Three Card Poker & Spanish 21

I may be in a position in the near future where I "can play any game but blackjack." I've dabbled at three card poker where the strategy is play Queen-8 and better and always play the pairs plus bet. Is that right? If not, what is basic strategy? What is the house edge? Does it make any sense for the pairs plus bet to exceed the ante?

I've read Walker's Spanish 21 and am not sure I will have basic strategy down pat by the time of my trip. Is it ok to bring a typed up basic strategy card to the table, as it allowed in blackjack? It wouldn't be a full basic strategy card. I'm surprised how different basic strategy is in Spanish 21 to blackjack. As she describes in the book, I could imagine many arguments over basic strategy (most people probably don't even know one exists) at the table.

Thanks in advance.

The e.v. maximizing strategy for Three Card Poker is to not play, as that has an e.v. of 0% :-)

But, if you are going to play, the best strategy is to only play Q64 or better. With this strategy, the house edge is 2.01% as a percentage of your ante and play bets combined, or 3.37% as a percentage of your initial ante bet only. This assumes the most favorable (5-4-1) ante bonus schedule, which is also the most common.

The house edge on the Pair Plus bet depends on the pay schedule, but the most common one gives 7.28%, making Pair Plus a bet to avoid.

I've never tried bringing a strategy card to a Spanish 21 table, but I'd be surprised if it caused a problem.

David

I'm surprised that the advantage is so big, particularly on the pairs plus bet (I'm not doubting you). Maybe I'll just flat bet red or black on roulette. (I couldn't see myself doing that.)
If I can't play blackjack, I guess I'll bring a cheat sheet to Spanish 21 (still have a while to learn it) and play some poker.
Thanks for the info. How long did it take you to learn BS for Spanish 21? How would you compare your results to your BJ play? What percentage of people come close to BS in Spanish 21? Is there a lot of sniping at the table for hands played "wrong"? Thanks again.

Go to http://wizardofodds.com/ and print out Sp21 BS for the game you intend to play (H17, S17, redoubling, etc.) I've seen people refer to BS cards (myself included at times) and I've even seen one guy refer to a book (not Walker's) that had a chapter on Sp21.

It's not too hard to learn. Forget about all the composition-dependent plays (D3, S3, etc.) if you're just starting. Assuming you're not counting, just remember to always hit your 12s and 13s and learn the soft hand plays. Those are most of the differences from BJ right there. Also, don't forget you can double at any time, so if you get a 3 card 11, double it.

P.S. Don't play 3CP unless you're hole carding

I have the basic strategies from Walker's book but I guess I will cross check with wizard of odds. I have to learn both H17 and S17 since I understand the rules are different in LV and the east coast. Is re-doubling offered in most games (and is it different in LV and CT/AC?) Thanks.

I'm just starting to learn Sp21. One of the problems for me is that the rules at my local casinos are different, some allowing redoubling and others not. Since the strategy for the two is quite different, I've decided to only play the games that allow redoubling.

I only play east coast Sp21. The LV games are poor (all H17 w/o redoubling.) Speaking of east coast Sp21, be aware that at Mohegan Sun, you only get one card when you resplit aces. That adds about 0.3% to the HA, making it similar to an H17 w/o redoubling game.

Another thing to consider - I presume from your online name you use the Revere count. If so, it will take some getting used to the HiLo tags. If you wong out of negative counts, you'll only need a handful of indices, so it's not too hard.

My name comes Revere's book, which was my first BJ book. When I joined this forum many years, I thought I knew it all from that book. But I've certainly learned a lot from this forum. Sorry to hear about the LV Sp 21 game. Do all of the Harrah's games have those rules? Thanks for your help.

My bank is small but my knife is sharp and I relish my work. I wong in at -2 and wong out at -4. I limit myself to the redoubling provision.

No BJ.
No three card poker.
No Spanish 21.
What should I play in Vegas?

No BJ.
No three card poker.
No Spanish 21.
What should I play in Vegas?

How about yourself! Maybe that will take some time off your hands to where you won't be posting about other games in a "public" forum.

Regards,
PM

Tell me you haven't gotten banned from every last BJ game in Vegas. Now *that* would be an impressive feat!

If you need to play something in your hotel for comps or whatever, VP is the usual route, or whoop it up at the craps tables. (Pass line/odds bets). Pretty small house edge.

Learn how to count cards at the craps table. Should be a piece of cake for someone of your caliber.

between you and Praying Mantis as the biggest asshole on the board. Too close to call.

Sorry I took space away from all of the other scintillating threads during the weekend. What a crime, posting about other games on a public forum, even though Spanish 21 is a type of BJ. I hope there were no big secrets given away on this public forum. Play Queen, 6, 4 in three card poker. Now all the casinos are going to know we know basic strategy. You probably called yourself Praying Mantis during elementary school so the girls wouldn't beat you up. What a loser.

I've always been too afraid to play there. You are right--playing to satisfy comp requirements. Since rooms are so cheap in LV, maybe the better route is to pay for the room and play wherever I want. I know BS for video poker (Jacks or Better), so maybe I'll play craps and VP. Thanks.

Last trip I was told I could play any game but blackjack. Not sure if they put me in Griffin or have a note in my file since I am still getting comp offers. I realize the two departments don't coordinate all the time but not sure what will happen when and if I give my comp card at these properties.

Good call. I wouldn't hesitate to play anonymously in nearby places either if it were me. Unless you're pretty high stakes (or were formally tresspassed) it seems like the risk is pretty small. Enjoy!