Written by Three Card Poker is not a game with a long and venerable history. Unlike other poker variants which we can date back hundreds of years, Three Card Poker was patented in 1994 by an Englishman named Derek Webb. He still holds the patent in the U.K. although the worldwide rights were sold on in 1999. Despite its relative youth, it still commands a following in casinos, especially some of the more upmarket ones. For example it’s the only poker option listed on the website of the exclusive Clermont Club in London.
It’s a little complicated so we’ll try and briefly explain the rules here. It helps to view the table so here’s what the layout looks like:
Three Card Poker table.
The playing positions are clearly marked, the yellow spots are the ante bet and the red are the pairs plus bet. There are two facets to the game, playing against the dealers hand and playing separately to match your hand against a poker rankings chart as shown. Note that unlike general poker rankings, a straight beats a flush.
The game begins with players laying down their ante bets, pairs plus bets or both then the dealer deals three cards to each player, including himself. If the player thinks the hand will beat the dealer’s, they double the existing bets. If they feel they will lose, they can fold and lose their bets.
Hands are now revealed and the dealer must have at least a Queen to continue, otherwise the players are paid their winnings at even money. If the dealer does have a Queen, winning hands are noted and also paid at even money.
In the second facet of the game all hands, whether beaten by the dealer or not can win by having a pair or better. If they have bet on pairs plus, they win according to the pay table below. The ante bonus also comes in effect and hands are paid also according to the following table:
