Three Card Poker trainer
Dealer qualifies with queen high
Deal a hand to see your exact odds against every hand the dealer could hold.
Paytables
Ante Bonus when you play
Paid whether you win or lose. Main game house edge: 3.37% per Ante, exact with Q-6-4 play.
Pair Plus your hand only
House edge on this Pair Plus table: 7.28%.
Pair Plus payouts vary by casino. Check the posted paytable; these odds apply only to the schedule selected above.
6 Card Bonus best 5 of 6
House edge on this table: 8.56%.
Prime card colors
House edge: 3.62%.
Independently calculated odds. Every figure here is counted exactly from all possible deals for the rules and payouts shown; your casino's may differ. Payouts vary by table: each side bet's house edge covers only that bet and the paytable selected above. How our odds are calculated
One rule: queen-six-four
Three Card Poker has exactly one decision: play or fold. Play anything better than queen-six-four and fold the rest, and you play it perfectly.
The Q-6-4 rule
The dealer needs queen high to qualify. Q-6-4 is the weakest hand worth a Play bet. It isn't just a shortcut: we checked all 22,100 possible starting hands against every hand the dealer could hold, and with the standard 1-4-5 Ante Bonus, Q-6-4 makes the exactly right call on every one of them.
Why queen-six-four? Folding always costs your Ante. Playing risks a second bet, but against a dealer who doesn't qualify your Ante wins and the Play bet pushes. Q-6-4 is where playing starts to lose less than folding.
Don't "mimic the dealer" (play any queen). It costs a little more, 3.45% instead of 3.37%. Playing everything costs 7.65%.
Decision drill
Flash hands near the line: queen-high hands, king-high hands and jacks. Get ten in a row and you are ready.
How a hand plays
- Bet the Ante, Pair Plus or bothBonus bets (6 Card Bonus, Prime) are optional extras.
- Three cards eachYou see yours; the dealer's are face down.
- Play or foldPlaying puts a Play bet equal to your Ante. Folding loses the Ante (and Pair Plus at most casinos).
- The dealer qualifies with queen highIf not, your Ante pays 1 to 1 and the Play bet pushes.
- ShowdownHigher hand wins Ante and Play at 1 to 1. Ties push. The Ante Bonus pays on a straight or better either way.
Hand ranks and odds
With three cards a straight is rarer than a flush, so it ranks higher. A-2-3 is the lowest straight; A-K-Q the highest.
| Hand | Chance | About 1 in | Ante Bonus | Pair Plus (40-30-6-3-1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 0.22% | 460 | 5 to 1 | 40 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 0.24% | 425 | 4 to 1 | 30 to 1 |
| Straight | 3.26% | 31 | 1 to 1 | 6 to 1 |
| Flush | 4.96% | 20 | - | 3 to 1 |
| Pair | 16.94% | 5.9 | - | 1 to 1 |
| High card | 74.39% | 1.3 | - | loses |
Pair Plus and the bonus bets
Every bonus bet has a higher house edge than the main game. The trainer deals Pair Plus on the 40-30-6-3-1 table, where a flush pays 3 to 1; switch tables under Paytables to match your casino.
| Bet | Wins when | Top payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pair Plus 40-30-6-3-1 (this table) | Your hand is a pair or better; flushes pay 3 | 40 to 1 | 7.28% |
| Pair Plus 40-25-5-4-1 | Same, trips pay 25, straights 5, flushes 4 | 40 to 1 | 6.75% |
| Pair Plus 40-30-5-4-1 | Same, straights pay 5, flushes 4 | 40 to 1 | 5.57% |
| Pair Plus 40-30-6-4-1 | Same, flushes pay 4 | 40 to 1 | 2.32% |
| Prime | Your three cards one color (3 to 1); all six with the dealer's (4 to 1) | 4 to 1 | 3.62% |
| 6 Card Bonus (quads 100) | Best five of your 3 and the dealer's 3 is trips or better | 1000 to 1 | 8.56% |
| 6 Card Bonus (other tables) | Same, with lower pays | up to 2000 to 1 | 10.2% to 15.3% |
| Progressive ($1) | Mini royal in spades wins the meter; mini royal $500, straight flush $100, trips $90 | Jackpot | 52% at no jackpot; breaks even near $11,500 |
Read the felt. The flush payout alone moves the house edge from 2.32% (flush pays 4) to 7.28% (flush pays 3), because flushes are 1,096 of the 22,100 possible hands. Pair Plus payouts vary by casino: check the posted paytable, and remember these odds apply only to the schedule you pick.
The 6 Card Bonus survives a fold. It uses your cards and the dealer's, so it is paid even if you fold your Ante. Pair Plus is lost when you fold at most casinos, but you never fold a hand that pays it.
At the table
- Place the Play bet to playPut chips equal to your Ante in the Play circle. To fold, slide your cards to the dealer.
- Keep your cards in viewThree Card Poker is dealt face down; leave your cards on the felt where the camera can see them.
- Pair Plus alone is allowedYou can bet only Pair Plus and skip the Ante. There is no decision to make.
- Ante Bonus is automaticStraights and better collect it even when the dealer beats you.
- Budget for the Play betMost hands double your Ante. Bring about 30 to 40 Antes for a session.
- Check the table versionSome tables add a Mini Royal or replace the Ante Bonus; the paytable on the felt is what counts.
Mistakes that cost real money
- Folding Q-6-4 and betterEvery queen-high hand from Q-6-4 up is a play.
- Playing jack-high handsThe dealer qualifies too often. Fold them.
- Betting Pair Plus without reading the paytableA flush that pays 3 instead of 4 turns a 2.32% bet into a 7.28% one.
- Chasing the 6 Card Bonus8.56% at best, and up to 15% on the worst tables.