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Three-Card Poker Rules and Terms |
Three-card poker is a fun and exciting poker variation that can be played over the Internet. Because the hands are small, and there is no discarding or drawing of cards, it is faster moving than most poker games.
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Online three-card poker actually comprises two games in one: "Pair Plus" and "Ante and Play." You can play the online 3-card poker game of your choice or, for double the fun, you can play both 3-card poker games together.
In the Pair Plus 3-card poker game, you are not playing against the dealer or against other poker players. You are simply trying to get the best poker hand that you can.
To play Pair Plus poker in an online 3-card poker casino, you first select your coin size using the increase (+) or decrease (-) buttons. Then place your bet by clicking in the Pair Plus circle on the virtual poker table. Every left click of your mouse adds a coin to your bet; every right click removes a coin.
After you have placed your Pair Plus bet, click the Deal button. You receive three poker cards face-up, and the dealer also receives three cards. The dealer's cards are just a special effect; they have no bearing on your winning or losing the Pair Plus game.
To win at Pair Plus, you need a winning poker hand of a pair or better. A pair pays out even money on your Pair Plus bet. Better 3-card poker hands pay even more: a flush pays 4-to-1, a straight pays 6-to-1, three of a kind pays 30-to-1, and a straight flush pays 40-to-1. As you can see, it is possible to win real money at 3-card poker.
It is interesting to note that in most poker variations, a flush beats a straight, and they both beat three of a kind. Because of the smaller size of the hand, the mathematical probabilities — and therefore the poker hand rankings — differ in three-card poker. That's a point to keep in mind when you play 3-card poker online.
Unlike Pair Plus, Ante and Play is a competitive online poker game that you play against the dealer. To play Ante and Play, first select your coin size and then make your first bet — called the Ante bet — by clicking in the Ante circle on the virtual poker table. Then click the Deal button. You receive three cards face-up, and the dealer receives three cards face-down.
Now it is time to make a decision: Fold or Play. If you fold, you lose your Ante bet and the game is over. If you play, a Play bet, equal to your Ante bet, is placed in the Play circle on the poker table. The dealer then turns his cards over, and the hands are compared.
| To qualify in the Ante and Play game, the dealer needs at least a Queen-high hand. If the dealer does not qualify, you win automatically. In this case, your Ante bet pays even money and your Play bet is a push. This rule applies even if your hand is worse than the dealer's hand.
If the dealer does qualify, and your hand beats the dealer's hand, you win even money on both your Ante bet and your Play bet. If the dealer's hand beats yours, you lose both bets. If the two hands tie, the game is a push, meaning that your bets are returned to you with nothing gained and nothing lost. |
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The poker hand rankings are different in Ante and Play than in other poker games, so it is important to familiarize yourself with them before you start to play. The winning poker hands in Ante and Play, ranked from best to worst, are:
If you are playing Ante and Play and you are lucky enough to get one of the best three-card poker hands, you can win an Ante Bonus. The Ante Bonus is 1-to-1 for a straight, 4-to-1 for three of a kind, and 5-to-1 for a straight flush.
There are two important points to remember about the Ante Bonus. The first is that when you win the Ante Bonus, it is in addition to, not instead of, your regular Ante and Play winnings. The second is that the Ante Bonus is based solely on your poker hand; the dealer's hand is irrelevant. If you have three 5's you win the 4-to-1 Ante Bonus for three of a kind, even if the dealer beats you with three kings.
You can play Pair Plus and Ante & Play together on the same hand. To do this, simply place a bet in the Pair Plus circle and another bet in the Ante circle. Then click the Play button, the cards will be dealt, and you play both online 3-card poker games in the usual way.
Please note that the two bets are independent of each other. Your Ante bet can be higher than, lower than, or the same as, your Pair Plus bet. The outcomes of the games are also independent. It is possible to win one game and lose the other, to win both games, or to lose both games.
The ideal scenario, of course, is to win 4 ways on one 3-card poker hand. If, for example, you have a straight flush, and the dealer has a pair, you win:
It all adds up to some pretty significant real money winnings from just three little poker cards. Playing poker doesn't get much better than that.
3-card poker: A game of luck and skill played with a standard 52-card deck. 3-card poker comprises two games: Pair Plus and Ante & Play
Pair Plus: One game in 3-card poker, in which you are betting that your hand will have a winning poker combination. In Pair Plus, it does not matter what the Dealer has.
Ante and Play: The second game in 3-card poker. In Ante and Play, you place an initial "Ante" bet, and then have the option of placing a second "Play" bet if you think your hand is strong enough to beat The Dealer's.
Qualifying Hand: The Dealer needs to get at least a single Queen to have a "qualifying hand." If the Dealer does not have a qualifying hand, you win Ante and Play automatically.
Ante Bonus: If you are playing Ante and Play and receive a straight flush, three of a kind, or straight, you win an Ante Bonus automatically regardless of the dealer's hand.
Straight Flush: A combination of three cards of the same suit in sequence. For example, 4 of clubs, 5 of clubs, 6 of clubs.
Flush: A combination of three cards of the same suit, not in sequence. 2 of diamonds, 5 of diamonds, 8 of diamonds.
Straight: A combination of three cards of any suit in sequence. 2 of clubs, 3 of hearts, and 4 of spades.
Three of a Kind: A combination of three cards of the same denomination. 7 of hearts, 7 of diamonds, 7 of clubs.
Pair: A combination of two cards of the same denomination. Jack of hearts, Jack of spades.
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