Winning At Three Card Poker: A Beginner Player’s Guide

Poker excitement tends to hit in waves. You’ve got your home games and local tourneys, where you usually stand to win a couple hundred—if you’re lucky. And then in the summer, you’ve got the World Series of Poker where tens of millions are on the table.

Filling the gap in between are poker games online. And sure, you’ve got your online poker sites where you can go head to head against other poker card games players. But like most poker tournaments and cash games, you’re lucky if you get to play one hand an hour. Full tables take forever to play down in poker tournaments because smart poker players usually fold most of their hands.

So, where does a poker player who craves nonstop excitement go? To online casino table games where player-vs-dealer poker games are the norm.

Topping the popularity list of real money casino games themed around poker is Three Card Poker. And if you already know Texas Hold’em, 5-Card Stud, or any other online poker variation, playing the poker three card variation is incredibly easy. Here’s how it works.

First, you throw down your bet. Let’s say $5. You’re then dealt three cards face up. The dealer is dealt three cards face down.

Now in other forms of online poker, you’re either given more cards, or you’re invited to drop cards in exchange for new ones. But in online three card poker, you have one decision to make. You can either raise or fold. Raising means you match your bet. Folding means you automatically lose, no matter what the dealer turns over.

Because three card poker online only deals out three cards, the hand ranking system is different from what you might be used to in other online poker games. From best hand to worst hand, here’s how three card poker cards are ranked:

• Straight Flush—three consecutive cards of the same suit
• Three of a Kind—three of the same card
• Straight—three consecutive cards of varying suits
• Flush—any three cards of the same suit
• Two of a Kind—a pair and third card of any other value
• Single High Card—three different cards, without matching suits, that aren’t consecutive

Winning at Three Card Poker is actually pretty easy, as long as you play conservatively. If you’re used to playing other forms of online poker, be mindful of this online poker game’s different hand ranking. Three of a kind beats a straight, which is something you might not be used to. But that’s a good thing if you happen to find yourself holding it.

If you’re concerned about the double-betting angle of Three Card Poker, don’t be. Sure, in blackjack, if you bet $5, you don’t have to throw down and additional $5 unless you’re splitting or doubling down. But in online three card poker, your starting bet is only half your bet, assuming you like your hand. And while the doubling-your-bet angle could mean a faster path to a much bigger online casino bankroll, it could also lead to diminished profits if you go on a bit of a losing streak.

But that doesn’t matter at Sports Betting Online. You’ll get 10% cash back weekly, win or lose, at the online casino. There aren’t too many guarantees in online casino card games, but 10% cash back? That’s as close as you can get to a sure bet.