How to Play Live and Online Three Card Poker

Most live and online casinos deal Three Card Poker. It is a popular poker table game that is easy to play.

Online Three Card Poker is available in video and live dealer versions. It is usually only offered in a live table version in casinos. However, there are a few stadium and video Three Card Poker installations in casinos. Online Three Card Poker is available as Tri Card Poker at some online casinos. The patent on the Three Card Poker game rules expired in 2015, which means any company can deal the game using a different name.

Three Card Poker is dealt the same online as it is at live casinos, even when it is called Tri Card Poker. The player and dealer each receive three cards. The best three-card hand wins. A straight beats a flush in this game. Side bets are also available.

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Playing Three Card Poker online

Playing Three Card Poker or Tri Card Poker online is simple. Open the game on your computer or mobile device. Your bankroll automatically moves to the table. To make a bet, click the denomination of chips you wish to use. The lowest is usually a dollar because that is the standard minimum bet for online Three Card Poker (Tri Card Poker).

After that, click the betting circle. You can make an ante bet, a Pair Plus or comparable bet, or both. When you are ready, click the deal button. You and the dealer receive three cards. If you want to stay in the hand, click raise. If you prefer to fold, click that button. You should raise if your hand is queen-six-four or better. 

If you fold, the hand is over. The dealer wins all bets. Raisers stay in the game by making a play bet. The dealer’s cards are shown. If the dealer beats the player, the ante and bet lose. If the player beats the dealer, the ante and raises win. The player wins ties at most casinos. Note that a straight beats a flush in Three Card Poker.

Bonuses are paid on the ante if the player has a straight, three of a kind, or a straight flush. A straight pays a bonus equal to the ante. Trips pay five times the ante. A straight flush pays six times. These bonus bets are paid in every instance. The player does not need to win the hand. The same is true of Pair Plus.

Play a new hand or leave

To play a new hand, you can clear your bet, add to it, or click deal to wager the same amount. If you are ready to leave, close the table. Your bankroll will move automatically into the online poker cashier.

Collect your online winnings

If luck was on your side, you may want to withdraw your online Three Card Poker winnings. That is as easy as depositing. Go to the cashier and choose your preferred withdrawal option. Online casinos usually process your withdrawal back to the original deposit option. That is not always possible, so you may be offered a different method. 

Standard online casino withdrawal options include electronic check, bank wire, PayPal, the Play+ prepaid debit card, Skrill, and Applepay. Some states have cash at the casino and check by mail.

Why online Three Card Poker is better than the live game

Three Card Poker is the most popular live poker table game. It is perfect for online casino play, too. Here are some reasons.

The minimum bet is usually $0.10 at online Three Card Poker. It is $1 at the highest. At a live game, it is at least $5. It can run as high as $25 when a casino is busy or upscale. 

A hand of online Three Card Poker is over in seconds. You can play at a slower speed if you wish. The player controls everything. You can take a break whenever you want, even in the middle of a hand. 

At a live game, procedures must be followed, and it takes time to deal cards and process winning and losing bets. The online casino software does all of these instantly.

You don’t need to drive to a casino to play Three Card Poker. If you live in Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, online casinos are legal in these states. The sites are regulated by the same board that oversees casinos in the state. In most cases, online casinos are partnered with live ones.

Online Three Card Poker has lower limits than live games

It is easy to find $1 Three Card Poker online. That makes it one of the cheapest forms of entertainment. A raise requires another dollar. The Pair Plus minimum bet is also $1. You can theoretically play for hours on a few dollars. Players may even get lucky and get dealt trips or a straight flush for a big payout. 

You can play Three Card Poker while clearing a bonus

Players can clear an online casino bonus at Three Card Poker. Most bonuses include table games. Always read the terms and conditions of the bonus to ensure it is not slots-only. When you can play online Three Card Poker with a bonus, it increases your chances of winning. 

Online Three Card Poker is faster than its live counterpart

When you play Three Card Poker at an online casino, you control the speed. If you prefer a fast game, you can play about 10 hands a minute. If you want to slow it down, let the animation play out. You may slow the game down by letting time go by before hitting the deal button. A live game may only deal a hand a minute, depending on the number of players at the table.

Live dealer Three Card Poker in WV

Some online casinos have live dealer Three Card Poker. This is where there are cards and a real dealer. Many players across legal casino site states can be at the table. There is only one hand dealt. All players in action share it. The minimum bet for live dealer Three Card Poker is usually $1 or $5.

Getting started at online Three Card Poker

It is easy to start playing Three Card Poker online. You don’t need to download any software if you want to play on your PC or Mac computer. You can play directly on the casino site. If you prefer to use your mobile device, you can download an iOS or Android app.

Setting up your account 

The account creation process requires your name, address, date of birth, email, and the last four digits of your SSN. This is used to verify your identity. It helps protect against identity and financial fraud.

Making a deposit at a casino site

There are many deposit options at online casinos. All accept credit and debit cards. This includes Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. Some casino sites take American Express.

Other deposit methods include electronic wallets like PayPal and Skrill, electronic checks, bank wires, Applepay, and cash through PayNearMe or a casino cage. 

How to play live Three Card Poker in a casino

Live Three Card Poker is almost identical to the online casino version of the game. The goal is the same. The procedure is just different. 

Buying into a live Three Card Poker game

Buying into a live Three Card Poker game is simple. You can bring chips from another table or place cash on the felt. If you use cash, place it on the felt. The dealer cannot take it from your hand. You will receive appropriate chip sizes for the table minimum. It is time to make a Three Card Poker bet.

How to make a Three Card Poker bet in a casino

You must bet on either the ante or the Pair Plus side bet. You can also bet both. There may also be a six-card bonus side bet, often with a progressive, which is optional. A chip equal to or larger than the minimum bet must be placed on the ante and Pair Plus. The progressive bet usually has a $1 or $5 minimum bet. 

Playing a hand of Three Card Poker in a casino

The dealer gives each player and the house three cards. These usually drop as three consecutive cards out of a shuffling machine. The players who made an ante bet look at their cards and decide whether they want to fold or raise. A raise is equal to the ante. If the Pair Plus wager was made without an ante, the player does not touch the cards until the hand is over.

The dealer’s cards are shown after all players act. If the dealer has at least queen-high, the house qualifies. If the dealer does not qualify, the play bet pushes. Otherwise, it is in action. The ante is paid based on whether the player or dealer won, regardless of whether the dealer qualifies. In most casinos, the player wins a tie in Three Card Poker. 

There is an ante bonus for hands of a straight and higher. This is paid, even if the house wins the hand.

When you are ready to leave, you color up your chips with the dealer if there are enough to do that. The chips are taken to the cage for cash or to another table to play. 

Stadium and video Three Card Poker

We found three different types of video Three Card Poker in casinos. The most common is a live stadium version, which is a type of electronic table game. We saw this at Lodge Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado, Mount Airy in Pennsylvania, and Treasure Island in Las Vegas. 

Nine cards are dealt in stadium Three Card Poker. The pattern is a tic-tac-toe board. The player chooses three of these cards. These do not need to touch or be in any order. Alternatively, the player can just make Pair Plus side bets in any tic-tac-toe direction that cumulatively meets the minimum bet. The game otherwise plays as normal. The minimum bet is $2 to $5, depending on the casino. 

We saw this game in a video version at Horseshoe and Paris in Las Vegas in 2022. These games are no longer on the casino floor.

We also found video Three Card Poker at Harrah’s Cherokee, a North Carolina casino. It plays just like the live table game, except that all cards dealt to players are face up. The minimum bet on this machine is only $1. 

Three Card Poker strategy

When making the ante bet, the strategy is to raise with queen-six-four or better. This means that if you have any pair or better, ace or king-high, or a queen-high hand that beats or ties a six-four kicker, you should raise. Otherwise, you should fold. If you only play the Pair Plus side bet, there is no strategy. That bet is entirely based on luck.

Pair Plus side bet

Live and online Three Card Poker games have the Pair Plus side bet, just like the live version. This pays the player on a hand that is at least a pair. It wins, even if the dealer’s hand beats the player’s hand. Online casinos use the Pair Plus pay table below.

• Straight flush: 40
• Three of a kind: 30
• Straight: 6
• Flush: 3
• Any pair: 1

Three Card Poker FAQs

Last Updated on August 12, 2023 by John Mehaffey