Three Cards, One Goal: Beating the Dealer in Tri Card Poker

There are so many varieties of poker out there. You’ve got the thrill of No Limit Texas Hold’em tournaments, the huge pots of Omaha Hi-Lo cash games, and the simple fun of video poker. But what about Tri Card Poker, where does it fit into the poker mix?

Tri Card Poker is a great table game that combines skill and a bit of luck. You’re only playing against the dealer, so the vibe is pretty chill. You don’t have to make a ton of decisions and there’s no complicated strategy to learn. In short, it’s a relaxing way to get a poker fix playing table games and go after some fun three-card hands. Here’s how it works.

1. How to Play Tri Card Poker: the Basics

When you start a hand of Tri Card Poker, you get three cards, face up. The dealer gets three cards, face down. You’ll need to beat the dealer to get paid, and you have to bet on whether your hand will be strong enough. The dealer doesn’t always “qualify,” though. The dealer must have a queen high or better, to qualify.

So, how does betting work?

Well, you’ll first pick your wager amount and ante it. After clicking Deal, you’ll get your three cards. You’re then faced with your first and only decision in the game: raise or fold. If you fold, you lose your ante. If you raise and the dealer does not qualify (i.e. doesn’t even have queen high), you get paid. Your ante is paid 1:1, and your raise is treated as a “push” and returned to you.

If the dealer does qualify, you’ve got a chance to get paid twice! If you beat the dealer’s qualifying hand, you get paid 1:1 on both your ante and raise. If you don’t beat the dealer’s qualifying hand, though, you lose your ante and raise.

2. Tri Card Poker Odds and Payouts

Here are the payouts for special hands:

As you can see, players can make straights and flushes with just three cards, as well as trips and straight flushes. If you make a Pair+ wager, you’ll be eligible to receive bonus payouts and become one of our casino big winners. Land a monster hand like a straight flush for a 40:1 payout. Surely you’ve been three to a straight flush before, right? Well, in Tri Card Poker, that’s all you need. Other than that, your wins are paid out 1:1 as described above.

3. Tri Card Poker Strategy: Winning Tips

Any winning Tri Card Poker strategy has to take into account a funny quirk of the game: you can get paid on any cards if the dealer doesn’t qualify. It doesn’t matter what you’re holding. If you raise your rags and the dealer doesn’t qualify, you get paid 1:1 on your ante. Your raise comes back as a push, as we said. So this means that you can occasionally snag a bet just by raising when you feel lucky. Any three cards can win. But most players chasing wins want something a little more sophisticated than that.

The odds and analysis favor a fairly straightforward Tri Card Poker strategy in that case. Just raise with queen high or better. It’s a lot like blackjack. If you want to beat the dealer, you need a strategy that somewhat mirrors the dealer’s habits. This cuts down the house edge and positions you for more wins in the long run than you would otherwise get.

If you want the biggest casino jackpots 2023 has to offer, you’ve got to play smart!

4. Ignition Rewards at Tri Card Poker

Playing casino games at Ignition Casino helps you earn Rewards Miles. Every dollar you wager adds to your Rewards balance at a certain rate. These Miles can then be converted to cash for your account. As you build up a balance, you will reach higher and higher Rewards levels:

5. Ready to play Tri Card Poker?

Tri Card Poker can be found in our Casino tab. It’s under Table Games, along with roulette, blackjack, and other poker-based games like Caribbean Hold’Em. The next time you’re in the mood to chase some poker hands, but you don’t want to go head to head with other players, give Tri Card Poker a shot. It’s a simple, enjoyable way to shuffle up and deal.

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