The rules for three card poker are not very complex. The game is played with a special felt that shows players where to place their bets and a single deck of 52 cards.

Before play begins, each player decides how much money they want to place as an ante. They can then decide whether or not to place a second bet called the ‘pairs plus’ bet.

After the initial bets have been placed, each player receives three cards, and there is a decision point. Players need to decide whether their chances of beating the dealer are high enough to warrant continued play. If their chances of winning are high enough, they add a bet called the play bet to their initial ante bet.

At this point, the dealer’s cards come into play. If the dealer does not have at least a queen, then the dealer does not qualify. In that case, the ante is paid 1:1, and the additional bet is returned the to player or players regardless of their hands. If the dealer does qualify, the player’s hand is compared to that of the dealer, and if the dealer’s hand is better, the ante and play bets are lost. If the player holds the better hand, then both ante and play bets pay 1:1.

The hands are valued in the following order. According to standard 3 card poker rules, the highest hand is a straight flush, followed by three-of-a-kind, followed by a straight, a flush, and finally, a pair. Higher cards have higher value, meaning that three eights is a better hand than three sixes, and 7-8-9 is a better hand than 6-7-8. In the case of a tie, which is very rare, some casinos return the wager, while others give the win to the player. This changes the odds very little.

Additionally, there is an ante bonus for the top three hands. Whether or not the dealer qualifies, the player receives a bonus on the ante for a straight flush, three-of-a-kind, or a straight. The amount of the bonus differs from casino to casino. Straights are always paid even money.

The third wager in the game is the pairs plus wager, and it is optional. As previously mentioned, it must be placed at the beginning of the round, before the deal. If this wager is placed, and the player holds a hand consisting of a pair or better, then they get a payout for that. The payout can be quite high, as the typical payout for a straight flush is 40:1. Payouts for more common hands such as a straight, a flush, or three-of-a-kind are lower, but can still amount to serious wins. The payout table varies from casino to casino (different casinos offer slightly different rules), with the payout for pairs always being 1:1.