Dear Mark,
Could you please explain the new game I just saw
called Three Card Poker? Is there any strategy to
playing the game that will increase my odds of winning?
How does it compare to Let It Ride? Gary G.
I
noted this past weekend, Gary, players (I was one of
them) lining up two-deep trying to take their best shot
against the MotorCity Casino in Detroit on this newly
introduced table game. Compared to Let It Ride, Three
Card Poker is a better play, as the house edge is between
2.0 and 3.4%, depending on your wager and play decisions
as you'll see below.
The structure of the game is surprisingly simple.
You wager that your
three-card poker hand, as dealt with no draw, will
beat the dealer's three-card poker hand. Or, instead
of going head-to-head against the dealer, you can
bet that your three-cardhand will have at least
a pair or higher. This wager is called Pair Plus,
automatically winning if your three-card hand contains
a pair or better, or losing if it doesn't have a
matched pair. To begin the game, you decide whether
you want to wager against the dealer's hand or to
bet that your hand will be at least a pair or higher;
you can also make both wagers. If you want to challenge
the dealer's hand, you lay your wager on the betting
spot called Ante. If you want to wager that your
three-card hand will be at least a pair or higher,
your money goes onto the circle called Pair Plus.
Using a single deck, the dealer will deal each player
and herself three cards. You then determine whether
you want to stay in action or fold. If you want
to continue, you must make another wager, equal
in value to your initial wager, placing it on the
betting spot named Play. If you do not want to continue,
you place your cards face down toward the dealer
to indicate that you are folding; with this decision,
you automatically lose your Ante bet.
After all the players in the game have chosen to
stay or fold, the dealer checks her three cards
to see whether they contain a queen or higher. If
the hand has at least a queen, the hand "qualifies"
and the dealer will compete against the players
remaining in the game. If a player's hand has a
higher poker hand than the dealer's, the player
wins both his Ante and Play wagers at even money
(bet $10, win $10). If the dealer's hand is higher,
the player loses both the Ante and Play wagers.
If the dealer's hand does not qualify by having
at least a queen, the dealer automatically pays
each remaining player even money on the Ante wager
and pushes the Play bet.
Players who make an Ante wager are also eligible
for a bonus payout whether or not the dealer's hand
qualifies, and regardless of whether the player's
hand beats the dealer's hand. Here, a straight flush
pays 5 to 1, three-of-a-kind, 4 to 1, and a straight,
even money. With the alternative wager, pair plus,
the higher the poker hand, the more lucrative the
payoff. With a straight flush, you receive 40 to
1, three-of-a-kind gets you 30 to 1, a straight
hands out 6 to 1, a flush 4 to 1, and everybody's
friend, the lowly pair, 1 to 1.
The only playing decision involved in Three Card
Poker is whether to make the Play wager or fold.
One easy strategy is to just shadow the dealer.
If your hand contains a queen or higher, play it;
if not, fold. Another approach, suggested by Stanley
Ko in his pamphlet Mastering the Game of Three Card
Poker, is to make the Play wager only if your hand
consists of a Queen-6-4, or better. Even I, Gary,
can memorize his optimal playing strategy, which
will drop the house edge down to 2%.
