Three Card Poker rules are simple: you place an Ante, see three cards, then either fold or raise with a Play bet equal to your Ante; the dealer needs queen high or better to qualify, and the higher three-card hand wins. A separate Pair Plus bet pays on your own hand alone, whatever the dealer holds.
This talk covers the hand rankings, how each bet is settled and the one decision that matters. Figures come from the Wizard of Odds Three Card Poker analysis, and you can play every hand for free on our Three Card Poker table.
Three Card Poker Rules at a Glance
- Place an Ante, a Pair Plus bet, or both.
- You and the dealer each receive three cards; yours are face up to you.
- Fold (lose the Ante) or Play (add a bet equal to the Ante).
- The dealer reveals. Without queen high, the dealer does not qualify.
- Bets are settled, including any Ante bonus and Pair Plus payout.
How Are Three-Card Hands Ranked?
With only three cards, the usual poker order changes: a straight beats a flush, because a flush is easier to make with three cards. From best to worst the hands are straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair and high card. Aces can be high (Q-K-A) or low (A-2-3) in a straight.
How Is the Ante and Play Bet Settled?
Once you have played, the result depends first on whether the dealer qualifies:
| Situation | Ante | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer does not qualify | Wins 1 to 1 | Returned |
| Dealer qualifies, you win | Wins 1 to 1 | Wins 1 to 1 |
| Dealer qualifies, dealer wins | Loses | Loses |
| Tie | Returned | Returned |
On top of this, many tables pay an Ante bonus on strong hands whatever the dealer holds. On the most common table it pays 1 to 1 for a straight, 4 to 1 for three of a kind and 5 to 1 for a straight flush.
When Should You Play or Fold?
The standard rule is to play any hand of queen-six-four or better and fold anything lower. That means playing every pair or better, every hand with a king or ace, and queen-high hands whose second card is higher than six, or a six followed by a four or better. With that rule and the 1-4-5 bonus table, the Wizard of Odds puts the house edge on the Ante and Play at 3.37%.
Our free table shows a strategy hint on every hand, so you can learn the rule by playing rather than memorising a chart.
Is Pair Plus a Good Bet?
Pair Plus is a side bet paid on your hand alone. On the pay table used most often (pair 1, flush 4, straight 6, three of a kind 30, straight flush 40), the Wizard of Odds gives a house edge of 2.32%. Some casinos pay less on the flush or straight, and those tables cost considerably more, with edges above 7% on the leaner versions. Always check the pay table printed on the layout before betting.
What Does a Hand of Three Card Poker Cost?
Because you add a Play bet on most hands (see also how to play craps for a lower-edge table game), your total stake per hand is often close to double the Ante, so the cost adds up faster than the Ante size suggests. Use our session cost calculator with the 3.37% figure to see what an evening of play costs on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
The dealer needs at least queen high. If the dealer has less, the Ante is paid at even money and the Play bet is returned, whatever your hand. If the dealer qualifies, your hand is compared with the dealer’s and the higher one wins both bets.
Yes. With three cards, a straight is harder to make than a flush, so it ranks higher. The full order is straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair and high card. This is the most common surprise for players who know five-card poker.
Play with queen-six-four or better and fold anything weaker. This simple rule is the strategy behind the 3.37% house edge quoted by the Wizard of Odds for the common pay table. There is no further decision in the game, so this one rule is all you need.
On most tables you can. Pair Plus is settled on your three cards alone, so the dealer’s hand does not matter to it. On our free game you can set the Ante to zero and play Pair Plus by itself, with its exact return shown below the table.
Summing Up
Three Card Poker gives you one real decision, and the queen-six-four rule makes it easy. Read the Ante bonus and Pair Plus tables, keep the side bet small and budget for the extra Play bet. See all our table game explainers in the game rules track. Should gambling start to feel like more than a game, BeGambleAware can help, free and in confidence.
How we prepared this talk: Rules, strategy and house edges come from the Wizard of Odds Three Card Poker analysis; our free game calculates its Pair Plus return from every possible hand. The cover image is an illustrative stock photo.
