3 Card Poker History:
Three-card poker is a relative new member of the poker family. Its origin is from the British card game Brag, which started from an old betting game called Primero. The 3-card game Primero morphed into a game called Post-and-Pair. However, as the betting rounds became more critical to the game, wild cards were introduced. Those wild cards were called Braggers and therefore, the name of the game changed again to be called Brag.

The British poker player, Derek Webb is believed to have been invented the current casino version of Three-card Poker despite references showing the game had been played for many decades before. Webb received the credit after he had visited Las Vegas and played at the poker tables. The British player found them to be slow and boring and thought of a way to make the game faster. The variation from which it was derived was first called Brit-Brag or Casino Brag, but that was changed to the simpler name of 3-Card Poker.

Overview:
3 Card Poker is a form of stud poker with 3 ways to bet, and 4 ways to win on your hand. Players can play against the dealer and/or bet on their hand value. 3 Card Poker is like blackjack in a way that the player needs to beat the dealer and not the other players. However, the other players’ have an impact on the game.

3-Card Poker Hands:
The value of the hands listed from the highest hand to the lowest one:
Straight Flush
Three of a Kind
Straight
Flush
Pair
If neither dealer nor player has a pair, then the hand with the highest card wins.
Aces are highest unless in a straight with 3, 2 and A.

Ante and Play Bets:
In order to play against the dealer, the player must place a bet in the Ante spot. Once the bet is placed, 3 cards are dealt to each of the players including the dealer. Players can now place bets equal to their Ante bet or choose to fold and forfeit the Ante bet.

There are a few scenarios in which that can happen:
1. The dealer does not qualify – players win 1 to 1 on their Ante bets and the Play bet is pushed back to the players.
2. The dealer qualifies – but player’s hand is better. Player wins 1 to 1 both Ante and Play bets.
3. The dealer qualifies – dealer’s hand is better than the player’s. Player losses both Ante and Play bets.
4. The dealer qualifies – dealer’s hand ties player’s hand. Both Ante and Play bets are returned to player.

In order to qualify, dealer must have at least a Queen high

Pair Plus Bets:
In order to bet on self hand’s value alone, the player must place a bet in the Pair Plus Spot.

Once the bet is placed, 3 cards are dealt to each player including the dealer. If the hand is a pair or better, it usually wins according to the following payouts:
A Straight Flush wins 40 to 1
Three of a Kind wins 30 to 1
A Straight wins 6 to 1
A Flush wins 4 to 1
A Pair wins 1 to 1

Bonus on your Ante Bet:
Some high hands win without any reference to what the dealer has. This Bonus is based on the player’s hand alone.
A Straight Flush - wins 5 to 1
Three of a Kind - wins 4 to 1
A Straight - wins 1 to 1.

3 Card Poker Strategy:
Q-6-4 is the lowest hand one can have and not fold. Computer trials of the game have shown that it is better to play when having Q-6-4 because statistically chances are better to play it than to fold. This hand can limit losses and sometimes even actually win. Any hand that wins a Pair Plus bet should not be folded, obviously.