I’ve mentioned there are several optional pay tables at Pair Plus in Three Card Poker. The most common has a house edge of 7.28 percent, and differs from the 2.31-percent version that made its popularity breakthrough in Mississippi in the 1990s by paying 3-1 instead of 4-1 on flushes.
That prompted a reader to ask for background. “Why isn’t the pay table standard?” she asked.
Players should understand that many games come with variable house edges, and casinos choose which to offer. Slot machines are available with different payback percentages, video poker games of the same type have varying pay tables, blackjack has all sorts of rules options, casinos offer different free odds multiples in craps, roulette comes in single-zero and double-zero varieties, and so on.
Three Card Poker originally was marketed with a single pay table for the Pair Plus option — the 2.32 percent version. That’s lower than the edge on many table games, and casinos wanted options that would boost the house advantage.
When they select game options, casinos are trying to maximize profits. They have to weigh a few factors. Obviously, per dollar wagered, the 7.28 percent game will make more money for the casino than the 2.32 percent version.
That has to be weighed against whether customers will continue to play the game that is tougher on their bankroll. and whether they will be repeat customers at a game that takes more money faster.
If play had dropped dramatically with the new pay table, casinos would have made less money on the game even while making more money per dollar wagered. A total of $100,000 in wagers would lead to an average of $2,320 in casino profits on the original game, but if the wager total drops to $25,000 on the revised pay table, casino profits drop to $1,820 despite the higher house edge.
The pay table with the higher house edge has survived and flourished, and that tells us customers are still playing the game.
