Tri Card Poker at Fair Go

Tri Card Poker hand rankings

With three cards instead of five, the familiar poker order changes in two places. Look at the counts in the panel above: there are fewer ways to make a three-card straight (720) than a three-card flush (1,096), so the straight ranks higher. Three of a kind is rarer than a straight, and a straight flush is the rarest hand of all.

From best to worst: straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair, high card. Full houses, four of a kind and two pair don't exist with three cards. Three hands in four have no pair or better, which is why the dealer's qualifier sits as low as queen-high.

How to play Tri Card Poker

1. Bet the ante, Pair Plus, or both. They're independent: the ante plays against the dealer, and Pair Plus pays on your own hand alone.
2. Look at your three cards. The dealer's stay hidden.
3. Play or fold. To stay in, place a play bet equal to your ante. Fold and the ante is lost.
4. The dealer reveals and needs queen-high or better to qualify. If the dealer doesn't qualify, your ante pays 1:1 and your play bet is returned. If the dealer qualifies, the better hand wins, with ante and play both paying 1:1.
5. Ante bonus. Most versions pay an extra bonus on the ante for a straight or better, whatever the dealer holds. A common table pays 1:1 for a straight, 4:1 for three of a kind and 5:1 for a straight flush.

The Q-6-4 rule

Tri Card Poker's whole strategy fits on one line: play any hand of queen-6-4 or better, and fold anything worse.

That means you play every pair, every hand with an ace or king, and queen-high hands where the second card is a 7 or better, or a 6 with the third card a 4 or better. Queen-6-3 and below, and anything jack-high or lower, gets folded.

Played this way, the ante and play bets carry a house edge of about 3.37% of the ante. Because you often put out a second bet, the cost measured against everything you stake is lower, about 2%. Playing every hand, or folding too often, raises the cost.

The game is fast, often several hands a minute. Speed multiplies the house edge by more money per hour, so decide your session budget before you start.

Pair Plus: the side bet that stands alone

Pair Plus ignores the dealer completely. It pays if your three cards make a pair or better, and its value depends entirely on the pay table. Two common tables, worked out from the hand counts above:

• Pays 1, 4, 6, 30, 40 (pair, flush, straight, trips, straight flush)2.32% edge
• Pays 1, 3, 6, 30, 40 (flush pays 3 instead of 4)7.28% edge

One unit on the flush payout triples the house edge. Check the flush line in Fair Go's Pair Plus table before you play it. On the better table, Pair Plus is cheaper than the ante and play combination, and it needs no decisions at all.

With a bonus running, bets are capped at $10 each while you clear the 30x wagering, and Fair Go's terms decide how much table games count. If you'd rather have more decisions per hand, blackjack rewards skill more than any other table.

More quick card games at Fair Go

Caribbean Stud Poker is the five-card version of the same idea. Vegas Three Card Rummy also deals three cards but wants the lowest total. See every table on our table games page.

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Tri Card Poker FAQ