Part I: Games & Gaming · Card Games — Poker & Variants

Three Card Poker

Poker

One of the most popular casino poker games, where players compete against the dealer with three-card hands. The game consists of two main elements: the Ante/Play game (betting that your hand beats the dealer’s qualifying hand of Queen-high or better) and the optional Pair Plus side bet. Three Card Poker hands rank differently than standard poker — straights outrank flushes.

In practice

Three Card Poker was invented by Derek Webb in 1994. It is one of the most widely distributed proprietary table games. Hand rankings differ from standard poker: Straight Flush > Three of a Kind > Straight > Flush > Pair > High Card. The dealer must qualify with Queen-high or better.

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