Learn How to Play Tri Card Poker for Real Money

There are dozens of different table games you can play at Bovada Casino for real money, but if you’re new to the poker or slots game scene, it can all be a little bit intimidating with all the casino players. Which casino games should you play as a new player? What are the table rules? Fortunately, there’s one casino game that’s easier than all the rest for new folk to take hold of – and it still gives you the chance to test your skills while you play for real money online. We’ll show you how to play Tri Card Poker at Bovada Casino; learn about this fun and easy game that you can master just by reading this free short online guide.

How It Works Online

Online Tri Card Poker is a variation of the casino game called Three Card Poker, first introduced by Derek Webb in the mid-1990s. It’s you against the casino Dealer; after you place your Ante bet, you receive three cards, face-up, and the casino Dealer gets three cards, face-down. The object is to have the better 3-card hand, based loosely on the standard hand rankings for poker games. If you think your three cards are strong enough, double your wager by hitting the Raise button; otherwise, hit the Fold button and surrender your bet. Once you hit Raise, the casino Dealer’s cards will be revealed and the real winner declared. That’s the game – simple, right? Players can try this game at casinos or on mobile online. 

There are a few more casino poker game rules you’ll want to know about when you play Tri Card Poker for real money. Let’s start with those hand rankings:

Straight Flush (As-Ks-Qs)

Three of a Kind (Ks-Kh-Kd)

Straight (9s-8c-7d)

Flush (As-9s-2s)

Pair (Jc-Jh-3c)

High Card (Ks-8d-4d)

ince you only get three cards instead of five to make your hand, it’s actually more difficult to get Three of a Kind than a Straight in poker games, and it’s more difficult to get a Straight than a Flush. It’s also impossible to make hands like a Royal Flush, Four of a Kind, or Two Pair. Make sure you understand these hand rankings before you play Tri Card Poker online at our casino on desktop or on mobile, players have the choice.

Tri Card Poker Game Hand Payouts

When you have the winning hand in online Tri Card Poker, players get paid out at even money. Tied hands are treated as a push. You also get a special Ante bonus if you make one of the following hands, even if you don’t beat the casino Dealer:

Straight Flush 5/1

Three of a Kind 4/1

Straight 1/1

There’s an important caveat to these payouts: In order to win any Raise bet you make, the play Dealer must “qualify” by having at least Queen-High in their hand once their cards are turned over in all casinos. Otherwise, you only get paid on your Ante bet, and your Raise bet is returned to you. If the play Dealer doesn’t qualify with at least Queen-High, then you automatically win your Ante bet – even if your hand is worse than the play Dealer’s in all casinos.

Pair Plus

There’s a special side bet you can make in Tri Card Poker at all casinos called the Pair Plus (or Pair+) bet. As the name implies, you’ll get a bonus payout if you make at least a Pair, whether or not you beat the Dealer at all casinos online. Here are the payouts for the Pair Plus bet either on desktop or mobile:

Straight Flush 40/1

Three of a Kind 30/1

Straight 6/1

Flush 4/1

Pair 1/1

Tri Card Poker Strategy at Casinos

Now comes the easiest part of our free online Tri Card Poker game guide. It’s a snap to make the right moves at the table at all casinos – all you need to do is remember these three cards: Queen, Six, Four. If you have at least Queen-Six-Four in your hand, go ahead and Raise. If you don’t, Fold. That’s the optimal strategy for Tri Card Poker, and a big reason why the game is so much fun to play on desktop or mobile. Using this strategy will narrow the house edge to the minimum possible of 3.37%.

That’s for the Ante and Raise portion of the game. The Pair Plus bet has no strategy to it – you either make the bet or you don’t. But the house edge at Bovada Casino for the Pair Plus bet is only 2.32%, so if you want to play Tri Card Poker games online optimally, you should always make this side bet. In theory, you should also make the minimum $1 Ante bet and the maximum $500 Pair Plus bet, but that might not be practical (or wise) unless you’re a super high roller with tons of money in your account.

Because there’s always a house edge with Tri Card Poker games online, you should only play the game for real entertainment purposes on desktop or on mobile at our casino, and not as a way to make money. Placing very large bets can be fun, but it can also drain your bankroll if the cards don’t fall your way. As with all table games at casinos, the best approach for Tri Card Poker games online is to consider how long you’d like your session to last against the Dealer. Then, with a little math, you can figure out how many hands your average session would take, and what the right bet size would be to meet your target. Stick with this bet size for every hand and never chase losses at all casinos.

Players can give their bankroll an added boost by collecting our $3,000 Welcome Bonus when players make their first new deposit at Bovada Casino. Since it’s a match bonus, the more players play, the more bonus money they'll earn; we’ll match the initial deposit by 100%, up to $1,000, and you can collect this Welcome Bonus up to three times. Make sure to check out our Promotions page for free and all the other bonuses available at Bovada.

Now that you’ve read this online games guide, you’re officially a Tri Card Poker games expert at all casinos. You know the rules, the payouts, and the optimal strategy for Tri Card Poker games: Raise with Queen-Six-Four or higher. Try this online strategy out for free using the Practice Play mode at Bovada, what a bonus! Then switch to Real Play mode once you’re ready to put some money on the line. See you at the poker tables, players!