3 card poker - with pair plus and 6 card hand bonus strategy

I have recently started playing 3 card poker at one the Seneca Casinos in the Buffalo, NY area.
My question is on the strategy of how much to put on the pair plus and 6 card bonus above the
ante. I get the basics and after 10hrs or so am down roughly a grand. But I'm still learning. It
seems to me the regulars put like $5 on the 6card bonus, $10 on pair plus, and at least
$25 on the ante. Risking $65/hand if they play. So that way, even if the dealer doesn't play they
still win like $10 if they don't pair.

A guy hit 4 of a kind with $20 on the 6 card bonus and won $800 on top of the pair plus bonus and
basic action that hand. The 6 card bonus pays out on trips or better at Buffalo Creek. There were
some full houses and 5 card straights and flushes caught as well.

Any advice me for me on how much to put on each (ante, pair plus and 6 card bonus) to maximize
the best odds of staying at the table with occasional decent hits. Assuming I want to keep my total
risk to around $50-65/hand and the table min is $10

Thanks for helping...

sounds like you are having a lot of fun, while mentioning a bankroll limitation

all those side bets have a huge house edge

Quote:

... the regulars put like $5 on the 6card bonus, $10 on pair plus, and at least
$25 on the ante. Risking $65/hand if they play. So that way, even if the dealer doesn't play they
still win like $10 ...

this kind of evaluation is missing weighted probability and is not valuable

for longevity only play the basic game. Yeah, I know, not so much fun.

you can check this out for Wizardly evaluation

https://wizardofodds.com/games/three-card-poker/

Essentially each bet you make has a House Edge so, in the long run, you're paying for your enjoyment on each bet. Thus it's just how much you want to pay for the fun.

The problem with some poker based side bets is they include rarer big pay-outs. If you're lucky you get one, otherwise you're just drip feeding money away.

Playing a side bet, in addition to the base game, will tend to shorten your time at the table (as you're making larger bets).


Strangely in the UK playing Pair-Plus only, instead of the base game, will make your money go further. This is because the House Edge, cost of making the initial bets, of the base game (Table 1 (5-4-1): 3.37%) is greater than Pair-Plus (Table 2 (35-33-6-4-1): 2.70%).
refs
https://wizardofodds.com/games/three-card-poker/
https://www.ukcasinotablegames.info/poker.html

I play the game in Biloxi, MS where most casinos allow one to play the pair plus and the 6 card bonus alone w/o having to play the ante and the total game. First, my bankroll goes 3 X farther than playing regular, and second, I am NOT playing against the house. The house's hand is irrelevant. A $10 table allows me to play $10 pair plus and $5 6 card bonus. I am now playing two hands per deal for $15, and I do not care what the dealer has because he/she cannot beat me. Lastly, I never look at my hand or even touch the cards after they are dealt. For me, that is real entertainment and gives me my money's worth. $150 buy-in will last quite awhile with a full table of players. I rarely bust out because when I win a hand even with just a pair, those chips go in my pocket never to see the light of day during that session. When the $150 is gone from the table, I walk and go to the cashier usually with many chips in my pocket.

tuttigym

Thanks. At the casino I go to you have to make a minimum ante bet to play pair plus and 6 card bonus. If I do 15 ante, 10 on pair plus and 5 on 6 card bonus which is allowed, worst case I fold the hand and lose 30. If I play I have 45 in and can win the ante and play even if I don't pair up. I'll practice multiple scenarios and levels next week to see if I last longer...

I have been finding the side bets on pair plus + 6 CARD BONUS for pairs (3-1), straight (1-1), straight flushes (4-1) have been helpful. Especially with the A-K (9-1) suited match. Even just putting 5 or 10 on those seem to keep the tempo good... I feel as a rookie. My question is on when the dealer gets hot and pulls blackjack with a face card (not an Ace) showing and pushes other 21's on the board or they just swipe it. They don't offer even money and I've seen 21 pushed multiple times at Seneca Buffalo Creek. I am just wondering why they do that? As opposed to not letting an opponent 11 even act after closing insurance? Please let me know

Quote: wizardofbuffalo

My question is on when the dealer gets hot and pulls blackjack with a face card (not an Ace) showing and pushes other 21's on the board or they just swipe it. They don't offer even money and I've seen 21 pushed multiple times at Seneca Buffalo Creek. I am just wondering why they do that? As opposed to not letting an opponent 11 even act after closing insurance? Please let me know
link to original post

A dealer natural 21 (blackjack) commonly stops the play of the hand.
Not allowing players to act on their hands when they cannot win means more rounds may be dealt before the shuffle and per hour.
A player natural 21 ties (wagers are pushed); a 3 card hand cannot win; a 2 card 21 after split cannot win; all other player hands lose to the dealer natural 21.


Livingston Dell doesn't explain the hand rankings the same way I understand them.
Natural 21 > after action 21 > 20 ... and I leave the rest of the rankings as an exercise for the reader.

The insurance side bet is commonly offered when the dealer shows an ace (but not a 10). "Even money" is a variant way of offering the insurance side bet. On a 3:2 game, even money works out the same as playing the insurance side bet.

I like 3 Card. PP used to pay 4 for a flush, making it a decent carnival side bet. The 6 card side bet is cool when it pays, but it will chew you up in the long run. I haven’t seen that 21 bet here on the east coast.

I play Ante and PP, and I try to avoid the 6 Card bet. At my local casino there is a button bet that pays a progressive for a mini royal in spades, I’ll put up the buck even though the odds are bad. I play PP because it’s fun, I don’t have any illusions about it. Fun is why I play. Raise Q-6-4 or better, turn you brain off.

3 Card is the game that led me to find Wizard of Odds. I knew that I shouldn’t play all hands, but I didn’t know the break even point.

I’m not AP, but I have found flashing dealers. Pay attention, it isn’t as common as it was but it does happen.