There are three different ways you can place a wager on the popular casino card game that is 3 card poker, you can opt to place a Ante bet and play the standard base game, you can opt to place a Pair Plus bet which will see you being paid out solely on the strength of your initial hand, or you can place a wager on both of those two betting opportunities on each game you play.
If you have never played 3 card poker or any of the other games which are structured in a similar way to this game but go by a slightly different name in various different online casinos, such as the Tri Card Poker game which is commonly found at Real Time Gaming software powered casinos, then this guide will be of interest to you.
Below we are going to let you know the best bets to place when playing this game online and we will also let you know just what you stand to win when you place a winning bet on these different betting options offered on these types of casino card games.
Ante Bet Options on 3 Card Poker Games
If you decide to make a wager on the Ante part of the 3 Card Poker game you first need to place an Ante wager to get dealt out three initial cards and then based on the value of your hand you will be given the option of carrying on playing and to do so you will have to place an Ante bonus bet on top of that initial Ante bet.
The aim of the game of 3 Card Poker is for you to beat the dealers three card hand with a stronger ranked hand, however to get paid the bonus bet winning payouts the dealers hand must qualify and to do so it must contain at least a Queen high hand or any hand with a higher value than a Queen high.
You may get the impression that the best valued bet available on the 3 Card Poker game is the Ante bet, for when you come across most card games which offer an additional bonus betting opportunity as this game does, those bonus bets often come with a much increased house edge, and that represents poor value for players.
However things are the other way around on this casino card game for the Ante betting opportunity carries a house edge whilst low at 3.37%, it is actually higher than the house edge attached to the bonus bet option which for referenced on this game is known as the Pairs Plus bet.
The standard set of payouts that you will be awarded should you place and Ante bet and your hand goes on to beat the dealer are, eve more for a Straight, 4 to 1 for a 3 of a kind hand and 5 to one for a Straight Flush, be aware those bonus payouts are n addition to the even money paid for beating the dealers hand on the Ante part of the bet.
3 Card Poker Pair Plus Betting Options
The house edge that is offered on the Three Card Poker game variant found at Microgaming powered sites and several other casinos that use the same pay table will return an expected house edge over the long term operation of this game of a fairly generous 2.32%, which is lower than for example the European Roulette game.
This is therefore a lower house edge than the variant named above, and as such is the betting option you should choose to play rather than the standard Ante game. However, be aware that many different software and casino game platform providers may have a different pay table attached to their variant of this game which could result in a much higher house edge that Microgaming’s version.
To ensure you find a casino offering a pay table that plays out to a house edge of 2.32% double check the payouts listed on the pay table for the Pairs Plus bet are as follows: Straight Flush 40 to 1, Three of a Kind 30 to 1, Straight 6 to 1, Flush 4 to 1 and a Pair should pay even money.
Conclusion
As mentioned above you are going to come across lots of different 3 Card Poker variants when playing at an online or for that matter a mobile casino site, and for you to get the best value from your game play you need to ensure that the game you are playing has the lowest house edge.
It will be worth you checking the pay tables listed on the Tri Card Poker game variants found in Real Time Gaming powered casino sites for whilst the games all look and play the same way at any casino site using this gaming platform you will find the pay tables can be adjusted by the operators of those casino sites and as such the winning payouts for certain hand combinations can and very often will vary dependent on which casino you choose to play at!
