Atlassino Academy · Other tables · Lesson 12
Central Póker 3: three cards against the bank
Central Póker 3 is two games on the same three cards, under the rule book of the Buenos Aires Province: Par o Más against a table, and the Ante and Bet against the bank. Here is how each is paid, and what each costs.
Three cards, two bets in front of you, and the bank’s cards face down. When is the Bet worth putting in?
The short answer
In Central Póker 3, 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 3.37% of itself on average. Par o Más is a separate bet on the same three cards, paid by a table whatever the bank holds, and costs 2.32% of itself.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
This is a short game with two halves. One half is a bet that your three cards make a pair or more; the other is your three cards against the bank’s. Every rule below is from one rule book, and every number from one count.
Two games on three cards
Central Póker 3 is a banked game played with French cards: each player aims for one of the listed hands, or for a hand higher than the bank’s. It is two games in one, both played with the same three cards.
Par o Más is a bet made before the cards are dealt that your hand will be a pair or more, and it does not depend on the bank’s cards. The Ante is a bet made before the cards that is settled against the bank’s hand; the Bet is a second bet, the size of the Ante, made after you have seen your cards. You may play either one or both.
One deal, from the bets to the payout
The deck has fifty-two cards, and three go face down to every player and to the bank, in three rounds. Only seated players take part; you look at your cards inside the table, privately, and every seated player bets on every deal.
Bets
Par o Más, the Ante, or both, each in its own box and of any size inside the limits.
Three cards
Three cards face down to every player and to the bank, one at a time.
Bet or fold
With an Ante: put in a Bet the size of the Ante, or fold.
The bank
Turns its cards over: it plays with a queen or more.
Paid
Par o Más by its table; the Ante and the Bet against the bank; the Extra by its own table.
The hands, and what Par o Más pays
The rule book lists the hands from the highest: escalera de color, pierna, escalera, color, par, and sin juego. An ace may go below the two or above the king, so ace-two-three is the lowest run and queen-king-ace the highest. With three cards, a straight is rarer than a flush, so here it ranks above it.
| Hand | Made with | Par o Más pays | Extra on the Ante | How often |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escalera de color | Three in sequence, one suit | 400 units | 50 units | 0.22% |
| Pierna | Three of one rank | 300 units | 40 units | 0.24% |
| Escalera | Three in sequence, mixed suits | 60 units | 10 units | 3.26% |
| Color | Three of one suit | 40 units | None | 4.96% |
| Par | Two of one rank | 10 units | None | 16.94% |
| Sin juego | None of these | Lost | None | 74.39% |
Par o Más is paid by its table without looking at the bank’s cards. The Extra is an added payment on the Ante for a straight or more, whether or not the bank plays and whatever it holds.
Bet or fold
After looking at their cards, players with an Ante either stay in with the Bet or leave the game, losing both Par o Más and the Ante; a player with only Par o Más has nothing to decide.
Losing Par o Más on a fold sounds harsh, and costs nothing in practice: every hand that Par o Más pays is a pair or more, and by our count a pair or more is always worth the Bet. The hands worth folding are hands with no pair, and those lose Par o Más anyway.
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, betting comes to −100.26%. On 67.42% of hands the Bet is the cheaper choice.
The bank’s queen
The bank plays only with a queen or more. When it does not, the Ante is paid 1 to 1 and the Bet stays where it is. When it does, the higher hand takes both bets, paid 1 to 1. Equal hands are settled card by card, and when everything is equal the bets neither gain nor lose.
By our count the bank plays on 69.59% of deals.
What each bet costs
The rule book prints the payouts, not a price. The table below is our own count: every hand you can be dealt against every hand the bank can hold from the cards that are left.
| The bet | Cost, on average |
|---|---|
| Par o Más | 2.32% of the bet |
| Ante, betting with queen-six-four or more and folding below | 3.37% of the Ante |
| The same, as a share of everything put down (Ante and Bet) | 2.01% |
| Ante, putting in the Bet on every hand | 7.65% of the Ante |
The Bet is where your choice matters. Putting it in on every hand raises the cost of the Ante from 3.37% to 7.65%; Par o Más has no choice in it, and its price is fixed by its table.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Two bets a deal is twice the money 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, the lines below are there for exactly that.
If it stops being fun
If gambling stops being entertainment, help is available. Minimum entry age: each province sets its own. Where we found the rule or regulator that sets it, we cite it on the page; those we found set it at 18. More on responsible gaming.
Show all provinces
If you are thinking about suicide, call 135 or 0800 345 1435 from anywhere in the country
Practice: bet or fold, pay the box
Level 1 shows your three cards and asks whether the Bet is worth it. Level 2 shows both hands after you put in the Bet and asks what your box gets 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 sin juego
- On the table Ante 10 units
The bank’s cards are face down. Bet or fold?
- Put in the Bet, 10 units Folding costs less here: −100.00% of the Ante, against −100.26% on average with the Bet in.
- Fold and lose the Ante Folding costs less here: −100.00% of the Ante, against −100.26% on average with the Bet in.
- Ask to see the bank’s cards first The bank’s three cards stay face down until every player has bet or folded.
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.
BANCA
YOU
- You escalera
- Banca color
- On the table Ante 10 units, Bet 10 units
What does your box get on balance, Ante, Bet and Extra together?
- 10 units lost Not this one. The bets are lost only when the bank plays and holds the higher hand.
- 20 units paid Not this one. The Extra on the Ante is paid for a straight or more, whatever the bank holds.
- 30 units paid The bank plays, and your escalera is the higher hand: Ante and Bet are paid 1 to 1, plus the Extra on the Ante.
The bank plays with a queen or more. When it does not, the Ante is paid 1 to 1 and the Bet stays where it is; when it does, the higher hand takes both, and equal hands are a standoff. The Extra on the Ante is paid for a straight or more, whatever the bank holds.
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: bet or fold by the same count our engine uses for the prices above, and every payment by the rules of the Buenos Aires Province rule book. The wrong answers are named mistakes: the bank’s queen forgotten, the Extra left out, a flush put above a straight, and the Bet taken for paid when the bank 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 defended.
Where to go next, and further reading
18+ under each province’s rules · Play responsibly · the helplines are further up this page
Further reading
- Resolución 1452/12, Anexo I: Central Póker 3 (Reglamento del Juego) · Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos de la Provincia de Buenos AiresA three-card game against the house: the Par o Más table, the Ante and Bet, the bank’s queen and the extra on the Ante.
How it’s worked out
Rules, numbers, sources and hosts
Where the rules come from. Everything on this page follows chapter 19 of resolution 1452/12 of the Buenos Aires Province lottery and casino institute, the rules of Central Póker 3. Central Póker Poceado, in chapters 15 and 16, is a different game with a shared pool and is not covered here.
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 bank can hold from the remaining 49 cards, paid by the rule book’s tables. 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. Two flushes are compared on their highest card only, as the rule book says, and are then a standoff. The Extra is counted for players who stay in with the Bet: a player who folds has lost the Ante it is paid on.
Sources. Every rule on this page carries a button with the sentence it rests on, in the rule book’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. Both bets have 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
Las siguientes son las variantes del juego, de mayor a menor, que surgen de las distintas combinaciones de los valores y palos en los tres naipes que reciben los Apostadores y la Banca.Free translation: The following are the variants of the game, from highest to lowest, that arise from the different combinations of values and suits in the three cards received by the Players and the Bank.
Escalera de color: tres naipes correlativos del mismo palo donde el As se puede utilizar anterior al dos o posterior al Rey. La mayor combinación es Dama, Rey, As. La menor As, Dos, Tres.Free translation: Straight flush: three consecutive cards of the same suit where the Ace can be used before the two or after the King. The highest combination is Queen, King, Ace. The lowest is Ace, Two, Three.
Pierna: tres naipes del mismo número o figura.Free translation: Three of a kind: three cards of the same number or face.
Escalera: tres naipes correlativos y de distinto palo. Al igual que en la Escalera Color la mayor combinación es Dama, Rey, As y la menor As, Dos, Tres.Free translation: Straight: three consecutive cards of different suits. As with the Straight Flush, the highest combination is Queen, King, Ace and the lowest is Ace, Two, Three.
Color: tres naipes del mismo palo sin correlatividad.Free translation: Flush: three cards of the same suit that are not consecutive.
Par: dos naipes del mismo número o figura.Free translation: Pair: two cards of the same number or face.
Sin juego: tres naipes sin combinación algunaFree translation: No hand: three cards with no combination at all
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
Bet or fold
Luego los Apostadores verán sus naipes, salvo los que apostaron únicamente a Par o Más, y decidirán si continúan en el juego apostando al Bet, o retirándose perdiendo su Par o Más y el Ante.Free translation: Then the Players will look at their cards, except those who bet only on Pair Plus, and will decide whether to continue in the game by betting on the Bet, or to withdraw, losing their Pair Plus and the Ante.
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
The bank’s queen
Para calificar el Pagador deberá tener una jugada mínima deFree translation: To qualify, the Pagador must have a minimum hand of
QDe no ser así, pagará la apuesta de Ante 1 a 1 y el Bet quedará como está. Si la Banca califica entonces ganará quien tenga la mayor jugada. De ganar el Apostador, cobrará ambas apuestas 1 a 1.Free translation: Otherwise, the Ante bet will be paid 1 to 1 and the Bet will remain as it is. If the Bank qualifies, then whoever has the highest hand will win. If the Player wins, both bets will be paid 1 to 1.
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
Par o Más table
Par o Más: Apuesta inicial que realiza un Apostador antes del reparto de naipes. Su objetivo es obtener como mínimo un par. Esta apuesta es independiente de los naipes del Pagador.Free translation: Pair Plus: Initial bet made by a Player before the cards are dealt. Its objective is to obtain at least a pair. This bet is independent of the Pagador's cards.
La apuesta de Par o Más se pagará de acuerdo a la siguiente tabla de combinaciones, sin tomar en cuenta las naipes de la Banca:Free translation: The Pair Plus bet will be paid according to the following table of combinations, without taking into account the Bank's cards:
Escalera color 40 a 1Free translation: Straight flush 40 to 1
Pierna 30 a 1Free translation: Three of a kind 30 to 1
Escalera 6 a 1Free translation: Straight 6 to 1
Color 4 a 1Free translation: Flush 4 to 1
Par 1 a 1Free translation: Pair 1 to 1
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
Two games in one
Es un juego de los denominados de contrapartida practicado con naipes del tipo francés. El objetivo de cada jugador es conseguir una de las variantes propuestas o bien tener una combinación superior a la de la Banca. Son dos juegos en uno; ambas opciones se harán con los mismos tres naipes iniciales.Free translation: It is a game of the type known as banked games, played with French-type cards. The objective of each player is to obtain one of the proposed variants or else to have a higher combination than the Bank's. They are two games in one; both options are played with the same three initial cards.
La apuesta de Par o Más es independiente de la apuesta de Ante y Bet.Free translation: The Pair Plus bet is independent of the Ante and Bet bets.
El Apostador puede optar por realizar una u otra o ambas.Free translation: The Player may choose to make one or the other, or both.
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
Par o Más
Par o Más: Apuesta inicial que realiza un Apostador antes del reparto de naipes. Su objetivo es obtener como mínimo un par. Esta apuesta es independiente de los naipes del Pagador.Free translation: Pair Plus: Initial bet made by a Player before the cards are dealt. Its objective is to obtain at least a pair. This bet is independent of the Pagador's cards.
La apuesta de Par o Más se pagará de acuerdo a la siguiente tabla de combinaciones, sin tomar en cuenta las naipes de la Banca:Free translation: The Pair Plus bet will be paid according to the following table of combinations, without taking into account the Bank's cards:
Escalera color 40 a 1Free translation: Straight flush 40 to 1
Pierna 30 a 1Free translation: Three of a kind 30 to 1
Escalera 6 a 1Free translation: Straight 6 to 1
Color 4 a 1Free translation: Flush 4 to 1
Par 1 a 1Free translation: Pair 1 to 1
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
Ante and Bet
Ante: Apuesta inicial realizada antes de recibir los naipes, que se resuelve comparando la mano del Apostador con la de la Talla.Free translation: Ante: Initial bet made before receiving the cards, which is settled by comparing the Player's hand with that of the Talla.
Bet: Apuesta realizada por el Apostador luego de ver sus naipes, del mismo monto de lo jugado en el Ante.Free translation: Bet: Bet made by the Player after seeing their cards, for the same amount as was played on the Ante.
Las apuestas de Ante y Bet cobraran: Ante y Bet 1 a 1Free translation: The Ante and Bet bets will be paid: Ante and Bet 1 to 1
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
The deck and the deal
El mazo a utilizar durante el juego está compuesto por cincuenta y dos naipes, conformado por cuatro dibujos o palos distintos de trece naipes cada unoFree translation: The deck used during the game is made up of fifty-two cards, consisting of four different designs or suits of thirteen cards each
Se reparten tres naipes cubiertos a cada Apostador y a la Banca, de izquierda a derecha y en tres rondas.Free translation: Three face-down cards are dealt to each Player and to the Bank, from left to right and in three rounds.
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
Seated, private, every deal
Solo podrán intervenir en el juego los Apostadores que se encuentren sentados.Free translation: Only Players who are seated may take part in the game.
Deberán observar sus naipes dentro del perímetro de la mesa y en forma reservada.Free translation: They must look at their cards within the perimeter of the table and in a private manner.
Los Apostadores deberán apostar obligatoriamente en cada una de las tallas, en caso de no hacerlo deberán dejar libre el asiento.Free translation: Players must bet in each and every deal; if they do not, they must leave the seat free.
Las apuestas oscilarán entre un mínimo y máximo establecido por la Superioridad para cada Casino.Free translation: Bets will range between a minimum and a maximum set by the Superioridad for each Casino.
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
The order of hands
Las siguientes son las variantes del juego, de mayor a menor, que surgen de las distintas combinaciones de los valores y palos en los tres naipes que reciben los Apostadores y la Banca.Free translation: The following are the variants of the game, from highest to lowest, that arise from the different combinations of values and suits in the three cards received by the Players and the Bank.
Escalera de color: tres naipes correlativos del mismo palo donde el As se puede utilizar anterior al dos o posterior al Rey. La mayor combinación es Dama, Rey, As. La menor As, Dos, Tres.Free translation: Straight flush: three consecutive cards of the same suit where the Ace can be used before the two or after the King. The highest combination is Queen, King, Ace. The lowest is Ace, Two, Three.
Pierna: tres naipes del mismo número o figura.Free translation: Three of a kind: three cards of the same number or face.
Escalera: tres naipes correlativos y de distinto palo. Al igual que en la Escalera Color la mayor combinación es Dama, Rey, As y la menor As, Dos, Tres.Free translation: Straight: three consecutive cards of different suits. As with the Straight Flush, the highest combination is Queen, King, Ace and the lowest is Ace, Two, Three.
Color: tres naipes del mismo palo sin correlatividad.Free translation: Flush: three cards of the same suit that are not consecutive.
Par: dos naipes del mismo número o figura.Free translation: Pair: two cards of the same number or face.
Sin juego: tres naipes sin combinación algunaFree translation: No hand: three cards with no combination at all
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
Par o Más table
Par o Más: Apuesta inicial que realiza un Apostador antes del reparto de naipes. Su objetivo es obtener como mínimo un par. Esta apuesta es independiente de los naipes del Pagador.Free translation: Pair Plus: Initial bet made by a Player before the cards are dealt. Its objective is to obtain at least a pair. This bet is independent of the Pagador's cards.
La apuesta de Par o Más se pagará de acuerdo a la siguiente tabla de combinaciones, sin tomar en cuenta las naipes de la Banca:Free translation: The Pair Plus bet will be paid according to the following table of combinations, without taking into account the Bank's cards:
Escalera color 40 a 1Free translation: Straight flush 40 to 1
Pierna 30 a 1Free translation: Three of a kind 30 to 1
Escalera 6 a 1Free translation: Straight 6 to 1
Color 4 a 1Free translation: Flush 4 to 1
Par 1 a 1Free translation: Pair 1 to 1
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
The Extra on the Ante
La apuesta de Ante, también tiene un pago adicional o Extra, independiente de la combinación lograda por el tallador, aunque éste no califique o tenga una jugada mejor que la del Apostador. La tabla es la siguiente:Free translation: The Ante bet also has an additional or Extra payment, independent of the combination achieved by the dealer, even if the dealer does not qualify or has a better hand than the Player. The table is as follows:
Escalera color 5 a 1Free translation: Straight flush 5 to 1
Pierna 4 a 1Free translation: Three of a kind 4 to 1
Escalera 1 a 1Free translation: Straight 1 to 1
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
Bet or fold
Luego los Apostadores verán sus naipes, salvo los que apostaron únicamente a Par o Más, y decidirán si continúan en el juego apostando al Bet, o retirándose perdiendo su Par o Más y el Ante.Free translation: Then the Players will look at their cards, except those who bet only on Pair Plus, and will decide whether to continue in the game by betting on the Bet, or to withdraw, losing their Pair Plus and the Ante.
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
The bank’s queen
Para calificar el Pagador deberá tener una jugada mínima deFree translation: To qualify, the Pagador must have a minimum hand of
QDe no ser así, pagará la apuesta de Ante 1 a 1 y el Bet quedará como está. Si la Banca califica entonces ganará quien tenga la mayor jugada. De ganar el Apostador, cobrará ambas apuestas 1 a 1.Free translation: Otherwise, the Ante bet will be paid 1 to 1 and the Bet will remain as it is. If the Bank qualifies, then whoever has the highest hand will win. If the Player wins, both bets will be paid 1 to 1.
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)
Equal hands
Igualdad de Escalera color: define la carta de mayor valor en que termina la escaleraFree translation: Tie between Straight flushes: decided by the highest-value card at which the straight ends
Igualdad de Pierna: la que esté formada por las naipes de mayor valor.Free translation: Tie between Threes of a kind: the one formed by the cards of highest value.
Igualdad de Escalera simple: define la carta de mayor valor en que termina la escalera.Free translation: Tie between plain Straights: decided by the highest-value card at which the straight ends.
Igualdad de Color: el color que tenga la carta de mayor valor.Free translation: Tie between Flushes: the flush that has the card of highest value.
Igualdad de Pares: el par que tenga mayor valor, de subsistir la igualdad se define por el tercer naipe.Free translation: Tie between Pairs: the pair of higher value; if the tie persists, it is decided by the third card.
Igualdad de Sin Juego: define la carta de mayor valor y así sucesivamente.Free translation: Tie between No-hand holdings: decided by the highest-value card and so on in succession.
En cualquier variante, de persistir la igualdad, el Apostador no gana ni pierde.Free translation: In any variant, if the tie persists, the Player neither wins nor loses.
Section Capítulo 19, Central Póker 3: Reglamento del Juego (19.1 a 19.9)