How to Play Tri-Card Poker
Tri-Card Poker is a popular table game at Australian online casinos. It combines elements of poker and video poker to create a fast-paced game that’s simple to learn. It also has one of the lowest house edges of any game at online casinos.
Today you will learn the basics of playing Tri-Card Poker and the payouts you can expect from the game.
Rules of Tri-Card Poker
One of the reasons that Tri-Card Poker is so popular is because of its simplicity. Most players can learn the game quicker than Blackjack. First, it helps to have a basic understanding of poker hands. Below are the hand rankings for this game:
- High Card- No coordination of any type, such as king-high.
- Pair – Two cards of the same ranking
- Flush – Three cards of the same suit, such as three hearts
- Straight – Three cards in sequence, such as 9-10-J
- Three of a Kind – Three cards of the same ranking, such as three kings
- Straight Flush – Three cards both in sequence and of the same suit, such as 8-9-10 of spades.
There are three bets you can place in this game. They are the Ante, Pair, and Pair Plus. Pair Plus is an optional bonus bet and you also have to place that bet prior to receiving cards. With Pair Plus, you’re wagering that your final hand will be a pair or better.
To play a hand, you have to place a bet on the Ante. Both you and the dealer will get cards and after reviewing your hand, you’ll decide whether to play your hand. If you want to play, you must place a bet equal to your Ante on Play. You can also fold, but you automatically lose your ante and Pair Plus bet.
Once your Play bet is made, it’s time for the showdown. The dealer must qualify in order to play their hand. To qualify, their hand must be at least queen-high. If the dealer fails to qualify, your Play is returned to you. This is called a Push. Your Ante bet will be paid out 1:1. If you bet $10 on the Ante, you’ll get back $20.
If the dealer qualifies, then your hand must beat him in order for your Ante and Play bets to pay off. When you beat the dealer, you’ll receive 1:1 on your Ante and Play bets. If you bet $10 on Ante and Play, you’ll receive $40. Should you and the dealer tie, both your Ante and Play bets push.
Bonus and Pair Plus Payouts
There are certain bonus hands that pay out at a Tri-Card Poker table regardless of whether you beat the dealer or not. Bonus hands pay out as follows:
- Straight – 1 to 1
- Three of a Kind – 4 to 1
- Straight Flush – 5 to 1
If you bet $5 on the Ante and Play and hit a straight, you’ll get back $25 total.
After standard and bonus payouts, the dealer will also pay out the Pair Plus bets. If you make a pair or better, you’ll receive a bonus payout as follows:
- Pair – 1:1
- Flush 4:1
- Straight – 6:1
- Three of a Kind – 30:1
- Straight Flush – 40:1
While the Pair Plus looks like an enticing bet, you’re only about 25% to win this bet, and often you’re only going to hit the pair. It’s definitely a long-term losing bet.
Play Tri-Card Poker at Australian Online Casinos
Tri-Card Poker, also known as Three Card Poker is available at multiple Australian online casinos, including Ignition Casino, Red Stag Casino, and Pokies Parlour. If you love to play poker or poker table games, this is definitely a game to check out. In a future article, we will give you some basic strategies for playing Tri-Card Poker at online casinos in Australia.