What is Three Card Poker?

Three card poker, sometimes called tri-card poker, is a casino table game played against the dealer with a standard 52-card deck, where both you and the dealer receive three cards. You first post an ante, then look at your hand and decide whether to fold or place a play bet, normally equal to the ante. The dealer needs queen-high or better to qualify; if the dealer fails to qualify, the ante pays and the play bet is simply returned. Hand rankings differ from ordinary poker because a straight is harder to make with three cards than a flush, so straights rank higher. An optional pair plus side bet pays on your own hand alone, whatever the dealer holds. As with every table game, the rules give the house a built-in mathematical edge, and side bets usually carry a larger one.