3 Card Poker, whose rules and strategies you’ll find at www.3cardpoker.com, is a little bit like poker, a bit like blackjack and a tad like playing a blind-bet game such as roulette. The poker part has to do with the fact that you’re trying to make your poker hand stand up against an opponent’s, the dealers; you can raise through the play bet and that certain poker hands are winners.
There are many similarities to blackjack including that fact that you must decide to play before seeing any cards and you are competing against the dealer. Finally, if you make the pairs plus bet, you are making a wager based entirely on chance. That’s the roulette part and for that matter slots and craps too.
Establishing a Winning Environment
The primary manner in which players can help increase their odds of winning is to play at casinos that offer the lowest house edge and to play hands that give them the best chance of winning. Using this combination will lower the common house edge, which ranges from 3.33 to 4.33, to the preferred house edge of just over 2. The term “preferred house edge” refers to what the player and not the casino prefers. In this article it is between 2.00 and 2.10.
Here’s what to look for when it comes to finding a low house edge since from the outset this will be the major factor in determining your chances of winning. If you play at a casino that stacks the deck against you by offering a high house edge, this will greatly diminish any strategy you may employ.
What to Look in a House Edge
The first thing to consider is house payouts on the ante bonus. These can vary from casino to casino. Players want a 3 Card Poker game that pays 5-1 for a straight flush, 4-1 for three of a kind and 1-1 for a straight. What is the range of payouts you may find?
These will vary for the top two hands—the straight flush and three of a kind. At some casinos, a flush run will pay just 4-1 or 3-1. Both of these raise the edge to around 4.00. The same is true for three of a kind payouts that pay 3-1 or 2-1. To put it simply, don’t play at these odds.
Winning Hands
The basic premise behind our winning hand strategy has to do with the fact that the dealer, in order to play, must have a Queen in hand. If the dealer does not, then the player is an automatic winner.
Thus, for the player to see their ante bet and make an additional play wager, they should be holding a Queen and, at minimum, a 6 and 4. That means players need to fold any hand that is Queen, 6, 3 or lower. Making a play wager on a lower hand greatly increases the house edge and your chances of losing.
Blind Betting
When you’re betting on 3 Card Poker it is important to remember that placing a play bet and playing a Jack high will not payout. Why not? The dealer needs a Queen to play against you. By making an additional bet on a Jack that means you are winning 1-1 on the ante bet and your play is a push. If, however, the dealer does have a Queen, you lose both wagers. The Jack wager is a bad one. Fold your ante bet when your top card is lower than a Queen. Don’t waste your money.
With 3 Card Poker, players need to keep in mind that they are betting blind. Unlike poker where you may check, you must either play or lose. Also, there’s no way for you to know what the dealer is holding since all cards are dealt facedown and the dealer cannot raise, which could be an indication of the strength of his hand.
3 Card Poker offers players a chance to beat the house if they play a disciplined game. That starts by finding good odds on the ante bonus and playing hands that are at least Queen, 6, 4.