All those “Other” Poker Games Online
Part 2

By J. Phillip Vogel

Poker is all the rage. But before Texas Hold ‘Em dominated the gambling scene, poker-based games like Caribbean Stud, Let it Ride and Three Card Poker enthralled traditional casino goers. It’s not surprising, then, that each of these games found a warm reception and alter ego in online casinos. Let’s take a look at the basic rules and strategies for three of the several of the Net’s most popular casino poker games.

In Part 1, the rules and strategies for CyberStud Poker, aka Caribbean Stud Poker and Poker Pursuit, aka Let It Ride were covered.

For the last of the three games, I offer the rules and strategies for 3 Card Poker.

3 Card Poker/Tri-Card Poker
AKA: Three Card Poker

3 Card Poker is a little bit different from most poker games described here in that it is basically two distinct games in one: “Pair Plus” and “Ante & Play.” Players may bet one or both, and may vary the size of each wager independent of the other.

Rules for Pair Plus
The simpler of the two games, Pair Plus involves no real skill—you don’t even have to beat the dealer’s hand. It’s simply a question of whether or not you get dealt winning cards. To play, simply make a wager in the Pair Plus field and examine your three cards. Winning hands and their payouts include:

Basic Pair Plus Payout Schedule
Hand	Payout
Straight Flush	40-1
Three of a Kind	30-1
Straight	6-1
Flush	4-1
Pair	1-1

Notice how the value of certain hands differs from that of traditional poker. Most notably is that a straight is superior to a flush. This is because a flush, with a probability of appearing 4.95% of the time is greater than a straight which only appears in 3.25% of all hands dealt.

Rules for Ante & Play
The second of the 3 Card Poker games is only slightly more challenging than the Pair Plus game. The game begins when a player places an ante wager and is dealt three cards. The player then decides whether to fold or raise by putting a second bet in the designated “Play” area. If the player folds, he loses all bets made, including any “Pair Plus” wager. If the player raised, action then goes to the dealer who must now expose his cards. The two hands are then compared. The rules involved in deciding the winner are as follows:

• The dealer must have a minimum hand of Q-X-X in order to qualify.
• If the dealer doesn’t qualify, the ante bet is paid off at 1-1. The Play bet is then returned to the player.
• If the dealer’s hand qualifies, but player wins, both Ante bet and Play bet are paid off at 1-1.
• If the dealer’s hand qualifies and wins, the player loses both Play and Ante wagers.
• If the dealer’s hand qualifies but the player and dealer tie, both Ante and Play wagers remain unaffected (push).

In addition to these results, the Ante bet has a special bonus that is independent of the dealer’s hand. The payout schedule for this ante bonus is:

3 Card Basic Poker Ante Bonus
Hand	Payout
Straight Flush	5-1
Three of a Kind	4-1
Straight	1-1

Tips for Winning at 3 Card Poker
Like the other poker variations, 3 Card Poker is exceedingly simple to play yet difficult to win with any real consistency. Basic strategy consists of:

• Pair Plus Strategy. There is no real skill involved in playing the Pair Plus option, since the only decision is whether or not to play. Under ideal conditions the house edge is about 2.3%.
• Ante & Play Strategy. Almost as simplistic a strategy as that of Pair Plus, the deciding factor in whether or not to raise depends solely on the minimal hand strength required for optimal play. Specifically, raise any time your hand is a Queen-six-four combination or better. This doesn’t mean that a Q-6-4 is a power hand that you can expect to consistently win with.
• Rather it’s the absolute minimum hand that’s worth playing.

J. Phillip Vogel’s Website is: www.theopn.com