The Deck: This game is played with a standard 52-card deck that is shuffled after each round. The rank of the cards is: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, then Nine through Two in order. Suits are a consideration in the game (for making flushes and straight flushes), but the four suits of Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds, and Spades are equal to one another.

Hand Rankings: Hand rankings are as follows:

HandRanking	Description	Example
Straight Flush	3 cards in sequence and all ofthe same suit.
Three of a kind	3 cards of the same rank.
Straight	3 cards in sequence, not all ofwhich are the same suit.
Flush	3 cards of the same suit, notall of which are in sequence.
One Pair	2 cards of the same rank, plus 1other card of another rank.
High Card	3 cards, all of which aredifferent ranks and are not all the same suit.

Overview: There are actually two games that are played simultaneously in three card poker: Pair Plus and Ante Play. You can play either game or both at once; it is most common to play both at once. When playing Pair Plus, you simply need to have a pair or a higher hand in order to win; when playing Ante Play, you need to have a higher hand than the dealer.

After bets are placed on either or both of the Pair Plus and Ante Play circles of the game layout, all players and the dealer are dealt three cards. Players that only have a Pair Plus bet reveal their cards and are paid (according to the table below) on hands with a pair or higher; hands that do not contain at least a pair lose. Players that have an Ante Play bet can either fold (in which case the Ante Play bet is lost) or 'call' by making a Play bet equal to the size of the Ante Play bet. Once all players have called or folded, the dealer reveals the house cards and the Ante Play and Play bets are resolved according to the tables below.

Pair Plus: For the Pair Plus game, the dealer's cards do not matter; you simply need to get a hand that has a pair or better, and are (usually) paid as follows:

Ante Play: For the Ante Play game, you can either fold (in which case you lose your Ante Play bet) or play (in which case you must match your Ante Play bet with an equal-sized Play bet). If you decide to play, then you are paid as follows:

• If the dealer DOES NOT have a Queen High-card hand or better, then you win even money on your Ante Play bet and the Play Bet pushes.
• If the dealer does have a Queen High-card hand or better, then you either:
  • Win even money on both your Ante Play andPlay bets when you beat the dealer
  • Lose both your Ante Play and Play bets whenyou lose to the dealer
  • Push both your Ante Play and Play bets whenyou tie the dealer
    • If both player and dealer have High Card hands, the highest card wins.
    • If both player and dealer have the same high card, then the second-highest card wins.
    • If both player and dealer have the same two highest cards, then the third card is used to break the tie.

Ante Play bets also enjoy a bonus when the hand has a pair or better, regardless the dealer's hand; the bonus is (usually) paid as follows:

Strategy:

• Play both the Pair Plus and the Ante Play games at the same time.
• For the Pair Plus bet, there is no strategy -- you win if you get a pair or better.
• For the Ante Play game, call the Ante Play bet with a Play bet if you have at least a Queen in your hand (to be more precise, play a Queen-Six hand or better).
• To have some fun, when you look at your cards, look at only one card. If it is a King or an Ace, look at no more of your cards and call -- you find out if you win when the dealer reveals your cards to determine your payout (if any).

Online Play: There are many online sites that offer Three Card Poker. You can try Three Card Poker risk-free by utilizing the free, no-deposit welcome bonuses that are offered at many sites; if you decide to play for real, then be sure to play at a site that offers an initial deposit bonus of at least 100%.

Recommended Sites: All take players from the US (as well as most non-US players, of course), and have at least a 100% initial deposit bonus for new players.

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For more information... 

Good luck and have fun!