The Game
3 Card Whist is an exciting new table game based on the commonly understood game of Whist.
The idea of the game is for the player to play their 3 cards, one at a time, to try and beat the value of the dealers 3 cards whilst following suit.
The extra element of the game is the introduction of a trump suit (more dominant suit) which can be played if the player cannot follow the dealer's suit. The trump suit is determined by the next card turned after all the hands have been dealt.
If the payer cannot follow suit, he/she can either throw a card away and lose that ‘trick’ or use a trump to win.
The more ’tricks’ the player wins the better the pay-out.
Unlike Three Card Poker, where your hand is determined as soon as it’s dealt, 3 Card Whist allows the player more control of the game by taking decisions to determine which order they play their cards, thereby introducing an element of skill.
The game also allows two additional wagers. A bonus bet wager and an RnB wager available to the player in each round.
The Game Format
Casino table game played with one standard set of playing cards (without jokers).
The player competes against the dealer and not against other players.
One to six players can play each round with each player, and the dealer, receiving three cards per round, an additional card dealt face up determines the trump suit and any card of that suit is a trump card.
The cards are ordered by rank, with deuce low and ace high, a card of the same suit as another card, but of a higher rank, beats that card. A trump card always beats a card that is not the same suit as the trump suit.
The dealer reveals his 3 cards sequentially, if the player plays a card that beats the current dealers card the player wins a ‘trick’, the player tries to win as many tricks as he/she can against the 3 dealer cards.
There are two additional wagers available to the player each round which are independent of the main game. The resolution of the additional wagers depends solely on the players three cards, the dealers three cards and the initial trump card.
The Game Rules
Each round the Player begins by placing an Ante wager in a designated spot on the layout. (The Player optionally places a Bonus Bet and/or RnB wager in addition to his Ante wager).
Each Player is dealt three cards, face down, the Dealer is dealt three cards, face down.
Once all the cards have been dealt to each Player and the Dealer, an additional card is dealt face up. The suit of this card becomes the “trump suit.”
Each Player then decides if they wants to “Play” or “Fold” their hand.
If the Player Folds but has a wining Bonus bet or RnB hand, then the player can place their cards under that bet.
If the player does not have a winning Bonus bet or RnB bet hand, then their cards are discarded, and the Player forfeits their Ante wager.
If the Player wants to “Play” then the Player must place a “Play” wager exactly equal to the amount of the Ante wager in a designated spot on the layout.
If one or more Players want to Play, then those Players compete against the Dealer to try and win as many tricks as possible.
The Dealer turns over his three cards in succession, one at a time.
As each Dealer card is exposed, the Player must play one of their three cards.
The Player must follow these rules for playing their hand:
- If the Player can play a card that is the same suit as the card the Dealer played, then the Player must follow suit (this includes trumps). If the Player has two or more cards of the same suit as the Dealer suit, then the Player can choose which one to play. If the Player follows suit and the rank of their card is higher than the rank of the Dealer’s card, then the Player wins the trick. If the Player follows suit and the rank of their card is lower than the rank of the Dealer’s card, then the Player loses the trick.
- If the Dealer does not play a trump card and the Player has no cards that are the same suit as the Dealer’s suit, but the Player has one or more trump cards, then the Player must play one of their trump cards. That is, the Player must always trump, if possible. Trump cards beat all cards of other suits, regardless of rank, so in this case, the Player wins the trick.
- If the Player cannot follow suit and the Player has no trump cards, then the Player can discard any card from their hand. The Player is free to choose which card to discard and there are no limitations on this discard. In this case the Player loses the trick.
At the conclusion of the hand, the Player is paid according to the following pay table, based on the number of tricks the Player has won:
- If the Player wins 0 or 1 tricks, the Player forfeits their Ante and Play wagers.
- If the Player wins 2 tricks, the Player is paid 1-to-1 on their Ante wager and 2-to-1 on their Play wager.
- If the Player wins 3 tricks, the Player is paid 1-to-1 on their Ante wager and 3-to-1 on their Play wager.
If the player places a Bonus wager, they are paid according to whether their hand contains at least a pair or higher.
If the player places an RnB wager and receives three cards of the same colour, or the Players cards and the dealer’s cards are the same colour or the player’s cards, dealer’s cards and the Trump card are the same colour they are paid accordingly.
- House Edge on the game is 1.87%
- House Edge on the bonus bet is 4.87%
- House Edge on the RnB bet is 2.64%
3 Card Whist
Game Analysis
BMM Testlabs
BMM test labs is the longest-established and most experienced private independent gaming test laboratory in the world. They have been serving the gaming industry for over 40 years. Their experience, expertise, and dedication in this fast-paced and evolving market reflects their focus on exceeding customer expectations.
3 Card Whist Game Analysis
BMM Testlabs performed a mathematical evaluation on the following games:
- Three Card Whist,
- Three Card Whist Bonus,
- Three Card Whist Colored Sidebet.
This evaluation tests the math for correct Return to Player (RTP) and Top Award odds.
The mathematical evaluation for Three Card Whist used algorithms that exhausted all the possible game outcomes combined with an optimal return strategy from which an exact theoretical RTP and Top Award odds were obtained.
The mathematical evaluation for the Three Card Whist Bonus and Three Card Whist Colored Sidebet used algorithms that exhausted all the possible game outcomes to calculate an exact theoretical RTP and Top Award odds.
All the evaluations used a standard 52 card deck.
Basic Strategy for Playing against the Dealer
BMM Testlabs has confirmed that the following optimal strategy will yield a House Edge close to 1.87% for the Three Card Whist. The strategy is detailed as follows:
- If a player can follow suit, they should play the card of the lowest rank that beats the dealer card, otherwise, they should discard the lowest card of that suit. This includes the case when the suit played is the trump suit.
- If a player cannot follow suit but has one (1) or more trump cards, then they should trump with the trump card of the lowest rank they hold.
- If a player cannot follow suit and does not have any trump cards but holds cards that are all the same suit, they should play the card of the lowest rank.
Evaluation Details
If the Player makes correct Play/Fold decisions and uses correct Basic Strategy for each discard decision when he competes against the Dealer, then the house edge is 1.872%. The computation of the house edge is summarised below. Errors in either the Play/Fold decision or discard decisions will increase the house edge.
Outcome Probability. Net Pay. EV
Player Plays and wins 3 tricks 0.06425250 4 0.25701000
Player Plays and wins 2 trick 0.23731667 3 0.71195000
Player Plays and wins 0 or 1 tricks 0.28925500 -2 -0.57851000
Player Folds 0.40917000 -1 -0.40917000
House Edge (%unit bet \ %total bet) 1.87% \ 1.18%
RTP (%total bet) 98.82%
Average bet 1.59
Net top Award. Top award Odds. Top Award Description
4 1 in 16 Player wins with 3 tricks
Rules and House Edge for the Bonus Bet
The Player optionally places a Bonus Bet wager at the start of each round of Three Card Whist. The outcome of the Bonus Bet wager is determined by the three cards the Player is dealt and the initial trump card. If the Player placed a Bonus Bet wager, then he is paid according to the pay table summarised below. In the case a Player is eligible for more than one pay out according to this pay table, the Player is paid only for the highest pay out he has won. The house edge for the Bonus Bet wager is 4.871%.
Outcome Probability. Net Pay.* EV
Straight Flush (of Trumps) 0.00044325 100 0.04432542
Straight Flush (not Trumps) 0.00172869 30 0.05186074
Three of a Kind. 0.00235294 20 0.04705882
Flush (of Trumps) 0.01012097 10 0.10120971
Straight 0.03257919 5 0.16289593
Flush (not Trumps) 0.03947179 3 0.11841537
Pair 0.16941176 1 0.16941176
Other 0.74389140 -1 -0.74389140
House Edge (%unit bet \ %total bet). 4.87%
RTP (%total bet) 95.13%
Average bet 1.00
Net top Award. Top award Odds. Top Award Description
100 1 in 2,257 Straight Flush (of Trumps)
Rules and House Edge for the RnB Bet
The Player optionally places an RnB wager at the start of each round of Three Card Whist. The outcome of the RnB wager is determined by the three cards the Player is dealt, the dealers three cards and the initial trump card. If the Player placed an RnB wager, then he is paid according to the pay table summarised below. In the case a Player is eligible for more than one pay out according to this pay table, the Player is paid only for the highest pay out he has won. The house edge for the Bonus Bet wager is 2.637%.
Outcome Probability. Net Pay. EV
7 Card Matching Color 0.00983372 5 0.04916860
3 Player Cards + 3 Dealer Cards Matching Color 0.01278384 4 0.05113535
3 Player Cards Matching Color 0.21267656 3 0.63802968
Other 0.76470588 -1 -0.76470588
House Edge (%unit bet \ %total bet) 2.64%
RTP (%total bet) 97.36%
Average bet 1.00
Net top Award. Top award Odds. Top Award Description
5 1 in 102 7 Card matching Color
*There are other variations of Bonus Bet pay out tables
