Three Card Prime

Introduction

Three Card Prime is very similar to Three Card Poker. In both games, the object is to have a higher ranking three-card poker hand the dealer. The only decision is to fold or raise after getting your hand.

Rules

1. Player makes an Ante bet. At this time he may optionally bet on the Pair Bonus and Prime side bets.
2. The dealer gives each player three cards and himself three cards. The player may examine his own cards. The dealer's cards are dealt face down.
3. If the player made the Ante bet, then he has must either fold or raise.
4. If the player folds, then he forfeits his Ante wager.
5. If the player raises, then he must make an additional Play bet, equal exactly to his Ante bet.
6. The dealer will turn over his cards.
7. The dealer needs a queen high or better to qualify.
8. If the dealer does not qualify, then Ante will push and the Play bet will pay according to the pay table below.
9. If the dealer qualifies, then the player's hand will be compared to the dealer's hand, the higher hand wins. The order of poker hands is indicated below.
10. If the player has the higher poker hand, then the Ante will pay even money and the Play according to the pay table below.
11. If the dealer has the higher poker hand, then the Ante will lose. If the player has flush or less, the Play will also lose. In the unlikely event the player loses with a straight or higher, the Play bet will pay according to the pay table below.
12. If the player and dealer tie, then the Ante will push and the Play will pay according to the pay table below.
13. The Pair Bonus pays based mostly on the player's hand only. If the player has a paying hand of a pair or higher a dummy card will be revealed that will increase the win, if it is a deuce, according to the pay table below.
14. The Prime bet pays at least 3 to 1 if the player's three cards are the same color. If all six cards between the player and dealer hands are the same color, then it pays 4 to 1.
15. The All 6 pays based on the poker-value of the six cards comprised of the player's and dealer's three cards.

     

The following table shows the hand order in Three Card Prime.

 

The following table shows the pay table for the Play bet. All wins on a "to one" basis.

 

The following table shows "pay table 1" for the Pair Bonus bet. All wins on a "to one" basis.

The following table shows "pay table 2" for the Pair Bonus, which was spotted at the Aquarius casino in Laughlin on January 20, 2020.

The Prime bet is nice and simple, as shown in the following pay table. The top award requires all player cards and dealer cards to be the same color. All pays are on a "to one" basis.

The "All 6" bet pays based on the best 5-card poker hand that can be created using the three player and three dealer cards. The pay table is as follows. Wins are on a "to one" basis.

Comparison to Three Card Poker

Mathematically, the base game in Three Card Prime works out to the same thing as Three Card Poker, except the player wins more if he has a straight or higher and loses to the dealer. Semantically, there are some changes too. If the dealer doesn't qualify, now it is the Ante that pushes instead of the Play. No longer is there an Ante Bonus, but the Play bet pays a premium for hands of a straight or higher. It works out to the same thing except the Play bet pays a premium for a losing hand of a straight or higher, known as "Bad Beat Bonus."

In addition, the Pair Bonus is like the Pairplus but pays a premium of a fourth dummy card is a deuce. Finally, they add another side bet called the Prime, which wins if the player's three cards are the same color.

If you're not familiar with Three Card Poker rules, read the rules section for the complete rules.

Ante and Play Analysis

 

The next table shows the probability and return for all possible outcomes for the base game.

 

The table above shows the house edge, defined as the ratio of the expected loss to the Ante bet, is 2.96%. The player will raise 67% of the time, for an average wager of 1.67. That makes the Element of Risk, defined as the expected loss to the total amount bet, 2.96%/1.67 = 1.77%.

Pair Bonus Analysis

The following table shows the probability and return for the pay table 1 of the Pair Bonus bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.52%

The following table shows the probability and return for the pay table 2 of the Pair Bonus bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.38%

Prime Analysis

 

The following table shows the probability and return for the Pair Bonus bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.62%

All 6

The following table shows my analysis of the All 6 bet. The combinations were taken from my Probabilities in Poker page. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 10.22%.

External Links

 

• Play Three Card Prime at the Galaxy Gaming web site.
• Discussion about Three Card Prime in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.

Written by: Michael Shackleford