Three Card Poker & Brag

Three Card Poker is currently available from both Playtech and Evolution Gaming, although Playtech’s version is called Three Card Brag after the popular English 16th century gambling game shown in the movie Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The only difference between Three Card Brag and Three Card Poker is that in Brag straights beat flushes and three of a kind beats a straight flush. This is technically the right way to do it because poker hand rankings are based upon probabilities and with three cards it is easier to make a flush than a straight.

Overall we prefer the Three Card Brag game offered by Playtech, because of the historical connection with the traditional English gambling game, as well as the more accurate hand rankings based upon three card poker probabilities. Playtech also has a great high quality video feed and is partnered with some excellent online casinos.

Evolution Gaming’s Offering

Evolution Gaming’s Three Card Poker is basically the same as Playtech’s Three Card Brag except that they have the addition of a second side bet, the six card bonus. This six card bonus has the following payouts:

• Royal Flush 1000:1
• Straight Flush 200:1
• Four of a kind 100:1
• Full House 20:1
• Flush 15:1
• Straight 10:1
• Three of a Kind 7:1

With this bonus you are combining your three cards with the dealer’s three cards and making the best five card poker hand. The RTP for this side bet is 91.44%.

Other than that the games are pretty much the same and both Playtech and Evolution were only running a single table of three card poker. Both providers dealt the game from a shoe, like you would see at a blackjack table, which looks kind of funny given that they are only using a single deck. Presumably this is to prevent the dealer from exposing one of their hole cards because three card poker is a game that is easily beaten if you know what one of the dealer’s cards are.

How To Play

If you’ve never played Three Card Poker before, don’t despair, this game is super easy to play. All you have to do is place an ante, and then decide if you want to play the hand. If you do decide to play then you must bet an additional amount equal to your ante. The best strategy is to choose to play Q-6-4 or higher, but some people like to bluff and hope that the dealer doesn’t have anything, because if the dealer doesn’t have queen high or better they just fold their hand, in which case you win your ante bet but push your play bet. If the dealer does qualify then whoever has the highest hand wins. For three card brag the hand rankings are as follows:

1. Brial (which is three of a kind)
2. Running Flush (straight flush)
3. Run (straight)
4. Flush
5. Pair
6. High Card

For three card poker a straight flush beats three of a kind and a flush beats a straight because they use more familiar five card poker hand rankings.

Pair Plus

There is also an additional side bet you can bet on called pair plus where you can bet on whether you get a pair or better in your hand. This has the following payouts:

• Prial / Three of a Kind 40:1
• Running Flush 30:1
• Run 6:1
• Flush 4:1
• Pair 1:1

House Edge

Assuming this pay table is used then the house edge on pair plus side bet is 2%. If you follow the suggested strategy for the main bet above, playing Q-6-4 or better, then the house edge on the main bet will be 3%.

The Best Casino For Three Card Poker

The best casino to play live Three Card Poker (Three Card Brag) is William Hill. Not only are they one of the most trusted names in the online gambling world, they also offer an extremely attractive 150% up to £150 match deposit bonus, where you start playing with an extra £150 right away. Couple that with a very nice loyalty program where players can get access to VIP hosts, specialized promotions, higher betting limits and faster withdrawals, as well as other offers like free bet promos and you have a clear winner.

You must wager 30x your deposit and bonus before you are able to cashout, and while all games do count some games count at a discounted rate, for example blackjack only counts for 20% towards clearing your bonus. In addition to having great bonuses, William Hill is licensed by the Government of Gibraltar and the UK Gambling Commission, so that is another strong reason to play there.