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How to Play Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker is a fast-paced casino card game where you compete against the dealer. Each side receives three cards, and you decide whether to play or fold based on the strength of your hand. The winner has the best three card poker hand.

Game Play

• Deal - deals three cards to you (face up) and three to the dealer (face down)
• Fold - you surrender your hand and end the round
• Play - you commit to continue the hand. The dealer's cards are revealed and the hand is either qualified for play (Queen-high or better), or not qualified.

Rules

• Both player and dealer receive three cards
• After seeing your cards, you choose to Play or Fold
• If you fold, you lose the hand regardless of the dealer's cards
• If you play, the dealer's cards are revealed
• The dealer must have Queen-high or better to qualify
• If the dealer does not qualify, you win
• If the dealer qualifies, the higher-ranking hand wins
• If both hands are equal, the result is a push (tie)
• The game uses a single 52-card deck, reshuffled before each hand

Scoring

The Ante is worth 1 point. If both sides play, the Play adds a second point for a total of 2. Each round, a player can win up to 2 points.

Condition	Outcome	Points
Player folds	Player Forfeit	Dealer wins 1
Player plays	Dealer doesn't qualify	Player wins 1
Both play	Player wins hand	Player wins 2
Both play	Dealer wins hand	Dealer wins 2
Both play	Hands are equal	Push, 0

Win Rate is the percentage of decided hands won by the player. Pushes are excluded since no points are awarded.

Win Rate = Player Wins / (Player Wins + Dealer Wins)

Hand Rankings

Three card poker uses its own hand rankings. Note that Three of a Kind ranks higher than a Straight (unlike five-card poker).

#	Hand	Description
1	Straight Flush	Three consecutive cards, same suit
2	Three of a Kind	Three cards of the same rank
3	Straight	Three consecutive cards, any suits
4	Flush	Three cards of the same suit
5	Pair	Two cards of the same rank
6	High Card	Highest card plays

Ace-2-3 is the lowest straight. Queen-King-Ace is the highest.

Print Hand Rankings

Strategy

The optimal strategy for Three Card Poker is straightforward: Play with Queen-6-4 or better, fold everything else. It's the mathematically derived optimal strategy for Three Card Poker.

If your hand has a pair or better, always play. For high-card hands, play only if your highest card is a King or Ace. If your highest card is a Queen, play only if your second card is a 6 or higher (and if exactly a 6, your third card must be 4 or higher).

Hand	Action
Pair or better	Play
Q-6-4 or better	Play
Q-6-3 or worse	Fold