Three Card Poker is really two casino online games in one – a combination of Pair Plus and Ante and Play. It is a relatively new game that was invented for casinos by a British entrepreneur in 1997. The players are betting Pair Plus and Ante and Play. The player may bet on either one or both, and in different amounts. Both games are based on hands consisting of three cards.
The play in Three Card Poker opens with playing Pair Plus. Pair Plus is a simple online bingo game in which you are dealt three cards and then paid according to their value. It is the first phase of any Three Card poker game. The dealer’s hand is not involved in this transaction as you are simply betting against the other players. There is no rising involved and no discarding of cards.
The payoffs, which are often marked right into the felt of the casino table or presented graphically on the casino site, somehow are as follows:
Straight flush pays off 40 to 1
Three of a kind pays off at 30 to 1
Straight pays off at 6 to 1
Flush pays off at 4 to 1
Pair pays of at 1 to 1
The second phase of Three Card Poker is based on a short casino internet bingo game called Ante and Play.
The play begins with a wager on the ante. After you are dealt your three cards you have to make some decisions. You can either rise by putting an equal bet on play (a space marked in the felt on the table) or fold and lose the ante bet. If you fold you also lose the Pair plus bet if you happened to make one during the first phase of the game. Keep in mind that when the dealer reveals his cards he needs at least a queen high to qualify.
Below are the possible outcomes of ante and play and their payoff:
Dealer does not qualify (does not have a Queen or higher): Ante wins 1 to 1, play bet is returned
Dealer qualifies (by holding a Queen or higher) and player beats dealer: Both play and ante win 1 to 1
Dealer qualifies and dealer beats player: Both Play and ante lose
Dealer qualifies and dealer ties player: Both Play and ante push
In addition the Ante bet has an extra bonus that does not depend on the cards that the dealer is holding. These are bonus payouts. This bonus pays as follows based on the ante bet.
Ante Bonus Bets
A Straight flush pays out 5 to 1
A Three of a kind pays out 4 to 1
A Straight pays out 1 to 1
Given all of the opportunities to wager, raise and collect bonus winnings it is easy to see how this exciting new game, which is actually a combination of two poker games, has become so popular in both offline and online casinos.
