Three card poker, threshold for positive EV

I was looking at various hands in three card poker, using this strategy calculator:
http://www.reviewpokerrooms.com/casino-games/three-card-poker/strategy-calculator.html

It looks like Playing K,Q,T has a negative EV around -0.098 and that
Playing A,4,2 has a positive EV of almost +0.090

I don't have much to say about this but I thought it was interesting that the dividing line just happens
To be the difference between having an A over a K.

The last time I played I followed the Wizard's advice of only playing Q-6-4 or higher and I came out a little bit ahead.
It is hard to fold those hands between J-T and Q-5 , and my buddy would stay in on almost everything.
He wasn't dissuaded by the fact that playing blind has a 7.65% HE!

I don't usually like 3CP because of the high HE and the fact that most players feel the need to tell me I should
Be betting on the pair plus (which has a 7.28% HE at the casino where I was playing).
One guy told me if I didn't play the pair plus I 'might as well play blackjack'.
I had to laugh at that one! I had just netted $600 at BJ. And watched as this guy burned through his buy-in
Playing pair plus on every hand. I did play the pair plus a few times and hit it for a straight twice (6 to 1), but overall I feel like
It's a sucker bet, it loses on almost 75% of hands dealt.

Does anyone else have an opinion on this? I sort of like the game as a break from my other preferred games,
But I have a real dilemma about the pair plus bet. I would hate to hit a three of a kind and not get paid the bonus because I
Wasnt in on the pair plus that round. And yet I hate making any bet above 3.5% HE...

I usually avoid the sucker bets at 3CP and BJ, specifically the 21+3 poker side bet.

I've come up with an interesting way to turn those into +EV bets. I try to find a busy 21+3 table where pretty much everyone there is playing the side bet. More often than not, I'll hit a few poker hands and the dealer always makes a point to tell me how stupid I was for not playing the poker hand. After a few of these made hands that didn't pay off, one of the other players will inevitably want to jump on my poker hand, so every time I hit the 3 card poker hand I give them their pay out, and they'll toss me back a red chip. So I've got no risk at all and get paid out when I hit a hand. I've never thought much about it, but I'd be curious to know what kind of edge that gives me for the BJ game. Anyone have any idea?

But, as for the OP, I know the payout is different at 3CP, but I'm sure you could do something like that. Plus it makes playing with strangers more fun.

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

You certainly get +EV by allowing other players to bet on your side bets if the casino allows it. When I play 3cp and someone wants to bet on my pair plus, I tell them I get 20% of the win on a flush or better. Never been turned down.

I have done this with my friend several times and it is allowed as long as I place the bet. I don't really see how the casino could disallow this if a player was determined to do it.
Even if they tried to forbid it, it would be easy to circumvent through private arrangement and settlement. My guess is that they don't disallow it because in the long run
The pair plus is a loser for the average player.

If you want to really look at it, every bet is a loser for the player, depending on what really happens.
Players leave ahead on bad bets, counters lose on bad beats on a +10 count, anything can happen.
Make the best bets, play the games and the bets you want, and gamble as you see fit to play.

I hate other players telling me how to play, not playing the pair plus ("but you'll miss out if you get a straight flush!"), or even when playing the pair plus ("don't you KNOW the house edge is 7.685475353% !") etc.

My opinion:
1. Play the games and the bets you want in peace.
2. I use Q-6-4 as the fold point strategy.
3. I now play the pair plus, because it's fun to play, and I play for fun, for recreation, not for income. If I win, great, if I had a good time, great.

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Dan,

As a dealer, What is your perspective on someone else buying a side bet off another player? Do you/your house have any rules for/against that, or is it just viewed as between the players?

P.S Although I don't often agree, I really enjoy reading your perspectives as an insider. Great Info!

Re OP: This is an interesting thought.

Whats the House Edge presuming the Table 1 (3.373%) from the Odds site if one raises Ace or better, and folds all others?
I presume its worse, but how bad?

Edit for a 2nd ?... I'm not sure about the average bet basic game Ante, Raise and Bonus. Didn't see it as such at WoO.

Thanks in advance.

Having been a dealer for years I can think of a few reasons casinos may want to discourage playing on other people's bets. The first is that it makes many people uncomfortable though they usually don't say anything out of fear of looking like a jerk. The second is that it causes disputes; hands reaching around grabbing chips near another person's payout often doesn't end well. Third, in games with a taxable jackpot (non-progressive 3CP isn't one of these) there can be big problems if there's multiple player stacking their cheques on a single spot. Not only do you have to deal with the chance of one bettor claiming to have bet a large portion of the bet than he did, but the casino has to deal with either processing multiple jackpots on a single hand or telling the players how to divvy up the taxes.

A small side issue is that other players' betting spots could be used to get around the table max. This could be used to maximize advantage on some sort of AP play or cheat. While that would be extremely unlikely on a game like 3CP, imagine if a player had used his cut to steer to a king to near the front of the deck on a BJ game with a Royal Match sidebet. Again, I mention this separately because it's a small issue and one I imagine not many casinos factor in to their decision to allow these sorts of bets.