Three-Card Poker: Origin, Reinvention and Evolution

The game of Poker has a rich history that is even now just unfolding as it continues to spawn numerous new permutations. One such incarnation is Three-Card Poker.

Three-Card Poker is of course descended from the classic game of Poker. No one is clear on just where the name "poker" came from. Some experts on poker history believe that it was derived from the German word "pochen" which means, "to bluff," while others say it was adapted from a French card game known as "Poque."

The traditional modern Poker game everyone is familiar with today got its start in the rivers of Mississippi and Ohio in the 19th century. In this case, the name of the game had been credited to a gambler named Jonathan Green, who first encountered the game in 1834. Referred to by Green as "the cheating game," it is believed that the pickpocket's phrase "poke" may be a possible source for the name poker. In fact, card players of the time even referred to their winnings as "pokes."

At this stage in poker's early development, the game was played with 20 cards consisting of 12 face cards, 4 tens, and 4 aces. As the game gradually developed, the number of cards in the deck increased to 32 cards, and eventually to 52 cards. From the riverboat casinos of Mississippi, poker reached shore and gained popularity across the United States, most notably during the Civil War and especially during the Gold Rush. Nearly two centuries since then, poker has gone on to be one of the most popular card games in the world today.

In the almost 200 years of poker's existence, it had given birth to numerous variations, from the 5-card stud and 7-card draw to the current favorite among poker variants, Texas Hold'em. Yet even more poker variations have been abounding, one of which being the Three-card poker.

A relatively new addition to the poker scene, Three-card poker appears to have been based on a British card game known as Brag. Originally known as Primero and then later as Post-and-Pair, it was a betting game played with three cards. Wild cards named Braggers were later introduced into the game, which eventually came to be renamed as Brag.

Three-card poker is said to have been around for decades, but the present version played in casinos has been credited to British poker player Derek Webb. Legend has it that Webb came up with the game in Las Vegas after getting bored with all the usual poker games played in the casinos. The game was first named Brit-Brag, then Casino-Brag, until finally settling with the simpler and much more specific Three-Card Poker.

The evolution of Three-card poker continued as it went online. The game has become a mainstay in online casinos where it has been played under a number of names such as Tri-card poker and Tri-poker. Online three-card poker is in fact a two-in-one game; the Ante and Play game, wherein one plays against the dealer to see who has the highest poker hand, and the Pair Plus, where one bets on whether they will be dealt a winning poker hand of a pair or better.

Three-Card Poker is just one more chapter in the ongoing history of the Poker game. And even as poker's legacy is assured, its three-card progeny is poised to blaze a trail all its own.