Atlassino Academy · Other tables · Lesson 1
Poker Tres Cartas: three cards against the bank
Poker Tres Cartas is three-card poker against the dealer, under the catalogue of games the SCJ sets for every casino in Chile: an Ante, then a Bet of the same size or a fold, and a dealer who plays only with a queen or more.
Three cards, an Ante in front of you, and the dealer’s cards face down. When is the Bet worth putting in?
The short answer
In Poker Tres Cartas, by our count, with any pair or more, and with no pair from queen-six-four up; below that, folding the Ante costs less. Played that way, the Ante costs 5.04% of itself on average. The rules are the catalogue’s; the count is ours.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
This is a short game with one decision: your three cards against the dealer’s, and whether to back them with a second bet. Every rule below is from the catalogue of games the SCJ publishes for every casino in Chile, and every number from one count.
Three cards against the dealer
The catalogue calls Poker Tres Cartas a banked game: three cards face down to each player and to the dealer, and no changing of cards. Each player bets on their own against the dealer, and a hand is paid when it is higher than the dealer’s.
The deck is an American deck of fifty-two cards. Players may not swap or share anything about a hand.
One deal, from the Ante to the payout
There are two bets: the Ante, made before the cards are dealt, and the Bet, made after, by the players who decide to play against the dealer. The Ante is required of every player who wants cards.
Ante
Before any card is dealt, the Ante, in its own box: without it there are no cards.
Three cards
Three cards face down to every player and to the dealer.
Voy or no voy
Voy: a Bet the size of the Ante. No voy: the Ante is lost.
The dealer
Turns its cards over: it plays only with a queen or more.
Paid
The Ante 1 to 1 and the Bet by its table, or both taken, or a standoff.
The hands, and what the Bet is paid
The catalogue lists the hands from the lowest: carta alta, un par, color, escalera, trío and escalera de color. The ace is the highest card, and a run goes from ace-two-three, the lowest, to queen-king-ace, the highest. With three cards, a straight is rarer than a flush, so here it ranks above it.
| Hand | Made with | The Bet pays | On a Bet of 10 units | How often |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escalera de color | Three in sequence, one suit | 6 to 1 | 60 units | 0.22% |
| Trío | Three of one value | 5 to 1 | 50 units | 0.24% |
| Escalera | Three in sequence, mixed suits | 2 to 1 | 20 units | 3.26% |
| Color | Three of one suit | 1 to 1 | 10 units | 4.96% |
| Un par | Two of one value | 1 to 1 | 10 units | 16.94% |
| Carta alta | None of these | 1 to 1 | 10 units | 74.39% |
When the dealer plays and your hand is the higher one, the Ante is paid 1 to 1 and the Bet by this table.
Voy or no voy
Once the cards are dealt, each player says “voy” and puts in a Bet of the same amount as the Ante, or says “no voy” and leaves the deal, losing the Ante.
The same catalogue, in its glossary for five of its poker games at once, calls the Bet twice the Ante. The rule of this game itself says the same amount, and every number on this page follows that rule. If the sign at your table says otherwise, the prices here are not its prices.
Where the line falls is a matter of counting. With queen-six-four the Bet comes to −99.34% of the Ante on average, a little better than the −100.00% of folding; one card lower, with queen-six-three, it comes to −100.26%. With any pair or more, the Bet is always the cheaper choice. On 67.42% of hands, voy costs less than no voy.
The dealer’s queen
Once every player has decided, the dealer turns its cards over and plays only with a queen or more; the cloth may say so in so many words: “El Croupier sólo juega con Reina o mayor”. With anything lower, the game ends and only the Ante is paid, 1 to 1. The catalogue says nothing more about the Bet there; we count it as returned.
When the dealer plays, a hand lower than the dealer’s loses the Ante and the Bet; on a standoff, the dealer leaves the bets where they are. When the hands are of the same kind, the higher cards decide, and only the same three cards by value are a standoff.
By our count the dealer plays on 69.59% of deals.
What the Ante costs
The catalogue prints the payouts, not a price. The table below is our own count: every hand you can be dealt against every hand the dealer can hold from the cards that are left.
| How you play | Cost, on average |
|---|---|
| Voy with queen-six-four or more, no voy below | 5.04% of the Ante |
| The same, as a share of everything put down (Ante and Bet) | 3.01% |
| Voy on every hand | 9.32% of the Ante |
The Bet is where your choice matters. Putting it in on every hand raises the cost of the Ante from 5.04% to 9.32%.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Every hand you play puts two bets on the table. Decide the money and the time at home, and leave the seat when either runs out.
If the money on the table starts to feel like money you need, read the box below: it names the national self-exclusion, which applies in every casino in the country, and the regulator’s switchboard.
If it stops being fun
If gambling stops being fun, the SCJ self-exclusion applies in every casino in the country. Minimum entry age: 18 (age of majority under Law 19.221; Law 19.995 bars minors from gaming rooms). The casino may ask for an official ID. More on responsible gaming.
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Practice: voy or no voy, pay the box
Level 1 shows your three cards and asks whether the Bet is worth it. Level 2 shows both hands after you said voy and asks what your box comes to on balance. The 10 units is an example bet, not a suggested bet.
Nothing is bet here, and nothing is random. Each question is a set picture of cards, and the answer is worked out from the same rules and the same count as the rest of the page.
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The practice table needs JavaScript. Here is one question from it, with the answer.
YOU
- Your hand high card
- On the table Ante 10 units
The dealer’s cards are face down. Voy or no voy?
- Voy: put in the Bet, 10 units Folding costs less here: −100.00% of the Ante, against −100.26% on average with the Bet in.
- No voy: give up the Ante Folding costs less here: −100.00% of the Ante, against −100.26% on average with the Bet in.
- Ask to see the dealer’s cards first The dealer turns its three cards over only once every player has said voy or no voy.
By our count, every hand with a pair or more is worth the Bet, and so is every hand with no pair from queen-six-four up; below that, folding the Ante costs less than betting.
DEALER
YOU
- You straight
- Dealer flush
- On the table Ante 10 units, Bet 10 units
What does your box come to on balance, the Ante and the Bet together?
- You get 10 units Not this one. Only the Ante is paid when the dealer does not play; here it plays.
- You get 20 units Not this one. The Bet is paid by its table: 1 to 1 only for high card, a pair or a flush.
- You get 30 units The dealer plays, and your straight is the higher hand: the Ante is paid 1 to 1 and the Bet 2 to 1, by its table.
The dealer plays with a queen or more. When it does not, only the Ante is paid, 1 to 1, and we count the Bet as returned; when it does, the higher hand decides: the Ante 1 to 1 and the Bet by its table, or both taken by the dealer. The same three cards on both sides are a standoff.
Every question in the practice run is worked out the same way: the cards are put through the same rules and the same count as the rest of the page, and the answer comes out of that, not out of anybody’s memory.
How the practice run works
Where the questions come from. Every answer is worked out when the page is built: voy or no voy by the same count our engine uses for the prices above, and every payment by the rules of the catalogue. The wrong answers are named mistakes: the dealer’s queen forgotten, the Bet paid 1 to 1 whatever the hand, a flush put above a straight, and the Bet taken for paid when the dealer does not play.
One strip, and no rounds. Every square on the strip is one question of this lesson, and all of the squares are there from the start. Your first answer fills the square it belongs to; when the squares of one level are full, the next level begins by itself. Practising a question you got wrong turns its cross into “fixed in practice” and does not change the count, because only first answers count.
Your progress stays in this browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Check yourself
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Four quick ones. Pick an answer, then check it. No timer, no points: just whether it stuck.
Back to the question we opened with. With any pair or more, and with no pair from queen-six-four up. Below that, the Ante is cheaper given up than backed.
Where to go next, and further reading
18+ across Chile · Play responsibly · self-exclusion and the regulator are further up this page
Further reading
- Catálogo de Juegos (Poker Tres Cartas) · Superintendencia de Casinos de JuegoThe regulator’s rules for three cards against the bank: the Ante and the Bet, the dealer’s queen, the order of hands and the pay table.
How it’s worked out
Rules, numbers, sources and hosts
Where the rules come from. Everything on this page follows the Catálogo de Juegos of the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego, the SCJ, in its March 2023 text: the description of Poker Tres Cartas, its rules and pay table, and the rules shared by its poker games. The catalogue lists no side bet and no progressive pool for this game, and this page covers none.
Numbers. Every price, share and line is counted exactly: each of the 22,100 hands you can be dealt against each of the 18,424 hands the dealer can hold from the remaining 49 cards, paid by the catalogue’s table, with the Bet the size of the Ante. Nothing here is typed in by hand.
What the count leaves out. The count is for one player at the table; the cards the other players hold are left out. No document we could read prints how many deals an hour a table plays, so there is no price of an hour here.
Our readings. When the dealer does not play, the catalogue pays only the Ante and says nothing of the Bet; we count the Bet as returned. Two flushes are compared card by card: the catalogue names the highest card, and calls a hand a standoff only when all three cards are the same. The catalogue’s glossary calls the Bet twice the Ante and the game’s own rule the same amount; this page follows the game’s rule.
Sources. Every rule on this page carries a button with the sentence it rests on, in the catalogue’s own Spanish, the publisher who wrote that sentence and the date we read it.
Hosts. Leo and Maya are illustrated characters. Their backstories, a former dealer and a former floor supervisor, are written for the course: neither is a real person, and neither speaks for any casino. The rules and numbers on this page come from the sources it cites, not from their experience.
No promise. The Ante has a price. Knowing when the Bet is worth it lowers what the Ante costs on average; nothing on this page changes which cards are dealt, and nothing here says how an evening at the table would end.
The order of hands
El valor de las jugadas se detalla a continuación de menor a mayor valorFree translation: The value of the hands is detailed below, from lowest to highest value
donde el As tiene el valor máximoFree translation: where the Ace has the highest value
Carta más alta, considerando la Reina u otra de mayor valorFree translation: Highest card, considering the Queen or another of higher value
Dos cartas de un mismo número o figura.Free translation: Two cards of the same number or face.
Conjunto de tres cartas todas de la misma pinta, cualquiera sea su número o figura.Free translation: Set of three cards all of the same suit, whatever their number or face.
Secuencia correlativa de tres cartas, no todas de la misma pinta.Free translation: Consecutive sequence of three cards, not all of the same suit.
La escalera de mayor valor es la que va de la Reina al As y la de menor valor es la que va del As al 3.Free translation: The highest-value straight is the one that goes from the Queen to the Ace, and the lowest-value one is the one that goes from the Ace to the 3.
Tres cartas de un mismo número o figura.Free translation: Three cards of the same number or face.
Secuencia correlativa de tres cartas, todas de la misma pinta.Free translation: Consecutive sequence of three cards, all of the same suit.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
The dealer’s queen
abriendo juego sólo cuando su mano de cartas tenga una Reina o mayorFree translation: opening the game only when his or her hand of cards has a Queen or higher
podrá estar señalado en el paño de la mesaFree translation: may be marked on the table layout
El Croupier sólo juega con Reina o mayorFree translation: The Croupier only plays with a Queen or higher
Con cualquier otra mano inferior a la señalada, el juego termina, pagándose sólo la 1ª apuesta (ANTE) 1 a 1.Free translation: With any other hand lower than the one indicated, the game ends, and only the 1st bet (ANTE) is paid 1 to 1.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
The Bet by its table
Para este efecto pagará la 1ª apuesta (ANTE) 1 a 1 y la 2ª apuesta (BET) según la tabla o esquema de pagos de apuestas para esta modalidad de juego.Free translation: For this purpose, it will pay the 1st bet (ANTE) 1 to 1 and the 2nd bet (BET) according to the table or scheme of bet payouts for this form of the game.
Carta Alta 1 a 1Free translation: High Card 1 to 1
Un Par 1 a 1Free translation: One Pair 1 to 1
Color 1 a 1Free translation: Flush 1 to 1
Escalera 2 a 1Free translation: Straight 2 to 1
Trío 5 a 1Free translation: Three of a Kind 5 to 1
Escalera de Color 6 a 1Free translation: Straight Flush 6 to 1
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
Voy or no voy
los jugadores deciden apostar contra el croupier, mediante la expresión “voy”, o por el contrario retirarse mediante la expresión “no voy”.Free translation: the players decide to bet against the croupier, by saying "voy" ("I'm in"), or on the contrary to withdraw by saying "no voy" ("I'm out").
una apuesta de igual monto a la postura inicial, colocada en el espacio de la 1ª apuesta (ANTE).Free translation: a bet of the same amount as the initial wager, placed in the space for the 1st bet (ANTE).
Los que opten por retirarse de la partida perderán la primera apuesta.Free translation: Those who choose to withdraw from the hand will lose the first bet.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
The glossary
Apuesta Bet: corresponde a una segunda apuesta, correspondiente al doble de la apuesta Ante, que realizan los jugadores que deciden apostar contra el croupier, y previo que éste enseñe sus cartas.Free translation: Bet wager: corresponds to a second bet, equal to double the Ante bet, made by the players who decide to bet against the croupier, and before the croupier shows his or her cards.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
A game against the dealer
Corresponde a un juego de contrapartida, compuesto por una mano de 3 cartas cubiertas, repartidas por el croupier individualmente a cada jugador y a su propia mano.Free translation: It is a game played against the house, made up of a hand of 3 covered cards, dealt by the croupier individually to each player and to the croupier's own hand.
Cada jugador apuesta individualmente contra la banca (croupier)Free translation: Each player bets individually against the house (croupier)
En este juego, no se puede optar por el cambio de cartas.Free translation: In this game, it is not possible to opt to exchange cards.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
The deck and the deal
Se usa una baraja americana de 52 cartasFree translation: A standard deck of 52 cards is used
hasta completar tres cartas cubiertas para cada jugador, incluyendo su propia mano, compuesta también por tres cartas cubiertasFree translation: until three covered cards have been completed for each player, including the croupier's own hand, which is also made up of three covered cards
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
Nothing shared
Los jugadores no pueden intercambiar o comunicar información relacionada con una mano del juego.Free translation: Players may not exchange or communicate information related to a hand of the game.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
The Ante, then the Bet
Para esta modalidad de poker existen dos posibles tipos de apuestas, correspondientes a la 1ª apuesta (ANTE) que deben hacer los jugadores, previo al reparto de cartas, si desean participar del pase, y posteriormente cuando las cartas ya están repartidas una 2ª apuesta (BET) que realizan los jugadores que deciden apostar contra el croupier.Free translation: For this form of poker there are two possible types of bets: the 1st bet (ANTE), which players must make, before the cards are dealt, if they wish to take part in the round, and subsequently, when the cards have already been dealt, a 2nd bet (BET), made by the players who decide to bet against the croupier.
Esta apuesta es obligatoria para todo jugador que quiera participar en el pase y da derecho a recibir cartas.Free translation: This bet is mandatory for every player who wants to take part in the round and entitles the player to receive cards.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
The order of hands
El valor de las jugadas se detalla a continuación de menor a mayor valorFree translation: The value of the hands is detailed below, from lowest to highest value
donde el As tiene el valor máximoFree translation: where the Ace has the highest value
Carta más alta, considerando la Reina u otra de mayor valorFree translation: Highest card, considering the Queen or another of higher value
Dos cartas de un mismo número o figura.Free translation: Two cards of the same number or face.
Conjunto de tres cartas todas de la misma pinta, cualquiera sea su número o figura.Free translation: Set of three cards all of the same suit, whatever their number or face.
Secuencia correlativa de tres cartas, no todas de la misma pinta.Free translation: Consecutive sequence of three cards, not all of the same suit.
La escalera de mayor valor es la que va de la Reina al As y la de menor valor es la que va del As al 3.Free translation: The highest-value straight is the one that goes from the Queen to the Ace, and the lowest-value one is the one that goes from the Ace to the 3.
Tres cartas de un mismo número o figura.Free translation: Three cards of the same number or face.
Secuencia correlativa de tres cartas, todas de la misma pinta.Free translation: Consecutive sequence of three cards, all of the same suit.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
The Bet by its table
Para este efecto pagará la 1ª apuesta (ANTE) 1 a 1 y la 2ª apuesta (BET) según la tabla o esquema de pagos de apuestas para esta modalidad de juego.Free translation: For this purpose, it will pay the 1st bet (ANTE) 1 to 1 and the 2nd bet (BET) according to the table or scheme of bet payouts for this form of the game.
Carta Alta 1 a 1Free translation: High Card 1 to 1
Un Par 1 a 1Free translation: One Pair 1 to 1
Color 1 a 1Free translation: Flush 1 to 1
Escalera 2 a 1Free translation: Straight 2 to 1
Trío 5 a 1Free translation: Three of a Kind 5 to 1
Escalera de Color 6 a 1Free translation: Straight Flush 6 to 1
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
Voy or no voy
los jugadores deciden apostar contra el croupier, mediante la expresión “voy”, o por el contrario retirarse mediante la expresión “no voy”.Free translation: the players decide to bet against the croupier, by saying "voy" ("I'm in"), or on the contrary to withdraw by saying "no voy" ("I'm out").
una apuesta de igual monto a la postura inicial, colocada en el espacio de la 1ª apuesta (ANTE).Free translation: a bet of the same amount as the initial wager, placed in the space for the 1st bet (ANTE).
Los que opten por retirarse de la partida perderán la primera apuesta.Free translation: Those who choose to withdraw from the hand will lose the first bet.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
The glossary
Apuesta Bet: corresponde a una segunda apuesta, correspondiente al doble de la apuesta Ante, que realizan los jugadores que deciden apostar contra el croupier, y previo que éste enseñe sus cartas.Free translation: Bet wager: corresponds to a second bet, equal to double the Ante bet, made by the players who decide to bet against the croupier, and before the croupier shows his or her cards.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
The dealer’s queen
abriendo juego sólo cuando su mano de cartas tenga una Reina o mayorFree translation: opening the game only when his or her hand of cards has a Queen or higher
podrá estar señalado en el paño de la mesaFree translation: may be marked on the table layout
El Croupier sólo juega con Reina o mayorFree translation: The Croupier only plays with a Queen or higher
Con cualquier otra mano inferior a la señalada, el juego termina, pagándose sólo la 1ª apuesta (ANTE) 1 a 1.Free translation: With any other hand lower than the one indicated, the game ends, and only the 1st bet (ANTE) is paid 1 to 1.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
Taken, or a standoff
En el caso de manos perdedoras, el croupier toma la 1ª apuesta (ANTE) y la 2ª apuesta (BET)Free translation: In the case of losing hands, the croupier takes the 1st bet (ANTE) and the 2nd bet (BET)
cuando se produzca un empate, el croupier no toma acción sobre las apuestas de los jugadores participantes del paseFree translation: when a tie occurs, the croupier takes no action on the bets of the players taking part in the round
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)
Equal hands
en el caso de que el croupier y el jugador tengan además exactamente las mismas 3 cartas, en cuanto al valor de cada una, se produce un empate.Free translation: if the croupier and the player also have exactly the same 3 cards, as to the value of each one, a tie occurs.
Cuando ambos poseen Color, gana aquel que tiene la carta de mayor valor.Free translation: When both have a Flush, the one with the highest-value card wins.
Section III.3.3 y III.5.3 Poker Tres Cartas; III.3.4 y III.3.6 (reglas comunes del poker)