In Live 3 Card Brag, the aim is to beat the dealer’s three cards with a better value 3-card poker hand.
To play against the player, the dealer must qualify with a queen or higher in his hand. If it’s less, the player’s Ante Bet gets paid even money, and the play bet gets returned.
There’s the option to play a side bet of Pair Plus. The side bet pays enhanced odds for a pair or higher in the player’s hand, even if the dealer has a better hand.
Playtech Live 3 Card Brag is very similar to Evolution Gamings Live 3 Card Poker.
The only notable difference between the two is the value of the top hand.
In 3 Card Poker, it’s a Royal Flush.
In Playtech 3 Card Brag it’s 3 of a kind, called a PRIAL.
Although there is no distinction between them in this version of the game, the best Prial you can get is three threes 3-3-3, followed by three Aces, 3 Kings, etc.
It’s also possible to bet on just the side bets in 3 Card Brag without making a main hand bet. This is usually an option reserved for when you’re playing in a land-based casino, which is the only way you’ll be able to do this on 3 Card Poker.
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The game can be found in the Playtech Live casino lobby under Poker.
It’s played with one deck of 52 Playing Cards.
The deck is shuffled before each new hand commences.
A shuffling machine and two alternating packs of cards are used to keep the pace of gameplay high.
Hands are ranked as Poker hands. The lowest hand value is a High Card, and the highest hand value is a three-of-a-kind or Prial.
| Hand Rank | Description |
|---|---|
| Prial (Three-of-a-kind) | The Highest Prial is 3-3-3, followed by A-A-A, K-K-K, Q-Q-Q and etc. Known as 3 of a Kind in 3 Card Poker. |
| Running Flush | A sequence of consecutive cards of the same suit. Known as a Straight Flush in 3 Card Poker |
| Run | A sequence of consecutive cards of different suits. Known as a Straight in 3 card poker. |
| Flush | Three cards of the same suit. If you and the Dealer have the same Flush, the High Card rule applies. |
| Pair | Two cards of a matching rank, A-A being the highest, followed by K-K, Q-Q and etc. |
| High Card | The highest card in your hand. Ace wins, followed by K, Q and etc. If the Dealer has an identical set of cards, regardless of the suit, your bet results in a Push. |
The Ante Bonus is paid when you have one of the hands listed below, regardless if you beat the hand of the Dealer or not.
If you choose to Fold you are not rewarded with the Ante Bonus, even if your hand qualified.
| Ante Bonus Payout | |
|---|---|
| Hand | Payout |
| Prial | 5:1 |
| Running Flush | 4:1 |
| Run | 1:1 |
Regardless of the hand of the Dealer, you win the Pair Plus bet if you placed a bet on the Pair Plus position and your hand contains a Pair or better.
If you choose to Fold you lose the Pair Plus bet, even if your hand qualified.
| Pair Plus Payout | |
|---|---|
| Hand | Payout |
| Prial | 40:1 |
| Running Flush | 30:1 |
| Run | 6:1 |
| Flush | 4:1 |
| Pair | 1:1 |
The Poker Plus side bet utilises the player’s three cards and the dealer’s three cards to make up the best five-card poker hand.
The minimum hand value to qualify for a payout is a Prial (3 of a kind).
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush – same suit | 1000 : 1 |
| Running Flush | 200 : 1 |
| 4 of a Kind | 100 : 1 |
| Full House | 20 : 1 |
| Flush | 15 : 1 |
| Straight | 10 : 1 |
| Prial | 7 : 1 |
There’s lots of information available in the playing interface.
General Settings – Disable pop-up messages.
Game Settings – Auto confirm bets & ToolTips.
Audio Settings – Volume, Game sounds, and Dealers Voice.
Video Settings – Select the quality of the stream.
Game History – Displays your betting history in the game.
Help – Contains the rules of the game.
This shows the last few hands that the dealer and player had.
If you’re looking for your hand history, that can be found in the settings menu.
You can view the game in two modes. One is the classic full-screen.
The other is the mixed mode, which you usually see when your connection speed is not very good.
Based on playing the optimal strategy, the theoretical return to the player percentage (RTP) is 98.00% for the Ante bet and 97.86% for the Pair Plus bet.
A helpful feature is making deposits and withdrawals while still in the game.
Another window opens when you select the + symbol by the Balance.
The strategy for 3 card brag is identical to three-card poker.
Play hands that are Queen, Six, Four and higher.
Fold everything else.
Playtech has 3 Card Brag because Evolution has exclusive rights to 3 Card Poker, so competitors can’t get access to the game. Fortunately for Playtech, no one owns the rights to Three Card Brag.
I grew up playing 3 Card Brag. It was probably my first taste of gambling.
I can actually remember getting my first Prial when playing with friends at school while skiving off Geography!
So, Three Card Brag evokes a lot of happy memories for me.
It’s a simple form of Poker, so knowing hand values helps when making playing decisions.
If you don’t know Poker, this is a really good starter game. You’ll quickly pick up the hand values, which will enable you to progress to other live dealer poker games.
I like the fact that you can play just the side bets. While they are more volatile, they can give you a bit of excitement when they come in.
You can try a few live dealer poker games once you’ve mastered 3 Card Brag.
Casino Hold’em is the obvious next step, followed by Ultimate Texas Holdem and Texas Holdem Bonus Poker.
Casino Stud Poker, Video Poker, and Caribbean Stud Poker are all variations, and Teen Patti is virtually the same as 3 Card Brag and 3 Card Poker.
Neil Walker
I’m Neil Walker, and I created this site to provide information on everything related to Live Dealer Games. I do extensive research, play and test all the games, and author all the content. I’ve appeared in the media and presented at conferences—you can read more about me on my About Page. I’ve been doing this full-time since 2014, and I am trusted for my straightforward reviews and honest opinions.
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