Poker Can't Get Much Simpler Than This
Poker is apparently going through the same contortions that Video Poker has experienced,
with new versions being introduced faster than folks can keep up with them.
For many years,the game was played with 5 cards or 7 cards or even 9 cards. In the past couple of years, Chinese Poker with 13 cards and Casino War with 1 card (maybe it's not poker, but
it does fit the arithmetic progression) have been introduced to the casinos.
You may have noticed that a 3-card game was missing from the sequence. Well, so
did Derek Webb, who is well known in international pot-limit Hold 'Em circles.
So while the rest of the world ignored that anomoly, Derek has done something about it. He invented Three Card Poker. Just leave it to the British to think up such a complex moniker for this derivative of the ancient game of Brag. And judging by the crowds at the tables, this country loves it better than tea and crumpets.
The game completed its third leg of a successful world-wide introduction; field testing for the Nevada Gaming Control Board at the Stardust in Las Vegas. It has already recorded successes in Europe and at Gulfport's, Biloxi's and Tunica's (MS) Grand Casino, and has been honed to razor sharpness for the critical players of Las Vegas and other locales which are already lined up to feature the game.
Atlantic CIty has adopted Three Card Poker as well, featuring it at Resorts, Sands and Trump casinos.
It may seem ironic that after many years of playing pot-limit Hold-'Em, which involves 7-card hands, that Mr. Webb would develop such an interesting version of Poker which needs only three cards. That's all each player and the Dealer gets but even then, these three cards have a two-way stretch since they serve for playing two independent propositions in one game. One is called PAIR PLUS, the other ANTE.
The player can play either or both props, each for any amount within the table limits. The easiest prop is PAIR PLUS, in which the player is paid on a sliding scale of odds if his hand is a pair or better. The Pair pays even money, a Flush pays 4-1, a Straight 6-1, Three of a Kind 30-1 and the Straight Flush 40-1. These odds track the chance of obtaining the winning three hands.
For the more venturesome, there is another proposition. If the player wagers an ANTE, the player may compete his hand against the Dealer's hand. After looking at his hand, the player who wishes to compete with the Dealer's hand (sight unseen) must then make a PLAY bet exactly equal to the ANTE. If he decides to fold, he loses his ANTE.
Good hands are also rewarded with Bonus awards on the ANTE ranging from Even money on a Straight, 4-1 on triplets and 5-1 on Straight Flushes. These are awarded regardless of the Dealer's hand and regardless of which hand is better.
When the Dealer reveals his cards, he must have a Queen or better in the hand to compete. If not, the Dealer pays even money on the ANTE and returns the PLAY wager. When the Dealer has a Queen or better, the hand is competitive. Those who made the choice to PLAY and have the better hands are paid Even Money on their ANTE and PLAY wagers.
The game is learned very quickly, since the basic strategy for the players is simple:
Don't put up a PLAY bet unless you have a Queen or Better. This will keep the House Advantage on the ANTE prop at about 2.1% which is a tad lower than it is on the simpler PAIR PLUS prop.
Three Card Poker is action-packed, with the Dealer and Player competing in about half the
hands. In fact the only reason the pirates always win at the Treasure Island shootout is that the British crew is too busy playing Three Card Poker over at the Stardust.
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