Online poker casinos offer a number of interesting poker variations that you cannot find in a traditional land-based casino. Many of the online poker games are simple one-on-one games — just you against the casino. There is no tableful of poker players, no psychological games, and no bluffing. This is poker reduced to its essential elements: the bet and the cards.

Three-card poker is one of the most popular of the poker variations in the online casinos. As the name implies, you receive only three cards in this game. In fact, three card poker is actually two games in one. The first game is called Pair Plus, the other is called Ante and Play. You may choose to play one game or the other, or you may play both games at once.

In the Pair Plus game, you are not playing against the dealer; you are simply playing against the payout table. If your three cards contain a pair or better, you win the game. A pair pays even money, a flush pays 4 to 1, a straight pays 6 to 1, three of a kind pays 30 to 1, and a straight flush pays 40 to 1. It is a very fast-moving game. All you do is deal, and look at your cards to see if you won or lost.

Ante and Play is a little more complicated. In Ante and Play, you are indeed playing against the dealer. You receive three cards face up, and the dealer receives three cards face down. You must then either fold, which forfeits your bet, or play, which doubles your bet. The dealer then turns his cards over, the hands are compared, and you win the game if your hand beats the dealer’s hand. There is more strategy involved in this three card poker game, since you must make good decisions about folding or playing in order to minimize your losses and maximize your winnings.

When playing three-card poker, it is advantageous to play both Pair Plus and Ante and Play. This method doubles your chances of winning. For example, if you have a pair of 5’s and the dealer has a pair of 8’s, you will win your Pair Plus game even though you lost against the dealer. On the other hand, if you have an unsuited King-10-8, and the dealer has an unsuited Queen-9-6, you will beat the dealer and win the Ante and Play, even though you lost the Pair Plus.

Any way you play it, 3 card poker is a welcome addition to the constellation of online poker variations. It is fast moving, exciting, and it gives you two chances to win on every hand.