Three Card Poker rules and house edge
Three Card Poker carries a 3.37% house edge as of 2026-08-25. 3 venues are listed here with table counts and minimums. Payouts and glossary below come from public sources; venue-specific rule variants are noted on each venue page.
A three-card showdown against the dealer. Place an Ante, look at the cards, then fold or match the Ante as a Play bet. The dealer qualifies with queen-high or better, and a straight or better earns an Ante bonus regardless of the dealer. Pair Plus is a separate bet paid on the player's own hand.
Source: wizardofodds.com · Measured 2026-08-25
House edge
3.37%
가장 흔한 배당표 기준 앤티·플레이 3.37% · 페어 플러스 7.28%. 최적 전략은 Q-6-4 이상이면 레이즈다. 아무 손이나 레이즈하면 7.65%까지 올라간다 — 전략이 실제로 절반을 줄인다.
Pace · 시간당 약 60핸드
Payouts
| 앤티 / Ante | 1:1 |
|---|---|
| 앤티 보너스 — 트리플 | 4:1 |
| 앤티 보너스 — 스트레이트 | 1:1 |
| 앤티 보너스 — 스트레이트 플러시 | 5:1 |
| 페어 플러스 — 스트레이트 플러시 | 40:1 |
House edge by bet type
Sorted by lowest edge. Within one table, what you bet on changes the expected loss several times over.
| Bet | Payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Ante/Play, Q-6-4 strategy | 1:1 + 보너스표 | 3.37% |
| Ante/Play, mimic dealer | 1:1 + 보너스표 | 3.45% |
| Pair Plus | 40/30/6/3/1 | 7.28% |
| Ante/Play, always raise | 1:1 + 보너스표 | 7.65% |
→ Scroll the table sideways for the rest
Basic strategy
- · Raise with Q-6-4 or better and fold below it — that single rule is the entire optimal strategy.
- · Mimicking the dealer's queen-high threshold costs 3.45%; raising blindly costs 7.65%.
- · Pair Plus at 7.28% is more than twice as expensive as the Ante/Play bet.
Glossary
- 앤티 보너스 · Ante bonus
- Paid on a straight or better regardless of the dealer.
- 페어 플러스 · Pair Plus
- A bet paid on the player's own hand alone.
- 퀄리파이 · Qualify
- The dealer needs queen-high or better for the Play bet to pay.
What to say at the table
| Meaning | Say this | When |
|---|---|---|
| 칩으로 바꿔 주세요 | Change, please. | 현금을 테이블에 놓으며. 돈은 딜러 손에 직접 건네지 않습니다 |
| 최소 얼마입니까? | What is the minimum? | 앉기 전에 테이블 리밋을 확인할 때 |
| 앤티에 겁니다 | Ante. | 기본 베팅을 놓을 때 |
| 플레이합니다 | Play. | 카드를 보고 승부를 볼 때 |
| 폴드 | Fold. | 앤티를 포기하고 손을 접을 때 |
| 페어 플러스도 겁니다 | Pair plus as well. | 사이드 베팅을 함께 걸 때 |
Etiquette
Lift your cards just off the felt and look at them yourself. Showing them or discussing your hand voids the round at most tables. Do not rearrange the three cards or take them off the layout. Place cash and chips on the felt, not into the dealer's hand. Finish betting before the dealer calls no more bets. Photography is restricted on most gaming floors — ask before taking out a phone. Tipping the dealer is customary but never required.
Where to play
Min bet Not verified · Tables Not verified
Source: sec.solaireresort.com · Measured 2026-08-25
Min bet Not verified · Tables Not verified
Source: cityofdreamsmanila.com · Measured 2026-08-25
FAQ
- What is the house edge in Three Card Poker?
- Three Card Poker runs at 3.37% under standard rules. The edge alone is misleading: what you actually lose is edge x stake x hands per hour, and Three Card Poker runs 시간당 약 60핸드. A lower edge at a faster pace can cost more per hour. This figure assumes standard rules. A venue that changes the payout or the rules changes the real number.
- Which bet is worst at a Three Card Poker table?
- In this table Ante/Play, always raise is worst at 7.65% and Ante/Play, Q-6-4 strategy is lowest at 3.37%. At the same table, where you place the bet changes the expected loss several times over — the spots with the biggest payouts are usually the ones with the biggest edge.
- Can a first-timer sit at Three Card Poker?
- The rules are simple enough to follow on a first visit. Read the table limit and payout sign before sitting — the same game at a different payout is a different bet.
- What are the payouts in Three Card Poker?
- Standard payouts are 앤티 / Ante 1:1 · 앤티 보너스 — 트리플 4:1 · 앤티 보너스 — 스트레이트 1:1 · 앤티 보너스 — 스트레이트 플러시 5:1. Payouts are something a venue can change, and changing them changes the house edge — if the sign differs from the standard, the edge above does not apply at that table.
- Where can I play Three Card Poker in the Philippines?
- The section below lists the 3 venues we have confirmed. Each entry is transcribed from the venue's own page and carries the date we checked it. Figures the venue does not publish — table count, minimum — are left blank rather than estimated.
- What is the table minimum for Three Card Poker?
- Not stated by an official source. We do not fill this in with an estimate. Minimums vary by day, hour and floor within the same venue — the sign at the table is the only accurate figure.Not verified
- Is there anything I should not do at a Three Card Poker table?
- Lift your cards just off the felt and look at them yourself. Showing them or discussing your hand voids the round at most tables. Do not rearrange the three cards or take them off the layout. Place cash and chips on the felt, not into the dealer's hand. Finish betting before the dealer calls no more bets. Photography is restricted on most gaming floors — ask before taking out a phone. Tipping the dealer is customary but never required.