What is 3 Card Brag?

How to play 3 Card Brag?

3 Card Brag is played with a single deck of 52 cards. To win, players can bet on one of two separate options. The first one is the Ante bet, which essentially pays if the player’s hand beats the dealer’s hand. The second option is the ‘Pair Bonus’ in which only the player’s hand is used. The player receives a payout depending on the value of their hand. The strength of the hand is determined by a series of strong poker hands. However, in 3 Card Brag, the familiar poker hands have different names. The player can bet different stakes on both the Ante and the Pair bonus in a single round.

3 Card Brag Possible Hands

There are a number of different combinations that can be formed in 3 Card Brag. Many of them will appear familiar to poker players but they are disguised by a different name. Below, we have included all the possible 3 Card Brag hands ranking from weakest to strongest.

• No Hand Combination – this is when your hand does not have any combination and the highest card is lower than Queen. The dealer does not qualify with this hand.
• High Card – this is when your hand has a high card but no other combination. A high card is considered to be a Queen, a King or an Ace.
• Pair – this is when your hand contains a pair. An example of this is 3, 3, 10. The suit is irrelevant.
• Flush – this is when all three cards in your hand have the same suit. An example of this is the 4, 9 and 10 of Clubs/Spades/Hearts/Diamonds.
• Run – this is when your hand has three cards that lie in numerical order. In poker, this is commonly known as a Straight. An example of this is 6, 7, 8. The suit is irrelevant.
• Running Flush – this is when your hand has three suited cards sit in numerical order. In poker, this is referred to as a Straight Flush. An example of this is 9, 10, J of Hearts.
• Prial – this is when you have three cards that all have the same value. In poker, this is commonly known as a Three of a Kind. An example of this is the 7 of Clubs, 7 of Diamonds and 7 of Spades.

How to play the Ante Bet

In 3 Card Brag, the Ante bet is won by defeating the dealer’s hand. When betting on the Ante bet, the player must set their stake using chips that are found at the left-hand-side of their screen. Once they have placed their bet, they can click on the ‘Deal’ button, which is on the right-hand-side.

The dealer then deals three face-up cards to the player and receives three face-down cards themselves. At this point, the player can choose to ‘Play’ or to ‘Fold’. If the player chooses to play, they must place a second bet on the table that is the same size as the Ante bet. If the player chooses to fold, they abandon their hand, and the Ante bet is lost.

When the player plays their second bet, the dealer instantly reveals their hand. To qualify for the round, the dealer must hold at least a Queen-high. If the dealer does not qualify, the player wins 1:1 on their Ante bet and the second bet is returned as a push. If the dealer qualifies but the player’s hand is stronger, the player receives 1:1 on their Ante bet and 1:1 on their second bet. If the dealer qualifies and has a stronger hand, you lose both the Ante and the Play bet.

Whenever you hold a Run, a Running Flush or a Prial, you instantly win, regardless of whether the dealer’s hand is stronger or not. All payouts are 1:1 except for a Running Flush and a Prial.

• A Running Flush pays 4:1
• A Prial pays 5:1

How to play the Pair Bonus

3 Card Brag also has a Pair Bonus game that can be played alone or together with the Ante bet. In the Pair Bonus game, the player does not need to focus on their own hand. If they hold a strong hand, they automatically win. The payouts for the Pair Bonus include:

• A Pair pays 1:1
• A Flush pays 4:1
• A Run pays 6:1
• A Running Flush pays 30:1
• A Prial pays 40:1

How to Increase your Chances of Winning

In 3 Card Brag, the rules are incredibly easy to learn. As seen above, there are two different games within this Playtech title. To increase your chances of winning, it is advised to bet on both the Ante bet and the Pair bonus at the same time. However, you must be careful with both of these, as you could end up burning through your bankroll too fast.

To win the Ante bet, you will always have to place the second Play bet. This costs the same as the stake placed for the Ante. Thus, when playing the Ante bet, you must always assume that you will double your stake to win.

As for the Pair bonus, the payouts are far greater than the Ante bet. When playing 3 Card Brag, it is advised to always place a wager on the Pair bonus as the payouts for holding a strong hand are astronomical. Essentially, the best way you can increase your chances of winning are by setting a stake for both the Ante and the Pair that align with your bankroll.