Home

Three Card Poker Topics
Hierarchy of Poker Hands
How to Play 3 Card Poker
3 Card Poker Strategy
3 Card Poker History

Where to Play
3 Card Poker Online
3 Card Poker Casinos
Three Card Poker Tournament

Other Resources
3 Card Poker Glossary
3 Card Poker Books
3 Card Poker TV Guide
Relevant Sites
Site Map

Did you know there are over 2000 casinos currently online? Be warned that not all casinos treat their players fairly. Before you sign up anywhere you need to make sure the casino you choose is licensed in the country it is registered and regulated by a watchdog organization like the IGC. Read my 3 Card Poker Online page to get the details.

Hierarchy of Poker Hands

As I mentioned on my home page Three Card Poker is based on the all-American game of stud poker. However, unlike the original stud poker you will be competing against the dealer instead of another player. (You will also be playing with just three cards instead of five). Nonetheless, you will still need to understand Three Card Poker hands to know "what beats what." If you and the dealer have the exact same cards it is considered a tie or a push.

3 Card Poker is played with a standard 52-card deck (Without a joker) that is shuffled after each game. The 52 cards have one of 13 ranks listed below:

13 Ranks from Lowest Value to Highest*

* An Ace can also be used as a "one" when forming a hand called a "straight." You will learn what a straight is in the next section.

The ace is the best and highest card, followed in descending order by the king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and then the deuce or 2, which is the lowest ranked card. The king, queen and the jack are known as picture cards or face cards.

When the cards are held together in various combinations, they form hands of different strengths. These are called hand rankings or poker rankings.

Information about Suits
Each rank comes in one of four suits: clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades. It is important to note that one suit does not have precedence over the other. For example, if you have a Queen-Jack-5 and they are all spades; and the dealer has a Queen-Jack-5 and they are all clubs, one hand is not stronger than the other and the hands are considered a tie.

Poker Rankings of Three Card Hands

1. Straight Flush: Three cards of the same suit in order of rank.

2. Three-of-a kind: Three cards of the same rank.

3. Straight: Any three cards in order of rank.

4. Flush: Any three cards of one suit.
If two or more players have a flush, the one with the highest ranking card wins. If two or more hands have the same high card, then the next highest card is compared and so forth.

5. Pair: Two cards of the same rank.
Two Aces are highest, two Deuces are lowest. In the case of two players having the same pair, the third card determines the winner based on rank.

6. Non-Pair Hands: All other card combinations.
A winner is determined by comparing the highest card of the three. If two or more players have the same high card, the second highest card is compared and so on.

Special Note to Those Accustomed to Five Card Hands:
Those of you who play traditional stud poker will notice three card hands have a slightly different ranking order than that of five card hands. This is because it is harder to get three-of-a-kind on three cards than on five cards; however it is much easier to get a flush on three cards than on five cards. A straight is also more difficult to get on three cards than is a flush.

The Best Way to Learn Hand Rankings is to Play!

Practice online at Golden Casino and get familiar with poker hand and card rankings. When you play Three Card Poker at this casino it will actually display the hand rankings of your cards and the dealer's cards following each round of play.

All Players Accepted - Including U.S. Real Money Players First Time Players Receive a 100% First Deposit Match Bonus up to $555 FREE!