3 Card Poker is a popular casino table game. It’s fairly easy to find three card poker online, but players need to be aware that casinos offer different odds that can greatly influence their chances of winning. There are some basic strategies to follow that can help ensure you win more than lose. These include playing hands that are ranked no lower than Queen, 6, 4.
In the game of three card poker, players have the chance to make a side bet. That wager is called the pairs plus bet.
Pair plus Bet
The pairs plus wager in three card poker is made totally in the dark. Like the ante wager, it is placed prior to cards being dealt. Thus, there’s no true strategy in making the bet. There is strategy in deciding if you should follow through on it.
However, unlike the ante wager, which gets you in the game, this bet is optional. Also, it’s a highly prescriptive wager in that there must be two pair for it to offer the player a payout.
When betting pairs 25.6% of hands will be winners and 74.4% of hands will be losers Overall betting equally on the Ante and pairs plus provides the following probabilities: a win 32.06% of the time, push 13.23%, and a loss 54.71%. As it is with any type of casino wagering, players want to lower the house edge. The best way to do so is to wager at a casino that offers the best payouts.
Minimum Acceptable Payouts
You will find many different payout tables as casinos control how much they pay on a pairs plus bet that includes a specific hand such as a straight or flush. The house edge on a pairs bet is often high, coming in at around 7.28% and on an Ante and pairs plus wager together it’s 5.35%.
However, you can lower the edge by playing at casinos with the following minimum pay outs: straight flush 41-1, three of a kind 31-1, straight 7-1, flush 5-1, and any pair 2-1. These payouts include the original wager. Thus, if you wager $1.00 and get a pair on three of a kind, you would receive your original bet back ($1.00) plus $30.00 more.
If you bet at sites that offer the above minimum payouts and also play the minimum hand of Queen, 6, 4, the house edge goes down to just below 2.4%. That’s considerably better than the 7.28% and 5.35%.
Will Pairs Plus Pay?
A pairs plus wager can pay, but players need to be careful in making it. If wagering $1.00, you can easily lose $2.00 on each game if you adhere to the minimum prescribed hand. If you lose your pairs plus bet and win your ante and play wagers, you can end up posting a profit 50% less than you would have made if you had wagered on just the ante and play.
There are things that a player can do to cut losses. The first is to wager double on the play bet if you’re well suited with a strong hand. That wager is made after you see your cards. The other is to never make a pairs plus wager unless you’re on the plus side of the ledger.
A good rule to follow as far as this is concerned is to never wager more than 5% of your profit on the side bet. If you’re ahead by $20.00, that would give you one pairs plus bet at $1.00. Be careful, if you constantly wager on the pairs plus option, you could lose a lot of cash quickly.
Disciplined Play
Play three card poker in a disciplined manner. That includes the pairs plus bet. Although the game is simple, haphazard betting can result in large losses quickly.