Three Card Poker reference library

Six Card Bonus and Other Side Bets

Understand side bets that combine the player’s cards with dealer cards or pay special three-card events.

Bottom line: A side bet using six available cards is not a six-card poker hand in the ordinary sense; the rules usually select the best five-card hand from those cards.

Six Card Bonus

The common structure combines the player’s three cards and dealer’s three cards, then evaluates the best five-card poker hand. Pay tables often begin at three of a kind and rise to a royal flush.

Dealer qualification and the Ante/Play decision normally do not affect this settlement.

Mini royal and progressives

Some games pay A-K-Q suited as a mini royal or fund a progressive jackpot from an additional wager. Exact eligibility can depend on suit, bet amount, or linked meter.

Reset value and contribution rate matter when estimating progressive return.

Outcome overlap

A player can lose the base hand while winning a side bet, or vice versa. Promotional descriptions should not imply that a side-bet win improves the base strategy.

Maximum aggregate payouts can cap simultaneous awards.

Evaluation

Enumerate all eligible card combinations under the exact number of decks and selection rule. Multiply category probability by net payout and subtract losses.

Do not borrow a return from a visually similar table.

Practical checklist

  • Best-five selection rule
  • Complete pay table
  • Progressive meter and eligibility
  • Maximum payout caps
  • Independence from dealer qualification
Scope and review

Rules, probabilities, and payouts apply only to the model stated on this page. Posted casino rules control when they differ. Last reviewed September 20, 2026.