A Guide to Three Card Poker Live

When you visit the live games section of an online casino you may find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer variety of different poker games on offer, ranging from Texas Hold’Em to Caribbean Stud Poker. One version that turns up time and again is Three Card Poker, which has a reputation as a variation that is easy to pick up. Is this reputation deserved? Well, if you would like to learn how to play Three Card Poker and find out for yourself, we have prepared a complete guide to Evolution’s popular online version of the game.

How to Play Three Card Poker Live

Three Card Poker did not originate online: it is a successful casino game that owes a good chunk of its popularity to the simple detail that learning the rules of the game is quick and easy. Poker is notoriously complex and something of an acquired taste, but Three Card Poker works as an entry-level option. It is also fun to play, which means that even an experienced poker player will find something to enjoy should they decide to give this variation a try. The game starts with the player placing their wager, after which three cards are dealt to both the player and the dealer. The player will then choose whether or not to play their hand against that of the dealer. As with so many games, there are precise details here that will vary from casino to casino.

In Evolution’s version, you will start by choosing from different chips of different values and then deciding which wager to place. Once you have done so, a CGI chip will appear on the relevant area of the table and it will be time to properly play three card poker. The live dealer will present you with three cards; you will then be told whether your hand has a payout (for example, a flush) and faced with an onscreen choice: play, or fold. There is a time limit of just seconds, so you will need to make your decision quickly! The dealer will have also drawn their three-card hand by this point, and once you have chosen whether to play or fold, you will see the dealer’s hand.

Here are the payouts that you might score when you play Three Card Poker:

Mini royal: the most valuable of all payouts, this consists of an ace, king and queen within the same suit.

Straight flush: three cards of the same suit and in consecutive ranking. For example, a 2, 3 and 4 of spades, or a jack, queen and king of hearts. The higher the rankings involved, the stronger your straight flush.

Three of a kind: this consists of three cards with different suits but the same rank.

Straight: three cards of different suits but consecutive ranking; for example, a 2 of hearts, 3 of clubs and 4 of diamonds.

Flush: three cards that share a suit but are not a consecutive ranking; for example, a 2, a 5 and a jack of spades.

Pair: two cards within a hand that have the same rank but different suits.

Some of this may seem confusing, particularly if you are one of the many players who has decided to try out Three Card Poker on the grounds that it is an entry-level variation on poker. Do not be too concerned, however. When you play Three Card Poker online, you will be accompanied by a live dealer who will explain every detail of the game as you play. Since it will be a one-on-one match, you will not need to worry about the tension being raised by competition with other players. All in all, you should be able to pick up the details of the game as you play.

Three Card Poker Live Bonus Games and Features

There are no bonus games to be found within Evolution’s Three Card Poker, but the game does include bonuses that separate it from some of the Three Card Poker casino variations. In many versions available out there, the player will be given a choice between two types of wager: the ante bet and the pair plus bet. However, Evolution’s take on Three Card Poker is one of the variations that include a third type of wager, namely the six card bonus. For those unaware of the distinctions, here is a quick run-down:

Ante: an ante wager is a bet against the dealer. To win, you must have a hand that beats the dealer’s hand.

Pair plus: this wager concerns only the cards in your own hand, and the dealer’s cards are ignored. You will win the bet if your hand includes a pair (that is, two cards of the same value) or a higher-scoring payout such as a three-of-a-kind.

Six card bonus: this time, both the player and the dealer’s hands will be taken into account. If the six cards include multi-card combinations such as a full house, a flush, a straight, three-of-a-kind or four-of-a-kind, you will win the bet. Note that the bet will be fulfilled even if the dealer has the stronger hand overall, or if the majority of the relevant cards (for example, three out of a four-of-a-kind) belong to the dealer.

Three Card Poker Live Strategies

One of the reasons that poker in all of its variations remains the premier casino game is that, while it naturally involves a significant element of chance, there is also a skill factor involved. If you adopt the correct strategy, you will improve your chances. Because Three Card Poker is one of the simpler variations on the game, there is admittedly less room for strategy than in more sophisticated forms, but there are nonetheless a few tricks that you can use if you want to tip the odds in your favour.

To start with, you can learn the odds of each opening wager. If you decide to go with a pair plus bet, then you will win if you draw one of the 3744 possible hands that contain a pair; this means that your probability of scoring a pair is 1 in 6. Of course, you will win bigger if you get a higher-scoring hand, and at the very top of the chart is the mini royal — but as there are only four possible hands that include a mini royal, you should not get your hopes up of scoring this one-in-5525 payout!

The next area where strategy comes into play is in choosing when to play and when to fold. If you have drawn a hand that includes a queen, a 6 and a 4 (or any combination with higher ranks than this on at least one card), this is considered a strong hand and you should play. A hand that includes both a queen or higher and a 7 or higher is also considered strong, regardless of what the third card may be, and should likewise be played. If the highest card in your hand is a jack or lower, however, then your best bet will be to fold and hope that you have better luck next time. That just leaves us with the hands that fit between these two tiers: that is, hands that contain a queen but have lesser ranks overall than the queen-6-4 or queen-7 combos. As unsatisfying as it may be, you will simply have to go for your gut if you have wound up with one of these hands. Either play or fold and hope for the best.

Three Card Poker Live Provider

Three Card Poker is one of the many games produced by Evolution Gaming, which has done much to corner the market in terms of online versions of classic table games. If you go to any online casino and visit the live dealer section, then chances are the selection of games that you see will be dominated by Evolution titles. Here are just some of the better-known names to come out of Evolution:

• Lightning Roulette
• Immersive Roulette
• Speed Blackjack
• Infinite Blackjack
• Multi-Camera Baccarat
• Cash or Crash
• Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt
• Crazy Time
• Monopoly Live

Best Casinos With Three Card Poker Live

Given the sheer prevalence of Evolution games across the online casino landscape, you should not have trouble finding a website that carries this game. If you are still unsure as to where to start when looking for a Three Card Poker casino, then we can recommend Tortuga Casino,  Hey Casino, Evospin Casino and Hejgo Casino.

Should You Play Three Card Poker Live ?

Three Card Poker Live is another solid offering from Evolution, a provider that has shown time and again an aptitude for translating classic casino games to the online form. Because of its comparative simplicity, this one will be of particular interest to newcomers who are interested in joining the world of online gaming. If you have been looking for a way to play Three Card Poker over the Internet via a streaming connection with a live dealer, then Evolution’s version will be a perfect choice!