Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker

Three card poker (Teen Patti) is a casino table game based on poker. It is the most profitable proprietary table game ever when measured by win generated for casinos or by revenue generated for the rights owners.

History

Three card poker table located in the Dawn Club Casino on deck six

The casino variant of Three Card Poker was first "invented" by Derek Webb in 1994. He had a vision for a game that combined the excitement of poker and the speed of regular casino games. It was important to Webb that he got the mix of three important factors for any casino game correct; the game rules were easy to understand, the payouts were large enough to attract players and the house edge was enough that casino owners would be interested in adopting the game.

The first person to adopt the game was Vice President of Grand Casino Gulfport (Mississippi), Barry Morris, after Webb had unsuccessful sales pitches with casino owners in Reno, Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Webb sealed the deal with Morris after agreeing to train the dealers in his casino at no extra cost. Webb stood by the tables for hours daily, enticed punters to play and taught them the rules whilst making sure the dealers were dealing the game correctly.[2]

Prime Table Games continued marketing Three Card Poker until 1999, when Shuffle Master acquired the rights to the game outside the British Isles. United Kingdom gambling regulations were changed to allow the introduction of Three Card Poker in 2002.

The sale of Three Card Poker to Shuffle Master by Prime Table Games was prompted by litigation by a predecessor company of Progressive Gaming International Corporation (PGIC). Shuffle Master agreed to defend that litigation as part of the 1999 Three Card Poker purchase. Subsequently in 2007, in United States Federal Court in Jackson, Mississippi, Prime Table Games proved that the 1999 PGIC litigation was based on fraudulent and invalid patents. Further, Prime Table Games filed suit against Shuffle Master in 2008 in the same court alleging in part that Shuffle Master had undisclosed knowledge of the PGIC fraud prior to the 1999 Three Card Poker purchase.

Rules

Three Card Poker incorporates two modes of play. The Ante and Play wagers play in competition on the player hand against the dealer hand. The Pair Plus wager is paid on a pay scale basis that the player hand will be a pair or better. In most casinos both the Ante and the Pair Plus are optional, but there are some casinos in which the Ante is mandatory. After all Ante and Pair Plus wagers are placed, three cards are dealt to each player and the dealer. Players that have placed the Ante wager have a choice to either fold or continue in the game by placing a Play wager equal to the Ante. Hands are then exposed and wagers resolved. The dealer hand must be Queen high or better for the dealer hand to play.

If the dealer does not play, then there is no action on Play wagers and Ante wagers are paid 1 to 1. If the dealer does play, the dealer and player hands are compared. If the player hand loses, both the Ante and Play wagers lose. If the player hand wins both the Ante and Play wagers are paid 1 to 1. If the hands are tied, then there is no action on the Ante and Play wagers.

An additional feature is the Ante Bonus, which is paid to the Ante wager for a straight or better. The Ante Bonus is paid on a pay scale and is paid regardless of whether the dealer plays and regardless of whether the dealer or the player has the best hand. The typical Ante Bonus paytable pays 5 to 1 for a straight flush, 4 to 1 for a three of a kind, and 1 to 1 for a straight.

The Pair Plus wager loses if the player has less than a pair and wins with a pair or better. The payoff applies regardless of the dealer hand, as the Pair Plus wager is not in competition against the dealer hand.