of different card games. Check out the Pagat 3 card poker page.
If you want to try playing online for free, you can check out the free 3 card poker game offered by Games.com who have a massive collection of them free to play online.
