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Fewer Cards, More Action,
Three Card Poker is Coming on Strong
By Lenny Frome
When it comes to
details, Derek Webb leaves nothing to chance. But what would you expect from
the British world class pot-limit Omaha professional?
The genial inventor
of the successful new Three Card Poker derived his game from the centuries old
game called Brag (which later emigrated to India as Flush), to make sure that
it had a solid foundation. After putting it through exhaustive math analysis,
he installed it in two casinos – one on the Isle of Man and the other in Ireland,
where he proved that his 20th century adaptation was still quite
popular with the UK gentry. Then he headed for America
While it seems
unlikely that a Hold’em player accustomed to playing a nine-card game would
simplify poker to a three-card stud format, that’s just what Webb did. Americans
have taken to the game because of its simplicity, action level and competitive
house advantage.
PLAY THE
GAME
Like other games
Webb has created (including Hi-lo Go and Wild Draw, which as of November, 1997
were in their approval cycles), Three Card Poker is comprised of two independent
bets. The player may play either or both in any amount, without going over the
house limit. To understand this aspect, look at the table layout for each player.
On the top is the
Pair-Plus bet (circle) which pays solely on the three cards dealt to the player.
The payouts are 1-1 for any pair, 4-1 on a flush, 5-1 on a straight, 30-1 for
a three of a kind and 40-1 for a straight flush. There is absolutely no strategy
with this Pair-Plus option. The house advantage on Pair-Plus is a fair 2.32
percent.
On the bottom is
the Ante (diamond) and Play (rectangle) proposition, which puts the player’s
three-card hand in competition with the dealer’s three-card hand. After seeing
his cards, the player who had put an Ante up may either fold, or call for a
showdown against the dealer’s hand by placing a bet (equal to the Ante) in the
Play box. If the dealer does not have at least a Queen High in his hand, the
player wins and is paid 1-1 on the Ante. If the dealer has a Queen High or better
hand, but does not beat the player’s hand, the player is paid 1-1 on both the
Ante and Play wagers. If the dealer’s hand beats the player’s hand, the player
loses both the Ante and Play bets.
Nonetheless, the
player is awarded "guaranteed" bonuses on the Ante bet, regardless
of what ensues in the competition. These are payouts of 1-1 for a straight,
4-1 on three of a kind, and 5-1 on a straight flush. The overall house advantage
is 2.14 percent for those who opt for the Ante/Play feature, which gives the
players the additional opportunity to win on Ace High, King High and Queen High
hands, which comprise 44 percent of all hands.
PLAYER
STRATEGY
Most players soon
realize that playing both the Pair-Plus and Ante options afford the broadest
opportunity to win, and make the most entertaining and rewarding experience.
Three Card Poker is unique in that it attracts new players to the pit because
Pair-Plus players need no strategy, the player gets guaranteed bonus awards
in the Ante-Play option, the Ante-Play strategy is identical to the dealer’s
rules (i.e. Play with a Queen High or Better in your hand, which puts the player
in action almost 70 percent of the time, and creates a showdown in nearly 50
percent of the games), the house advantage ("vig") is relatively low,
and the "vig" is fairly constant even if the player plays more or
less conservatively.
ANTE/PLAY
PAYBACK ANALYSIS (Computer simulation results)
Of the 1,000,000
games played, the player’s hand ranked as a Queen High or Better in 687,674
hands and the player wagered on Play while folding on 312,326 hands. The total
at stake was 1,687,674 bet-unit (Antes plus Plays).
The Dealer quliaifed
in 473,924 of the matches, and folded in 213,750. At the showdown, the dealer
won 233,643 and the player won 238,408 hands while 1,873 were ties.
As a result, the
player lost 89,045 bet-units (5.72 percent of the total at stake) before any
bonus awards were included. The bonus awards added up to 52,852 bet-units, diminishing
the house win to 36,194 bet-units and a house advantage of only 2.14 percent.
GAME OUTLOOK
Early
in 1999, Derek Webb sold Three Card Poker to Shuffle Master. In its recent quarterly
report, Shuffle Master reported that the number of tables had grown to 188 from
154 when they purchased the game from Derek, and that it is currently playing
in ten jurisdictions. It would appear that Three Card Poker is poised to have
a long and prosperous run.
***************
Lenny
Frome spent 35 years in Aerospace Program Management, before ‘retiring’
to Las Vegas, where he went on to become one of the foremost authors and analysts
of Video Poker. He has authored nearly 1000 articles, which have appeared regularly
in casino journals in every area of the country where Video Poker is played.
For more of Lenny’s articles and Products, visit Compu-Flyers
Video Poker Heaven
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