Live 3-Card Brag Poker

3-Card Brag, also known simply as Brag, was first played in the 18th century in Britain, although the game has similar traits to Primero, a Spanish Poker game dating back to the 1500s.

3-Card Brag has undergone some changes throughout the past century. In its early days, the game was all about bluffing and trying to deceive your opponent to win. These days, the online casino game, is a bluff-free match-up against a Live Dealer and is available at many of our recommended online casinos.

The player and dealer receive three cards, and whoever has a better Poker hand wins the round. The dealer will need at least a Queen in its hand to qualify for the round.

There are also two side bets the player can wager to increase the action and odds of winning.

Playtech launched 3-Card Brag Live in 2018 at their exclusive Live Dealer casino. This allows players to use real cards against a dealer instead of playing with a digital deck of cards in the regular casino game lobby.

The game has grown in popularity, thanks in large part to straightforward rules, great player odds, and quick gameplay.

You can find 3-Card Brag Live in the casino game lobby by searching for it by name or opening the Live Dealer game lobby. Once the game loads, you will have to wait for the current hand to finish. You can either place an Ante bet right away and join the next game or view the game as a spectator to see the game flow

The first thing you must do is make an Ante bet. This is needed to get in the game and receive your cards. You can bet the Blind Play option, which automatically adds a matching bet and guarantees you’ll play the hand all the way through or hold onto your chips. Or, you can hold off betting the Blind and wait until you receive your cards before deciding whether you want to play through or fold.

The next decision is whether to wager on either of the two side bets.

• Poker Plus: This side bet combines the five best cards from the dealer and player’s hand, and if they create a winning Poker hand, you’ll win the payout.
• Pair Plus: You can make a Pair Plus wager even without placing an Ante bet. When the player’s three cards show a pair, flush, run, running flush, or prial, you win, regardless of the outcome of the hand.

You can see all the payouts for the side bets in the chart below.

There is a 15-second timer that counts down the time until the betting closes and the hand begins. Once it reaches 0, the player receives three face-up cards. If you didn’t place your chips on the Blind Play, you have the option now to add chips to the Play bet, which doubles your bet, or if you don’t like your odds, don’t make the bet and fold. 

The dealer will wait a few seconds for all players to decide, and then they will turn over their three cards. For the dealer to qualify for a hand, they need a Queen or higher. If they don’t qualify, you will win a 1:1 payout on your Ante bet, regardless of what cards you have, and a push on the Play bet. The side bets are in play regardless of whether the dealer qualifies for the hand or not. 

3-Card Brag Hands

There are just six winning hands in 3-Card Brag live:

• Prial: A three-of-a-kind of any picture cards.
• Running Flush: Three cards that have the same suit and are in sequential order. The best Running Flush is A, 2, 3, while K, Q, A is the second-best combination.
• Run: When the cards are in sequential order but different suits.
• Flush: All three cards are the same suit.
• Pair: At least two of three cards must have the same value.
• High Card: When your three cards don’t create any of the combinations above, you look for who has the highest card. If the hand has an A, 3, 7 – the A is the high card. The dealer needs a Queen high card to qualify for the hand.

3-Card Brag Rules

3-Card Brag is fairly straightforward. There are only a few rules you must understand.

• The Ante Bet: You must place an Ante bet to play the game.
• The Deal: You will receive three face-up cards, and the dealer has three cards face-down.
• The Betting: If you didn’t place a bet in the Blind Play, you have the option to either play on, which requires a matching bet, or fold.
• The showdown: If you chose to play on, the dealer reveals their cards and the best hand wins.
• The Dealer’s Hand: The dealer needs at least a Queen high card to qualify a hand. If they don’t have it, the Play bet is a push, and you’ll receive a 1:1 payout on the Ante Bet.

The payouts for the base game and side bets are based on the quality of your hand. The best hand in the base game is a Prial, which is three royal cards, with a 5:1 payout. A high card win and a hand where the dealer doesn’t qualify have the lowest payouts at 1:1

The side bets are where the big payouts can occur:

Pair Plus

Poker Plus

Many welcome packages at our recommended online casinos give new payers matching funds to play 3-Card Brag Live and other Live Casino games. There may also be several promotional offers that run throughout the year that offer bonus money for Live Dealer games. Check out your site's Promotions page for all the latest updates today.

3-Card Brag Live is an exciting, fast-paced Poker game with great player odds. Register your online casino account, and then select your preferred payment method to make that first deposit. In addition to unlimited access to the entire collection of online and Live Casino games, you’ll receive an exclusive Welcome Package to get you started.