Play Real Money Live Dealer 3 Card Poker Online
Article Summary: This game is fast, easy to play and there are 2 separate side-bets with big payouts. This page covers the excellent live dealer 3-card poker at Unibet Casino. Outlining how the game works, pros and cons, basic strategy and why Unibet Casino is my top pick for where to play.
You might well know this game under a slightly different name. 3 Card Poker is a copyrighted name, and to get around this casinos have created games called ‘Trey Card Poker’ or ‘Tri Card Poker’. It is generally the same game, you are dealt 3 cards and have to create a better poker hand than the dealer – who is dealt her own 3 cards. The single decision point is whether to continue with you hand before you see what the dealer turns over.
How Live Dealer 3 Card Poker Works
If you are not yet familiar with live dealer casinos, then you are certainly missing out. Compared to the computer generated games this takes on a new level of entertainment.
These games work by streaming live video from studios dotted around the world. 888 use the Evolution Gaming studio in Riga, the capital city of Latvia. When you access these games you see the green felt, with real dealer (mostly attractive and female) handling the cards. You bet with your computer just like you would have done in the computer-generated games. First you select your chip size and then click on the ‘Ante’ and bonus game squares on the felt.
When it comes to your decision on whether to play or to fold, this is done via a box that pops up into the middle of the screen. There is a green tick for play (call) and a red X for fold.
Strategy for 3 Card Poker
This game has a very simple strategy. If you have Queen-Six high (your two highest cards are a Queen and a Six or better), then you should always play. If you have lower than this, then you should fold.
To play you need to put a bet equal to your initial stake onto the felt.
Once you play (or even if you fold, as some people will have carried on with any hand), the dealer will reveal her cards. There is a qualification requirement – which means that the dealer needs to have Ace high or better in order to ‘qualify’ to play the game. Without this the dealer’s hand does not count, the play bet is returned and the player wins 1-to-1 on the ante bet.
If the dealer does qualify then the player and dealer hands are compared to see which is the winner. This is based on poker hand rankings (though in 3 card poker straights are counted as higher than flushes), with the highest card counting if nobody has a pair or better.
Ante Bonus Payouts
If you have a good poker hand, there are enhanced payouts known as the Ante Bonus.
Straight Flush 5:1
3 of a Kind 4:1
Straight 1:1
Pair+ and 6-Card Bonus Side Bets
Many people enjoy the side bets in live dealer 3 Card Poker – some people consider the Pairs+ bet a vital part of enjoying the game. The house edge is bigger in favor of the casino for these bets compared to the main game. If you do not mind paying a little extra for the privilidege, then you give yourself the chance of some bigger payouts with these bets. Here are the odds.
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Pairs+ 3 Card Bonus
Mini-Royal Q-K-A of one suit: 100:1
Straight Flush: 40:1
3 of a Kind: 30:1
Straight: 5:1
Flush: 4:1
Pair: 1:1
6-Card Bonus
Mini-Royal Q-K-A of one suit: 1000:1
Straight Flush 200:1
4 of a Kind: 100:1
Full House: 50:1
Flush: 15:1
Straight: 10:1
Pros and Cons of Live Dealer 3 Card Poker
The main benefit for me is the social element of this game. Now, chat (players via text, dealer out loud) is not actually my thing. I prefer to sit, relax and play the game. However most of the time the good natured banter from players and friendly, talkative dealers (they are selected / trained for this) does manage to give you a more social feeling compared to the isolation of playing v a computer. Of course, on some occasions you get an idiot in the chat who brings things down for both the dealer and the other players!
On the negative side the live dealer games are always slower than the virtual one. 3 Card Poker is one of the faster ones, with the simple game-play helping a lot. There is still 15 seconds for bets and another 10 seconds to make your play / fold decision to take into account.
After enjoying the live dealer games I rarely go back to the ‘virtual’ tables any more for those titles which are available live. I look forward to a live dealer Caribbean Stud coming along to complete the set!
Best Live Dealer 3 Card Poker Online
Unibet Not only has the best selection of live dealer games (3 Card Poker, Blackjack, Casino Hold'em, Roulette (including Immersive + Auto-Roulette tables and Baccarat), they have the best promotions too.
Every time you log on there will be one or more new promos or offers waiting for you to enjoy.
I strongly recommend the combination of the excellent 3-Card Poker and the long-running big-brand Unibet casino – check out www.unibet.com for yourself now!
More Live Dealer Casino Articles:
- Real Money Live Dealer Blackjack Games Online
- Live Dealer Casino Hold'em Poker Games
- Main Live Dealer Page (with links to many more articles)