It seems strange to think that 3 Card Brag is older than some of the more popular casino games, but it has been around in Great Britain in one form or another since the 16th Century and it is a direct descendent of another called game, which was popular during Elizabethan times called Primero. Both games have direct links to the more modern game of poker.
Despite its long history, it seems strange to think that the modern 3 Card Brag is one of the poorer relations when it comes to card games online. While games like Texas Hold’em Poker and Blackjack enjoy immense amounts of support and are enjoyed by millions, 3 Card Brag, like Baccarat, seems to be a more refined and less well-trodden path when it comes to casino card games.
That’s a pity because at its heart, Three Card Brag is a very simple game to play, it is quick, great fun, easy to understand but has a nice mix of luck and skill, but not so much that you need to play for months or even years to master the game. The popular casino site bet365 Games offers a fine version of 3 Card Brag and we are going to learn about how to play it.
Sign up with bet365 Game to enjoy 3 Card Brag by clicking on this link!
Let’s now learn more about this particular version of 3 Card Brag and how simple the game is to play.
Bet365 Games 3 Card Brag – Rules
3 Card Brag is a betting game where the aim of the game is for the player’s hand to beat the dealer’s hand and in doing so, win the bets that they have placed on the game. In this version of the game, there are three different types of bets a player can make.
- Ante Bet – This is a bet on the outcome of the hand and it is made before the hand is dealt. It essentially starts the hand of 3 Card Brag.
- Bonus Bet – In addition to, or in place of, the Ante Bet, a player can also choose to place a Bonus Bet on the hand they are dealt. More details about this bet will be explained later.
- Play Bet – If after the cards have been dealt, the player elects to play their hand, then they need to make a Play Bet, which is the same value as the Ante Bet.
The minimum Ante Bet or Bonus Bet you can make to start the deal in this version of 3 Card Brag is ÂŁ1.00. The largest of each bet type you can make is ÂŁ100 per hand.
Bonus Betting
While the Ante Bet and Play Bets are decided upon the outcome of the hand, the Bonus Bet is a different kind of bet which is based on the strength of the hand the player receives when they are dealt their three cards.
A Bonus Bet pays out if a player is dealt a hand of a pair or better. The odds you receive for this bet are dependent on the strength of hand you receive, and they are listed in order below:
- Pair – Even Money
- Flush – 4/1
- Run – 6/1
- Running Flush – 30/1
- Prial (three of a kind) – 40/1
Your bonus bet will pay out if two conditions are met. Firstly, you have a hand ranked at a pair or above and secondly, you have to make a Play bet and play the hand to completion. If you fold a hand after the deal, then regardless of what was held in your hand, your Bonus bet will be a loser too.
How the game of 3 Card Brag progresses
There are just three phases to a typical game of 3 Card Brag Online.
- Initial Betting Phase – this is when you place your Ante Bet and/or your Bonus Bet. After which the cards are dealt.
- Secondary Betting Phase – After you have received your three cards face up, and the dealer their three cards face down, you then enter the secondary betting phase. You have just two options here, either to Play (by adding a bet equal to the Ante bet into the pot) or to Fold (which means you lose all your money staked in the initial betting phase and the game ends).
- Dealer Card Revealed and Resolution of the Hand – If you play, then the dealers three cards are turned over and revealed. Who wins the hand is then decided and any bets that are winners are paid out to the player. The hand is then completed and a new hand begins once again with the initial betting phase.
How is the winner decided?
Like most card games, 3 Card Brag has a simple ranking system that decides which are the highest-ranked hands in the game and which decide the outcome of whether the player wins the bets that they have made. The hands are ranked as follows (from highest to lowest):
- Three Threes – Any trio of three’s in a hand is the highest rated hand in 3 Card Brag.
- Three of a Kind – The other three of a kind hands from the Ace down to the Two are rated in the standard order behind the three threes. A hand of three of a kind is also called a Prial.
- Running Flush – A hand of consecutively numbered cards which are all the same suit, such as the 5, 6 and 7 of diamonds.
- Run – A hand of consecutively numbered cards of two or more different suits, such as the ten of diamonds, jack of hearts and queen of clubs.
- Flush – Three cards of any value but all of the same suit (such as the 7, 9 and Jack of clubs)
- Pair – A hand comprising of two cards of the same value, plus one other card (such as the two of hearts, five of diamonds and five of spades).
- High Card – A hand comprising of three different value cards where the value of the highest card in the hand is used.
Should both players end up with the same type of hand, then the highest value cards in each hand will decide the winner, so for example, if the player was dealt a hand of two tens and a five of clubs and the dealer two eights and a queen, then the player’s pair is a higher value, so the player would win the hand.
The key 3 Card Brag Strategy – Whether to Play or not
The main decision in 3 Card Brag for a player, is whether or not to “Play” their hand or not. Unlike other games like Poker or Blackjack, this is a relatively simple decision and it depends on just three factors really as you cannot see any of the dealer’s cards before you make your decision.
- How much you have bet
- The value of the cards in your hand and
- Whether you have made a Pair Bonus bet or not
In truth, unless you have a low-value High Card hand, players will tend to play their 3 Card Brag hand. Players should always play a hand with a pair or better in, especially if they have played a Pair Bonus bet as if they fold their hand, they will be throwing money away.
Completing the Hand – How are the bets paid out?
Once a player has decided to place a “Play” Bet, then the hand will be played to completion and this is where the rule regarding the dealer’s hand qualifying kicks in. In order for all the players’ bets to potentially be paid if they are a winner, the dealer’s hand must be ranked at a Queen High or better.
If this is not the case, then the player receives back their play bet, and receives an even money return on their Ante Bet, which means that they make a 50% profit on their total bets for that hand (on Ante and Play bets only).
Pair Bonus bets are calculated solely on the player’s hand and do not require the dealer’s hand to qualify to be paid out or not.
If the dealer’s hand does qualify, then if the player’s hand still is the strongest, then they will win even money returns on both their Ante and Play bets. Giving them a 100% profit on the hand.
However, there are special bonus prizes, called Ante Bonuses which can be paid to players if they achieve a high-value hand. Land a Run and you win a bonus of the same value as your bet, land a Running Flush, and that increases to a bonus of 4x your Ante bet and if you manage to hit three of a kind, then the bonus is 5x your Ante bet. These bonuses are paid in addition to your standard wins and you do not need to place specialist bonus bets to qualify for these bonus payouts.
3 Card Brag is a very simple, fast-paced and enjoyable card game that is very easy to pick up and which, if you are lucky enough, can prove to be very profitable at times!
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