What is the history of Three-Card Poker?

Three-Card Poker is the modern version of a traditional casino classic. Some believe that poker derives from the German word “pochen”, meaning to brag or bluff, but others think that it comes from a French card game called “poque”. Both theories are valid, but both hold flaws.Modern poker was forged in the USA in the 19th century by a player called Jonathan Green. Green labelled poker as “the cheating game” in 1834 after a phrase derived from the word “poke”, a phrase used amongst pickpockets and players who referred to their winnings as “pokes”. Poker grew in interest across the USA, particularly during the Civil War and even more so in California during the Gold Rush. 50 years after Green named it “poker”, it could be found in every saloon and casino across the USA, and 200 years later, it has become the most popular card game in the world. Poker has reinvented itself since then, going through various fashion cycles. 5-card stud and 7-card draw have all been popular in the past, as has Texas Hold’em, but Three-Card Poker is currently in trend.Three-Card Poker evolved from a British card game called Brag, which used three cards. The contemporary version is said to have originated from a British poker player named Derek Webb, who when visiting Las Vegas in the 1990s found the available poker games slow and boring. Thus he offered a variation of the game, which was first call Brit-Brag or Casino Brag, but has since been renamed as Three-Card Poker.

Basic Three-Card Poker Rules

The game is played with a pack of 52 cards on a special table. Players can wager on two bet types. They are “Pair Plus” and “Ante and Play”. Before seeing their cards, players can make a bet on one, both or neither. To win on Pair Plus, you need a winning poker hand of a pair or better, with a pair paying out more money on a Pair Plus bet. Three-Card Poker rules define that the dealer needs at least a Queen-high hand to qualify to play. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, then the player qualifies automatically.

Card Values

• High Card – Three differently ranked cards, not consecutive and not all the same suit. When comparing two similar hands, the highest cards are compared first, if they are equal then the middle cards are compared and finally the lowest cards.
• Pair – Two cards of equal rank and one of a different rank. When comparing two hands with a pair, the rank of the pair decides. If both hands have equal pairs, the hand with the better odd card wins.
• Flush – Three cards of the same suit.
• Straight – Three consecutive cards of mixed suits.
• Three of a Kind – Three cards of the same rank, higher ranks beat lower ranks.
• Straight Flush – Three consecutive cards of the same suit.
• Terminology
• Ante and Play – A bet that the player’s hand will beat the dealer’s.
• Pair Plus – A bet on the quality of the player’s hand, paid independently of what the dealer is dealt.

Did you know this about Three-Card Poker?

Webb’s vision of Three-Card Poker was to combine the speed of regular casino games with the excitement of poker and he believed that there were three ingredients to creating the perfect casino game. The game rules had to be easy to understand, the payouts had to be large enough to attract players and keep them playing, and there had to be enough of a house edge that would attract and interest casino owners in adopting the game.