There isn’t a whole lot of strategy to three card poker. There are only a few basic decisions that need to be made. The first is whether to play at all. This depends upon two things; your tolerance for risk and the odds at the table. The second is whether to play pairs plus. The third thing that you need to determine is whether to bet once you’ve received your cards.

The Basic Playing Guide

3 card poker strategy is among the simplest of any casino game. The general rule is to play if your hand is Q-6-4 or better. To determine if a hand is better than Q-6-4, consider whether it would beat a dealer’s hand of Q-6-4. For example, a hand of K-3-2 is a better hand because once the king beats the queen, no one looks at the other two cards. Likewise Q-7-3 is a better hand.

Any hand containing a pair, a flush, a straight, three-of-a-kind, or a straight flush is obviously a better hand than Q-6-4, and is well worth placing a bet on.

Should I Play Pairs Plus In 3 Card Poker?

If you’re playing at the Pioneer in Laughlin, Nevada or if you’re playing online a site with good odds, definitely take the Pairs Plus bet, because they offer a pay table that gives a house edge of just 2.32%. Most casinos, however, offer a pay table with a house edge of around 5.57%. If the payout for straight and flush are not 6:1 and 4:1 respectively, then you’re dropping your overall odds by playing pairs plus. Las Vegas casinos generally offer very poor odds on pairs plus bets, so you should avoid them, despite the temptingly high payouts. Other players and even dealers may try to convince you to place the pairs plus bet, but it is a bet that should generally be avoided due to the higher house edge.

3 Card Poker Odds

There are a few factors here. If you’re a die-hard three card poker fan, then you can play anywhere. If you want to play only where the odds are good, then you’ll need to look at the payout table. If the ante bet bonus structure is 5/4/1, you’ve found a good table, so sit down and play. If the structure is 3/2/1, then you might want to try a different game.

European roulette, for example, has a lower house edge overall than three card poker, even under the best odds. American roulette has a higher house edge, though. If you’re certain that three card poker is your game, make sure to look for the casinos with the best 3 card poker odds.

When it comes to online casinos, each casino software provider offers its own payout table, so you might need to shop around a bit before in order to find one that offers a lower house edge. If you’re in Las Vegas, they all offer the same payout tables, so you can play at any of them. Just remember when you do to employ the 3 card poker strategy discussed in this article and you’ll keep the house edge to a minimum!