Win Three Cards

Introduction

Win Three Cards is a card game offered by Asia Gaming, a studio of live dealers for Internet casinos. If forced to compare it to other games, it has elements of both baccarat and Three Card Poker. Read onto the rules for more information.

Rules

The following rules are my best understanding according to some very poorly written rules at Asia Gaming.

1. The game is played with a single deck of cards.
2. Cards are valued as in poker, including an ace being high or low.
3. Three-card hands are scored the same was in in Three Card Poker, however the hand order is different.
4. After betting, three cards will be dealt to both a Dragon and a Phoenix hand.
5. The two main bets are on which side, Dragon or Phoenix, will have the higher ranking hand.
6. There are also side bets on the poker value of the higher of the two hands.
7. The hand order is as follows, from highest to lowest:
   • Unsuited 2-3-5. This is a special hand that is highest only if beating a three of a kind. Otherwise, it is the lowest.
   • Three of a kind
   • Straight flush
   • Flush
   • Straight
   • Pair
   • All other
8. In the event both hands are of equal rank, then the individual cards will be considered, to break the tie.
9. Following are the bets available:
   • Dragon — Pays 0.95 to 1 if the Dragon is the higher hand. Ties push.
   • Phoenix — Pays 0.95 to 1 if the Phoenix is the higher hand. Ties push.
   • Three of a Kind — Pays 120 to 1 if the higher hand is a Three of a Kind.
   • Straight Flush — Pays 100 to 1 if the higher hand is a Straight Flush.
   • Flush — Pays 8 to 1 if the higher hand is a Flush.
   • Straight — Pays 7 to 1 if the higher hand is a Straight.
   • Pair 8 Plus — Pays 2 to 1 if the higher hand is a pair of nines to a three of a kind. Yes, I know it is terribly titled, but the online rules say wins start at a pair of nines, despite the title.

Analysis

The following table shows my analysis of the Dragon and Phoenix bets. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 2.50%.

The following table shows my analysis of all the side bets. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 2.50%. The right column shows the house edge on the side bets range from 9.13% to 56.40% (ouch!).

External Links

• Discussion about Win Three Cards in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.
• Rules at Asia Gaming

Written by: Michael Shackleford