3 Card Brag Hand Rankings

Three card poker is always played with one deck of 52 cards. There are a total of 22,100 different ways that three cards can be dealt. Using a bit of math we can determine the probability of each hand. The table below shows the ways, probabilities and odds for each hand.

1. 3 Card Brag Hand Rankings Printable
2. 3 Card Brag Hand Rankings Chart

1. Brag Hands & Rankings. Brag hands are similar to those in classic Poker. Ordered from the strongest to the weakest they are the following: Three of a Kind also known as Prial (Pair Royal), Straight Flush (or Running Flush), Straight (Run), Flush, Pair and High Card. Brag hands, including the probabilities to obtain them, are shown in the table.
2. 3 2 A: A running flush is a set of three consecutive cards of the same suit. Note: 2-A-K is not a valid run or running flush. Run: J 10 9: Three running cards, 2-A-K is not a run, top hand is A-K-Q. Flush: Q 7 2: Three cards of the same suit: Pair: 8 8 J: Two cards of equal rank. The third card counts if two people have the same pair.
3. The hands rank the same as in all brag games, 3 card brag being the most popular. 3 x 3s is the highest hand as the whole game revolves around the number 3, 3 of a kind is known as a prial. The 3 card is only really important in a prial, a running flush or a run. Hands lower than this just play on face value. Hands best to worst.

Notes

As you can see on the table above the straight in three card poker out ranks the flush. This is unique to the game as in every other poker game the flush always out ranks the straight. The reason for the change in rankings is the fact that there are more ways to make a flush with three cards than there are ways to make a straight.

New to Three Card Poker?

3 Card Poker Hand Probabilities. Three card poker is always played with one deck of 52 cards. There are a total of 22,100 different ways that three cards can be dealt. Using a bit of math we can determine the probability of each hand. The table below shows the ways, probabilities and odds for each hand.

The three card brag hands 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

3 Card Brag Hand Rankings Printable

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

3 Card Brag Hand Rankings Chart

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. The odds of being dealt a prial are also: 459 to 1

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