Online three-card poker is actually made up of two games in one. While it is possible to play both games together — and that is really the most fun way to play three-card poker online — it is best to learn the rules of each game separately in order to avoid confusion.

The first three-card poker game is called Pair Plus. To play Pair Plus, you first place a bet by choosing a coin size and clicking in the Pair Plus circle on the virtual poker table. Then click the Deal button, and you and the dealer will each receive three cards.

If your cards include a pair, you win a 1 to 1 payout on your bet. If your hand is even better than a pair you win an even bigger payout. These are the payouts you can win in the Pair Plus version of three-card poker:

• Straight Flush: 40 to 1
• Three of a Kind: 30 to 1
• Straight: 6 to 1
• Flush: 4 to 1
• Pair: 1 to 1

You should note that the hand rankings in 3-card poker differ from those in regular 5-card or 7-card poker. In other poker games, for example, a flush ranks higher than a straight, and a straight ranks higher than three of a kind. The unusual hand rankings in 3-card poker reflects the fact that the smaller hand affects the odds and probabilities of getting the different kinds of winning poker hands.

You should also note that the dealer’s cards are irrelevant in Pair Plus poker. If you get a pair or better, you win a payout according to the pay table, regardless of whether the dealer’s hand is better or worse than yours.

Ante and Play is the three-card poker game in which you compete with the dealer’s hand. You place your bet by selecting a coin size and clicking in the Ante circle on the virtual poker table. Then click the Deal button. You will receive three cards face up, and the dealer receives three cards face down.

Now you must choose to fold or play. If you fold, you lose your Ante bet and the game is over. If you choose to play, a Play bet, equal to your Ante bet, is placed in the Play circle on the 3-card poker table. The dealer’s cards are then turned face up, and the hands are compared to determine a winner.

If your hand beats the dealer’s hand, you win a 1-to-1 payout. In addition, if you have one of the top 3-card poker hands — a straight, three of a kind, or a straight flush — you win an additional payout called the Ante Bonus.

To play both three-card poker games together in the online casino, just place your bets in both the Pair Plus circle and the Ante circle, and then click the Deal button and play each game according to the rules described above.

On a single hand of three-card poker, it is possible to win both games, to lose both games, to win Pair Plus and lose Ante and Play, or to win Ante and Play and lose Pair Plus. The myriad possible outcomes is part of what makes playing 3-card poker online such an exciting online casino game.