Introduction

Brag is a popular British gambling game. It is sometimes said to be similar to poker, but in fact it is much older and the method of betting is different. The basic game of was one of the games described by Hoyle, and therefore dates from the late eighteenth century or earlier. It is almost identical to the popular Indian game Teen Patti ("three cards").

On this page, Three Card Brag and its Four-card and Five-card variations will be described. There are other games known as 6-card, 7-card, 9-card and 13-card Brag; but they have a very different mechanism and will are covered on a separate page .

This page has been put together from a variety of sources, and I am grateful to those who have contributed, including: Jon Garibaldi, Thomas Olsson, Dave Phillips, Jamie Prestidge, Chris Roberts, Phill Rogers, Brian Rollo, Justin Thurkettle, Mike Tobias.

Three Card Brag

Players, cards and preparation

A standard 52 card pack without jokers is used. The cards in each suit rank in the usual order from high to low: A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 . The number of players can vary, but it is probably best for about 4 to 8 people.

Three Card Brag is a gambling game. Before starting it is essential that the players agree on the stake and have a common understanding of the rules. It is necessary to agree:

• the initial stake or ante - which is the amount (if any) that everyone must put into the pot before each deal;
• the minimum and maximum initial bet - the amount that the first player bets in order to stay in the hand;
• the limit (if any) on the amount by which the bet can be increased by each subsequent player;
• any variations to the basic rules, such as use of wild cards.

Ranking of hands

The order of the possible three-card Brag hands, from highest to lowest, is as follows.

Combination	Examples	Explanation
Prial	3-3-3 A-A-A . . . 2-2-2	"Prial" - short for "pair royal" - is the name in Brag for a set of three cards of equal rank. The best is threes, and the other prials follow in the rank order of the cards: A-A-A , K-K-K , Q-Q-Q , etc. down to 5-5-5 , 4-4-4 , 2-2-2 , three twos being the lowest prial.
Running flush	3-2-A A-K-Q . . . 4-3-2	A running flush is a set of three consecutive cards of the same suit. A run is a set of three consecutive cards of mixed suits. Although the ace is high, A-2-3 counts as a valid run - or a valid running flush if all the cards are the same suit. In fact A-2-3 is the highest run or running flush, A-K-Q of a suit is the second highest, then K-Q-J , and so on down to 4-3-2 , which is the lowest. 2-A-K is not a valid run or running flush. Any running flush beats any run with mixed suits - so for example 4-3-2 beats 3-2-A or A-K-Q .
Run	3-2-A A-K-Q . . . 4-3-2
Flush	A-K-J . . . 5-3-2	A flush consists of three cards of the same suit - not all consecutive, or it would be a running flush. When comparing flushes, the highest card is compared first, then if these are equal the middle card, and finally if necessary the lowest. Therefore K-9-2 beats Q-10-5 , which beats Q-10-3 , which beats Q-9-8 .
Pair	A-A-K . . . 2-2-3	A pair consists of two cards of equal rank. The third card is of a different rank, otherwise you would have a prial. When comparing pairs, the rank of the pair is compared first (aces are highest), and if two players have the same pair the odd card determines which and is higher. So for example 9-9-3 beats 8-8-K , which beats 8-8-J .
High card	A-K-J . . . 5-3-2	Three cards that do not form any of the above combinations. As with flushes, these rank according to the highest card; if the highest cards of two hands are equal the second highest cards are compared, and if these are equal too then the third highest. So J-6-3 beats 10-9-7 , which beats 10-9-6 .

There is no order of suits , so it is possible for two hands to be equal in rank - for example 7-7-Q is equal to 7-7-Q . In a contest between two equal hands the calling player (the player who paid to see the other hand) loses ().

Poker players should take care to note that the "run" and "flush" in Brag rank in the opposite order to Poker.

Ante and deal

Before each deal, each player must place the agreed initial stake (ante) in the pot. Deal and play are clockwise, and the turn to deal passes to the left after each hand.

If it is the first deal of the session, the dealer shuffles. For subsequent deals, the cards are only shuffled if the previous hand was "seen" and won by a prial. Apart from that, the cards not normally shuffled between hands. The cards from the previous hand are just added to the bottom of the pack and the dealer deals the new hands from the top, without shuffling.

The dealer deals out the cards one at a time, face down to the players, until everyone has three cards. Players may look at their own cards, or may choose not to, if they wish to play "blind" - . Cards must at never be shown to any player other than the person to whom they were dealt, unless the betting ends with a "see". In that case the cards of the two players involved (but none of the others) are exposed for everyone to see.

Note: the practice of not shuffling makes it possible in some circumstances to know what cards are in play when the same cards come around again. Here is a page on card counting which illustrates a way to cheat when there are 3 or 6 players by arranging the cards when gathering up the previous hands before dealing.

The betting

When the cards have been dealt, the betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer. This person can "fold" (throw in their cards and take no further part in the hand) or can bet any amount from the agreed minimum to the agreed maximum. If all the players except one fold, the last remaining player takes all the money in the pot, and the next hand is dealt.

If any player bets, every player after that must either fold or bet at least as much as the previous player who bet. A player may bet more than the previous player, but there may be an agreed limit to the amount by which the bet can be increased. The betting continues around the table as many times as necessary.

When there are only two players left in the game, all the others having folded, a third option becomes available. Either player can see the other. Seeing costs twice as much as the previous player"s bet. When you pay to see another player, they expose their three cards first. If your cards are better than your opponent"s, you expose your hand to prove this and win the pot. If your cards are equal to your opponent"s or worse, your opponent wins the pot - you do not have to show your cards in this case. Note that if the hands are equal, the player who paid to see loses.

Poker players should notice that there is no concept of equalising the bets. At each turn, to stay in you have to put into the pot at least as much new money as the previous player put in. Here are some examples from a four player game:

1. Player A bets 2 chips, B folds, C bets 2 chips and D bets 2 chips. In order to stay in, A would have to bet another 2 chips .
2. Player A bets 2 chips, B folds, C bets 4 chips and D folds. Player A can now see player C by paying 8 chips (twice C "s bet) or pay at least 4 chips to stay in, or fold, allowing C to win the pot. If A pays 4 to stay in, C now has the same options: put 8 in the pot to see A , to bet at least 4 and allow A another turn to bet, or to fold and allow A to win.

Betting continues until either

• all players but one have dropped out (folded) (in which case the remaining player obviously wins, but does not show their cards), or
• two players are left and one player pays double to see the other .

As each player folds, that player"s cards are added to the bottom of the pack ready for the next deal. At the end of the betting the cards of the last player left in, or the cards of the two players involved in the see, are added to the pack in the same way.

Please note the following basic rules of etiquette:

1. Do not show your cards - to anybody
2. Do not say anything about your hand
3. Never (ever) fold out of turn

Breaking any of the above three rules will get you thrown out of any Brag game.

Here is an example of betting between five players:

Round	Andy	Bill	Chris	Dan	Eddie
1	1	1	1	fold	2
2	2	2	2	-	2
3	2	2	2	-	2
4	2	fold	2	-	5
5	5	-	5	-	5
6	5	-	5	-	5
7	5	-	fold	-	10
8	10	-	-	-	10
9	10	-	-	-	10
10	20 (to see)

1. Andy bets 1 (one) first round, Bill and Chris match 1, Eddie raises to 2. Andy (A) now must bet 2 to stay in, regardless of the fact that he has already put 1 (one) in. Similar for B and C.
2. The betting can remain at 2 (e.g. rounds 1-4) indefinitely. If everyone is staying in, eventually someone (e.g. E) must force the pace.
3. In rounds 5 and 6 A, C and E are all in. No-one can see, and all must remain. In situations like this, it is simply a matter of nerve. Someone must fold for the betting to end - and eventually C does.
4. When there are only two remaining (A and E, rounds 8-10), then either can decide to pay double to "see". When A bets 20 to "see" on round 10, he must say "See you" (or equivalent). It is perfectly acceptable to double the betting without "seeing", in which case the game continues as normal.

A common (but not necessary) house limit on raising is to agree that no-one can raise the pot by more than its current contents. So, for a five player game, the maximum initial stake would be 5 times the ante.

Running out of money

Brag is seldom played with what Poker players know as table stakes (where players keep the money they are playing with on the table for everyone to see and cannot introduce extra money into the game except between hands and with the agreement of all the players). Brag players often keep their money in their pockets until needed. It is usual to insist that each player wishing to take part in a game should placed at least a certain minimum amount of money on the table - say £10. After that, players are free to introduce more money to the game at any time.

Some play that if you do not have enough money left to bet, but want to stay in, you place all your remaining money in the pot, and put your cards face down on top of it. This is called covering the pot . If there are two or more other players, they continue betting as before, but putting the money into a new pot. After this new pot is settled, the winner"s hand is exposed, and the hand of the player who ran out of money is compared with it. The old pot is won by the higher hand, or by the winner of the new pot in case of a tie.

The method of covering the pot can also be used when there are only two players left in the game. If one of the players runs out of money, the betting ends when one player puts the last of his money in the pot - the other player does not have to put in any more money but exposes his cards, and wins the pot unless the player who ran out of money can show a better hand.

Although covering the pot might seem to work unfairly in favour of the player who runs out of money, thus getting to see the opponent"s hand cheaply, it does avoid some undesirable situations.

However, according to the information I have received from Brag players, it is quite usual to play the harsher rule that a player who does not have enough money to bet the full amount required must either fold or borrow money from another player or a bystander to make up the bet. For this purpose, the player is allowed to show his cards to a player who has already dropped out, who might be prepared to back him financially. Sometimes there is an agreement that whoever in the game has most money will lend some to the player who is short to allow that player to continue to bet.

Some people play that when only two players are in the game, and one of them runs out of money, the player who still has money has the choice of either

• lending some money to the other player to allow betting to continue, or
• showing his cards, in which case he wins the pot unless the other player can show a better hand.

It is clear that betting with borrowing could potentially lead to some difficult situations, in which a player must either fold a good hand or borrow money he may not be in a position to repay. When is allowed, there is even more scope for this kind of problem, since a blind player can carry on betting indefinitely against an open player, and the open player cannot see the blind player.

Sometimes, in a situation where three (or more) players are betting against each other and none of them is prepared to fold, if they all feel that the pot is getting too big, they may agree to a showdown in which all cards are exposed and the highest hand wins.

When just two players remain, one or both of whom are playing blind, the possibilities for one player to "see" the other - i.e. pay for the hands to be exposed and compared - are as follows.

1. You are playing open and your opponent is blind. The rule is that "you cannot see a blind man". Therefore your only options are to continue betting or to fold.
2. Both players are blind. By putting in twice the blind stake (i.e. the amount that would be paid by an open player) you can cause the hands to be compared. Usually the players turn their cards face up one at a time, alternately, beginning with the opponent of the player who paid for the show. In case of equality, as usual, the player who paid for the show loses.
3. You are playing blind but your opponent is playing open. Your opponent cannot see you (by the above rule), but you can see your opponent if you wish by putting in twice the blind stake (i.e. the same amount that your open opponent just bet). As usual in a showdown, the opponent"s cards are exposed first and then you show your cards if they are better.

A betting example:

Round	Andy	Bill	Chris	Dan	Eddie
1	1	1 (blind)	2	1 (blind)	2
2	2	1 (blind)	2	1 (blind)	2
3	2	1 (blind)	2	1 (blind)	2
4	2	1 (blind)	4	2 (blind)	fold
5	4	5 (blind)	10	fold	-
6	fold	5 (blind)	10	-	-
7	-	5 (blind)	10	-	-
8	-	10 (to see)

1. B must pay double the blind stake to "see" C"s hand. C is not allowed to see B in round 6 or 7, even though only two players are left.
2. Note how after 4 rounds B has only spent 4 chips compared to C who has spent 10. This type of inequity often happens when playing with blind hands, and is part of the whole essence of the procedure.
3. Looking at a "blind" hand out of turn is another Brag "faux-pas" which will get other Brag players (very) annoyed. The reason is that (for example) during round 4, when C raises to 4, if B now looks at his cards it has immediately changed the basis of A"s decision as to whether to stay in or fold on his turn. He would then have only one "blind" opponent (as D stays "blind"), instead of potentially two "blind" opponents (D and possibly B).

Retaining a blind hand

If you end up with a blind hand when all other players have dropped out, you may retain the blind hand on the table. The next hand is then dealt, so that you now have two sets of cards in front of you. You may either:

1. look at the new hand
2. look at the old hand
3. look at neither

If you look at one of the hands, you must immediately decide whether to keep it or fold it. If you keep it, you must fold the other (without looking at it). You are then non-blind and play the looked-at hand normally. If you decide to fold the hand you looked at, then you have just one blind hand to play by the usual rules; you can look at it now or later if you wish.

If you look at neither hand, you can play both hands "blind" until (at some point) you choose to look at one of them, in which case you follow the same procedure above.

In the unlikely event that you win the pot again, without having looked at either "blind" hand, you may choose to retain either (but only one), sight unseen, before the next deal. You cannot have three "blind" hands at once.

Note that at no stage when playing two hands "blind" can you look at both and choose the better one - you must look at just one and choose to keep it or fold it, before looking at the other.

Variation Some groups treat retained blind hands differently. The player who won blind is dealt a second hand face up , while everyone else is dealt a hand face down as usual. The other players must look at their hands and anyone who cannot beat the face up hand must fold. If all have folded, the player with the retained blind hand collects the antes, keeps the blind hand, and the next player deals. If a player or players stay in, then the face up hand is discarded and the the retained blind hand plays against the others in the usual way, with the normal betting rules and procedure for looking at the blind hand. If the player with the blind hand wins again by everyone folding, he will again be dealt a face up hand alongside the retained blind hand. This continues until the blind player has looked at his blind hand, after which the play reverts to normal.

The odds

Jon Garibaldi has provided the following analysis.

As there are so few total different hands, it is not difficult to calculate the prior probabilities.

There are a total of 22,100 different card combinations (52 * 51 * 50 / 3!). The number of ways to make each hand, and approx odds, are as follows:

Hand	Combinations	Probability	Odds
Prial Threes	4	1/5525	5524 to 1
Other Prial	48	1/460	459 to 1
Running Flush	48	1/460	459 to 1
Run	720	1/31	30 to 1
Flush	1 096	1/20	19 to 1
Pair	3 744	1/6	5 to 1
High Card	16 440	3/4	3 to 1 on
(total combinations)	22 100

Obviously, these odds are affected by previous cards, if the deck isn"t shuffled.

Advice on play

John Garibaldi has contributed the following advice.

1. Study the odds carefully and remember them.
2. Play by the odds.
3. Don"t stick rigidly to playing by the odds!! You will lose very quickly, and never win a big pot if you never bluff.
4. Playing "blind" well is very difficult and takes years of practice. If you play it too often, and non-expertly you will lose.
5. Don"t bet too big, especially if you are used to Poker betting. As the Brag betting can continue indefinitely, on the same amount (and indeed must, until there are only two players) the pot can get very large even when each single bet seems low.

Four Card Brag

This is the same game as Three Card Brag, except that four cards are dealt to each player. Players who look at their hands discard one card before the betting begins to form the best three card hand they can make. In case of a tie between two hands, the discarded card is used to decide which is better. If the discarded cards were also equal in rank then the player who was seen wins the tie.

If betting blind is allowed, a blind player will keep all four cards face down on the table. If you have been playing blind and decide to look at your cards, you discard one after looking at them.

Five Card Brag

This is similar to Four Card Brag, but five cards are dealt to each player, and everyone discards two cards to make their best three card brag hand.

Wild Cards

Brag is sometimes played with wild cards , also known as floaters . The cards that are considered wild (if any) vary from group to group, so if you wish to play with wild cards it is important to agree the details before playing. Some possibilities are:

A wild card can be used to represent any card in the pack, but if two hands are otherwise equal, a hand without wild cards will beat a hand containing one or more wild cards, and a hand with fewer wild cards will beat a hand with more of them. For example, if W

Some play that after the deal, the remainder of the pack is placed face up on the table, so that just one card (which was the bottom card during the deal) can be seen. Folded hands are then placed face up on top of the pack, again with just one card showing.

Phill Rogers reports a version where when the deal has passed a full circle (i.e. one more deal than the number of players) then the next dealer gets to choose the game. A change in variation (what cards are wild; whether blind betting is allowed; whether three four or five cards are dealt) can be dictated by the dealer; changing to a different card game, such as from Brag to Indian Poker, would have to be agreed by majority of players.

Many books, especially in the late nineteenth and throughout the twentieth century, describe an entirely fictitious form of Brag with poker-like betting and three wild cards or "braggers"(A , J and 9 ). There is no evidence that Brag has ever been played that way, and it seems that this version derives from a misreading of some of the early printed descriptions. This is discussed further in Jeffrey Burton in The Playing-Card Vol XXIV No 3 (Nov-Dec 1995) and 4 (Jan-Feb 1996).

Other sites, software and online games

Draw Brag with Poker Betting

To reduce the possibility of collusion in an online game, GameAccount has introduced a variation which they call "3 Card Brag Poker", which has poker-like betting and a draw. Before the deal the two players to the left of the dealer place compulsory bets, called the small and big "blinds". After the deal there is a poker-like betting round with fixed bets and raises equal to twice the big blind and a limit of three raises if there are more than two players in the pot. Then each player can discard from zero to three cards and is dealt replacement cards, after which there is a second betting round in which the bets and raises are twice as big, but again limited to three raises so long as there are more than two active players. Players do not have to look at the cards they are dealt, and so long as the play without seeing their cards they may call for half price.

Risk category C, sight risk

This game is similar to poker, but the hands are ranked slightly differently (see below).

To my mind it should be possible to play this game risk free if there is a refund providing that you are allowed to cover the pot when you are out of funds. Make sure that any bonus you get is not a sticky bonus as this would also result in it not being risk free.

I have added the Game Account rules from Boylesports at the bottom of this post.

3 Card Brag Hand Ranks

The hand rankings in 3 card brag are straight forward but as a lot of people now play poker and texas holdem in particular It’s important to know what beats what, there are a few differences between brag and poker so check out the hand rankings below.

High Card – High card is just a high card, Ace high being the highest down to the lowest possible 3 card brag hand 2-3-5. All 3 cards play so if player 1 has: A-K-8 and player 2 has: A-K-7 player 1 would win as the 8 players above the 7.

One Pair – All 3 cards play again here and aces are the highest pair down to 2’s, if both players have identical hands who ever call loses. Odds of having a pair are: 5 to 1

Flush – A flush is all 3 cards of the same suit, the higher the cards the higher the flush and again all 3 cards play, no suits are higher than any other, if 2 players have the same hand the caller loses. Odds of being dealt a flush are: 19 to 1

A Run – A run is a straight such as 7-8-9 and unlike in poker a run beats a flush in 3 card brag, a strange thing is that Ace-2-3 is the highest ruin followed by A-K-Q then K-Q-J and then in order down to the lowest being 2-3-4. The odds of being dealt a run are: 30 to 1

A Running Flush – This is a combination of a run and a flush so 2-3-4 all the same suit makes a running flush, the highest again is Ace-2-3 followed by A-K-Q, these hands are very rare and almost unbeatable, a great hand to win a big pot, a running flush can also be called a bouncer as in ace two three on the bounce. Odds of being dealt are: 459 to 1

A Prial – The very best hand in 3 card brag and the only time the cards are shuffled is when a prial comes out, a prial is 3 cards of the same value 3-3-3 being the highest followed by A-A-A, K-K-K down to 2-2-2. You will see a few in your time playing but that many.

Strangely the odds of being dealt a prial are also: 459 to 1

Odds of being dealt 3-3-3 are 5524 to 1

The rules appear to depend a little on where you are playing:

3 Card Brag Rules

At the start of any game the cards are shuffled and each player is dealt one card face up, the highest card is the dealer for the 1st round. The deal moves clockwise round the table after each hand. The cards are never shuffled again unless a player shows 3 of a kind also known as a prial!

Each player pay’s an ante which is usually a set amount agreed before you begin, the dealer deals each player at the table 3 cards face down one at a time clockwise (to his left).

3 Card Brag Betting.

The action always goes clockwise so the player to the dealers left is the first to act. At this point players have 2 options, they can look at the cards dealt and play “open” or choose not to look and play “blind” playing blind means all players who have seen their cards have to pay double the amount of a “blind” player. This adds loads of action and can bring greater rewards.

The action goes round the table and keeps on going as players decide to look or “open up” and then fold, when only two players are left they have the option to continue betting or “call” the other player. A lot of card schools say to call you have to pay double the bet at that point, this is something you need to check before you start.

When a player has called the highest hand wins, if the two players have the same hand the calling player loses, no suits are higher than any other in brag.

Calling and Raising in 3 Card Brag.

Again most card schools have their own rules so make sure you get these straight. A lot play there is a maximum bet but this is usually thrown out of the window as the game goes on and the pints go down, every game of brag i have ever been involved in starts nice and low usually at £1 and £2 bets, after a while it’s £10 £20 £50 and more. Set limits if you need too and stick to them.

In 3 card brag the rules about calling are another tricky point, we play as many do that you can NOT call a blind man “unseen cards” it’s important to remember that you can only call when there are 2 players left and no more. When there are 2 left and only 1 player is playing blind you can call him/her after 3 bets. If both are playing blind you can call anytime, the same goes if both players have seen their cards.

Covering The Pot.

In 3 card brag a lot of money goes nowhere and players often run out, in these situations in friendly card schools you can “cover the pot” when it gets to your turn you put the remaining money you have in the pot and place your cards on top. The other players can continues in a side pot which you can nit win. When the hand is over you show your cards, if you have the highest hand you take the cash from the pot you had covered.

DO NOT cover the pot, lose and then pull some more money from your pocket, being broke means being broke in this game!

The choice to cover the pot is one of the most important things you need to get straight when starting a game, a lot play if you have no money left you lose. A lot of lending goes on in 3 card brag from others around and from the other players, it’s a gentleman’s, game but old school gentlemen. They will lend you money to keep playing but you had better pay it back!

After the hand he winner grabs the cash and the cards are passed to the next player (clockwise) who deals again, the cards from the previous hand are placed on the bottom of the pack, remember the cards are NEVER shuffled unless a prial is shown.

Game Instructions – Boylesports

Three cards are dealt to each player. There are two betting rounds, with fixed limits, one before the draw and one after the draw. The best hand wins the pot.

Hand Rankings

The hands are ranked similarly to that in poker but with some key differences. The best and worst combinations are listed below:

RankingBest Hand2nd Best3rd BestWorstPrial (3 of a Kind)3,3,3A,A,AK,K,K2,2,2Running Flush (1)A,2,3A,K,QK,Q,J4,3,2Run (2)A,2,3A,K,QK,Q,J4,3,2FlushA,K,JA,K,10A,K,95,3,2P airA,AK,KQ,Q2,2High CardAKQ5(1) Cards must be of the same suit.

(2) Cards can be of any suit.

A pair of 3’s has no extra value.

Suits are all the same value.

A run beats a flush

K, A, 2 is not a run.

Sitting Down and Adding Funds

There are 6 seats to choose from. You can bring between 10x and 250x the big blinds to the table when playing Fixed-Limit and between 10x and 100x when playing No-Limit.

Betting and limits

Example from a Regular £1.00-£2.00 table Fixed-Limit Table:

Small blind = half size of big blind, left of the dealer (£1.00)

Big blind = double the size of small blind, two to the left of the dealer (£2.00)

NOTE – When two players are playing heads up, the dealer becomes the small blind and the other player the big blind.

The Deal

3 cards face down to each player

First betting round

Fixed limit betting with each bet half the table stake size (size of the big blind). Example from a Regular table, stake £2.00. There is a maximum of 3 raises in this betting round unless two players are playing heads up. If a player has not viewed their cards yet and is playing blind they pay half of the bet.

The draw

Players may exchange 0, 1, 2, or all 3 cards. This happens in turn starting from the left of the dealer.

Final betting round

The fixed bet size is now the table stakes and is double the previous round i.e. 2x the big blind. The action starts from the left of the dealer. There is a maximum of 3 raises in this betting round unless two players are playing heads up. Once betting has finished players reveal their cards and the best hand wins.

The Blind rule explained

Players who have not yet looked at their hole cards may call bets for half price. Blind players cannot raise the pot, only call or fold. Blind players may look at their cards at any time; thereafter they are treated as normal players. Blind players may draw blind if they wish (although there is little point!). All players start every round blind by default.

Miscellaneous rules

NOTE – In the event of a draw (two or more players have the same hole cards) then the money in the pot for that hand is shared.

All cards are shuffled after each round.

Начнем с того, брэг является старинной игрой, с которой, как полагают многие исследователи, начался покер в его многочисленных вариациях. Здесь используется классическая колода из пятидесяти двух карт без джокеров, которая всегда перемешивается перед началом каждой сдачи.
Цель игры - получить выплату по одной или двум ставкам. Чтобы выиграть по основной ставке, нужно перебить руку крупье. Выигрыш по ставке Pair Bonus, которая является опциональной, начисляется при получении клиентом одной из предусмотренных правилами комбинаций (о них чуть ниже, в соответствующем разделе статьи).
Ставить можно лишь на одну руку. Основная ставка может быть от 0.05 до 3000 кредитов (на примере Europa).
Далее предлагаем рассмотреть ключевые этапы игрового процесса, что позволит вам разобраться во всех нюансах.
Уровень теоретического возврата 3 Card Brag по ставке Ante равен 98% (если действовать по оптимальной стратегии).
Ход игры
Сначала нужно выбрать размер ставки и нажать кнопку начала раунда. После этого виртуальный крупье сдаст вам и себе по три карты. Вы увидите лишь свою комбинацию, потому что карты дилера будут лежать рубашкой вверх.
Вы должны оценить силу своей руки и либо сделать пас, потеряв ставку анте, либо продолжить участие в розыгрыше, сделав дополнительную ставку Play на соответствующее поле. Она равна двум Ante.
Во втором случае дилер открывает свои карты и проверяет в них наличие минимальной игры. Таковой является одна дама. Если игры нет, он оплачивает анте 1:1, а вторую ставку просто возвращает.
Если же у дилера есть минимальная комбинация, он сравнивает ее с вашими картами. При старшей руке у крупье вы проигрываете обе ставки. При вашей победе Ante оплачивается 1:1, а бет - по коэффициенту, зависящему от комбинации. Далее они перечисляются в порядке возрастания достоинства:

• Стрейт и младше - 1:1
• Стрейт-флеш - 4:1
• Трис - 5:1

Туз, двойка и тройка считаются наивысшим стрейтом или стрейт-флешем. А самой старшей комбинацией являются три карты одного номинала. При этом самым сильным являет вариант 3-3-3.

Трех Карточный Покер (Three Card Poker) - очень быстрый и интересный вид покера, который требует минимум стратегии чтобы выигрывать. Игрок в 3-х карточный покер играет против дилера. Высокий процент выплат (казино забирает всего 1,5%) делает 3-х карточный покер очень привлекательным для любителей поиграть в покер в казино. Цель игры - победить дилера имея лучшую руку из трех своих карт.

В 3-х карточный покер играют стандартной колодой из 52 карт, которые перетасовываются после каждой игры. Фактически 3-х карточный покер это две игры в одной - "Пара Плюс " и "Анте "-игра. Они могут играться вместе или по отдельности, поэтому игрок должен сделать по крайней мере одну ставку.

Анте работает также как и в обычной игре в покер. Это "цена" игры или вступительный взнос в игру. Эта игра предполагает обычные выплаты и бонусные выплаты. Обычные выплаты зависят от руки дилера (дилер должен иметь Даму или выше ) и вашей руки. В Анте -игре бонусные выплаты производятся в случае если игрок имеет бонусную комбинацию на руках, и о ни [ выплаты] не зависят от руки дилера.

"Пара Плюс " - это ставка на то что игрок получит по крайней мере Пару или выше. Игра Пара Плюс предполагает выплаты в зависимости от комбинации игрока, но не зависит от руки дилера.

В начале игры игрок помещает свою ставку в сектор Анте на столе с определенными лимитами ставок. Игроку и дилеру сдается по 3 карты рубашкой вверх (закрытые). Игрок решает играть ли ему дальше против дилера или сбросить карты. Если игрок сдает карты на этой стадии, он теряет анте. Если же он хочет играть дальше, то он должен сделать ставку равную анте (поставить в сектор "Play") и продолжить игру. Если у игрока выигрышная рука, то он получает как Анте так и Пару Плюс ставки (если он делал эти ставки). Дилер должен иметь по крайней мере Даму чтобы играть, всё что ниже означает автоматическую победу игрока, если он конечно не сбросил карты ранее.

Выплаты зависят от Пары Плюс, Анте результатов и от результатов игры (играет ли дилер):

Пара Плюс Стрэйт Флаш 40 к 1 Тройка 30 к 1 Стрэйт 6 к 1 Флаш 4 к 1 (3 к 1)* Пара 1 к 1 Анте Стрэйт Флаш 5 к 1 Тройка 4 к 1 Стрэйт 1 к 1 Дилер Играет Дилер играет и игрок побеждает дилера: Анте и ставки в игре выплачиваются 1 к 1 4 к 1 Дилер не допускается к игре: Анте выигрывает, игровые ставки возвращаются 1 к 1

* - некоторые казино предлагают выплаты 3:1 по Флашам в игре Пара Плюс , таким образом серьезно увеличивая свое преимущество перед игроком. Всегда играйте в игру с выплатой 4:1 .

3 Карточный Покер - относительно новая игра, изобретенная в1994 году Дереком Вэбом (Derek Webb), владельцем tPrime Table Games, и успешным игроком в покер из Великобритании. Сегодня вы можете найти эту игру во многих онлайн и офф-лайн казино. Типичные ставки бывают от $5 до $300 и выше.

История этой карточной игры, особенно популярной в Индии, Бангладеш и некоторых соседних странах, началась в далеком шестнадцатом веке. Таким образом, он появился на свет раньше большинства разновидностей покера.

В статье рассматривается вариант Three Card Brag, адаптированный для казино, хотя изначально он предназначен для игры против оппонентов в лице других игроков.

Общее описание

В 3-карточном брэге используется стандартная колода из пятидесяти двух карт без джокеров. Джокеры отсутствуют. Карты различаются по старшинству, как в любом покере: от двойки до туза.

В интернет-казино пользователи играют в брэг против заведения (его имитирует генератор случайных чисел). Цель - собрать более сильную покерную комбинацию, чем у виртуального дилера.

Оплачиваемыми комбинациями являются следующие наборы карты (перечислены от старшей к младшей с указанием оригинальных названий):

• Prial - трис, три карты одного достоинства независимо от масти
• Running Flush - стрейт-флеш, три карты одной масти подряд по номиналу
• Run - стрейт, три карты подряд по номиналу
• Flush - флеш, три карты одной масти независимо от их достоинства
• Pair - пара, две карты одного номинала
• High Card - старшая карта

Они оплачиваются по установленным коэффициентам в зависимости от типа ставки.

Ставить можно только на один бокс, но принимаются два вида независимых ставок: Ante и Pair Bonus.

Ход игры

Игрок делает одну или две ставки, после чего он получает три открытых карты. Оценив их достоинство, он решает, как поступить. Вариантов два:

1. Сбросить карты и потерять деньги стоящие на кону.
2. Продолжить игру, поставив дополнительную ставку, равную одному анте.

В первом случае раунд завершается. Во втором дилер открывает свои карты. Если у него нет дамы или комбинации старше, клиент получает выплату в размере одного анте, а дополнительная ставка просто возвращается. Если у дилера есть какая-то комбинация, он сравнивает ее с картами игрока.

Выплаты клиенту, если он победил, производится в соотношении 1:1 по обеим базовым ставкам. При более сильной комбинации у дилера анте и подтверждение игрока уходят в кассу заведения.

Бонусные выплаты

В 3-карточном брэге также предусмотрены дополнительные выплаты по ставкам Ante и Pair Bonus.

По анте они начисляются, если в картах игрока образуются следующие комбинации:

• Prial - 5:1
• Running Flush - 4:1
• Run - 1:1

По бонусной ставке они полагаются за такие комбинации:

• Prial - 40:1
• Running Flush - 30:1
• Run - 6:1
• Flush - 4:1
• Pair - 1:1

Таким образом, в одной раздаче клиент может получить сразу три выплаты.

Разновидности

Говоря о брэге против других игроков, стоит упомянуть разновидности с разным количеством сдаваемых карт. Их может быть четыре, семь, девять, тринадцать и даже пятнадцать, но в любом случае игрок должен выбирать четыре по своему усмотрению. Также есть версия Bastard Brag с карманными и общими картами, чем она очень напоминает, например, техасский холдем.

В разновидностях брэга для казино основные различия касаются коэффициентов выплат, хотя даже в этом пункте они не столь существенны, чтобы заострять на них внимание.

Модели с прогрессивным джекпотом нашим обозревателям не попадались.

Заключение

Надо признать, что 3-карточный брэг, адаптированный для игры против казино, практически идентичен трехкарточному покеру, которые получил широкое распространение в современном онлайн-гемблинге. Здесь также можно делать основную и дополнительную ставки, которые оплачиваются независимо друг от друга, да и другие особенности правил очень похожи. Тем не менее, брэг имеет ряд интересных отличий, благодаря которым ему удается сохранить оригинальность.

В настоящее время Three Card Brag есть в казино, работающих на лицензионном софте Novomatic, а также на крупных портал с играми от Playtech. Его можно протестировать бесплатно в демо-режиме.

Мнениями об этой карточной игре делитесь в комментариях.