The basic strategy is very simple, fold on any of the following: Overall, the game is actually better than the licensed version, even though you have to pay collection on each bet (at the least, collection costs 1% of your bet). (The Wizard Of Odds doesn’t provide a strategy for the Ocean’s 11 version of California Three Card Poker.) I then simulated the game to verify my results. I wanted to see how this game compared to the licensed version, so I wrote some programs to analyze basic strategy. And they pay off 200:1 on the Pair Plus bonus bet for royal flushes, whereas the licensed game only pays 40:1 for all straight flushes. The Ocean’s 11 version just pays even money on the ante for all winners, and when the dealer doesn’t qualify.
It’s also a little different than the licensed casino game, which pays an ante bonus for 3-of-a-kind or better. At the Ocean’s 11 Cardroom in Oceanside, CA, they play a version of Three Card Poker, where you get to see one of the dealer’s up cards.
