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Table Games 3 card poker - how bad are the odds?

Discussion in 'Table Games' started by johnnytwofingers, Jun 24, 2012.

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  1. johnnytwofingers

    johnnytwofingers Low-Roller

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    I love the camaraderie of table games, but blackjack gets pretty boring after a few hours. I looooooove playing 3 card poker, but wonder how bad the odds are.

    Usually I go through money so fast, but last time I played in Vegas I seemed to hold steady for a long time. The style where you can bet your 3 cards along with the dealers seems to bring mini-wins now and then that seem to stretch your playing time out a bit.

    Anyone know the actual odds or where I could look it up for the different variations?
     
  2. four to a royal

    four to a royal Tourist

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  3. Vegas Dave

    Vegas Dave Newbie

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    As far as I read on Wizard of odds, one of the better games for the casino and I read another report somewhere else that you don't get a lot of credit as far as casino comps for this game either. You would think they would reward you more for it...

    Just playing the ante and bet is the way to go, but it is not fun! I love routing for the dealer to have my cards, although the 6 card bet is something like 10% in favor of the house.

    I love the game and will play anyways, but probably be on the craps more this upcoming trip.
     
  4. johnnytwofingers

    johnnytwofingers Low-Roller

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  5. burdog

    burdog Low-Roller

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    Three card is the table game I play the most. Yes I know the odds are terrible, but I've only started it on my last 3 trips and on 2 of those I've come out ahead. I only play the $5 min/spot and only at CET properties with the 6 card bonus. It is the 6 card that got me up and the last trip I missed the diamond 6 card royal by the Ace of diamonds. Pretty exciting, also only play at a near full table and fun group. Yes the odds may not be good , but as a lady told my wife on our first trip 12 years ago, "It's gambling and it's ******* Vegas!" LOL
     
  6. KevinSTP

    KevinSTP High-Roller

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    If you think about it in the practical way, the casinos introduced these (relatively) newer games..Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, etc. because a legacy game like blackjack has a very small house edge if played optimally. They have to continue to offer BJ because it's been around forever and is still popular. In their perfect world they would probably love to get rid of BJ and have people migrate to the newer games. They've started shaving away with 6:5 and probably would elsewhere if they find it's possible.

    That said, if you enjoy it then that's the important thing. If you're playing BJ just to win more often but it's not fun, then that's almost the definition of 'work'.
     
  7. Vegas Dave

    Vegas Dave Newbie

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    Agreed, but I usually get up with the 6 card bonus and leave knowing how bad the odds are.
     
  8. johnnytwofingers

    johnnytwofingers Low-Roller

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    Considering how bad the odds are, what would one's estimate dollar loss rate be per hour, let's say at a table of 6 people. If each hand takes say 2 minutes, and you are playing $5 ante, $5 Bonus, how much should one expect to lose per hour on average?
     
  9. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    If you’re assuming two minutes per hand (30 hands per hour) at $5 on the ante and pair plus, then you’re putting $150 an hour on each bet.

    If the house edge for the ante is 3.37%, then $150 X .0337 = $5.06

    If the house edge for the pair plus is 7.28%, then $150 X .0728 = $10.92

    So, in the long run, you would lose around $16 an hour.
     
  10. MangoPort

    MangoPort High-Roller

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    Actually, the odds of winning at 3 card poker are exactly 50%. You either win or you lose.

    But seriously wizardofodds is the way to go.
     
  11. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    quite the opposite in fact. you earn tons of comps for that game because the HA is so high. playing 3 spots at $100 per spot gets you the same theo as playing $2k-2500/hand BJ.
     
  12. LAV

    LAV Tourist

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    I agree with shifter. Games like 3 card poker, crazy 4 poker, etc. get a lot of rewards credit relative to bj.
     
  13. LAV

    LAV Tourist

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    Not sure if I am convinced that the casinos would want to get rid of blackjack. While it does have a lower house advantage than most table games, blackjack and craps make a lot of money for the casinos. In fact, I would argue that blackjack makes the most money of all the table games for the casinos.

    Why? Yes, people do win at blackjack. Guess what most do with that money? Give it right back, and then some. Only reason why your length of play impacts your theo so much.
     
  14. johnnytwofingers

    johnnytwofingers Low-Roller

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    Ah, that seems very reasonable...but as you say, that is in the long run. And the reason it is so easy to lose a big sum of $ in just a few hours is that a large amount of your winning is concentrated in "big payout" hands....so you have to play long enough to hit one of those to even your odds out over the long run, right?

    I don't understand this part....."because the HA is so high": sorry, but what does "HA" stand for?
     
  15. KevinSTP

    KevinSTP High-Roller

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    I meant it more in the sense that in their perfect world the newer, more parlor-like games would take the place of BJ which is more of a grandfathered-in game. You're right though, BJ is a very high traffic game.
     
  16. WrongWayWade

    WrongWayWade VIP Whale

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    "HA" is house advantage which is the same thing as house edge. Don't get confused about 'long run' vs. 'short run. Every time you lay down a bet the edge on the game is what you are playing against, regardless of how short a session you are going to play.

    The thing you are talking about (waiting at 3CP to hit a big hand) is about the volatility of the game, not the edge. Like Video Poker where a lot of the payback is found in a few very unlikely hands, 3CP has a high volatility which makes it likely to end up with lots of losing sessions and a few big winning sessions. Blackjack will tend to have a more even split of sessions as far as winners and losers is concerned, because the paybacks are mostly 1 to 1.
     
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