Monte Carlo (Three Card Guts)
Three card guts, players able to put together flushes and straights in determining their hand. A declare round following the deal, followed by all players “in” showing their hand. Best hand collects the pot, all others match the pot.
What-beats-what:
Monte Carlo is the fancy name for three-card Guts. It is as simple as two card Guts with the exception of more possible hands made out of three cards. Unlike two card Guts, there are more possible hands than simply a High Card or Pair, but unlike genuine Poker games, there are not as many possible hands. Obviously with three cards, a player cannot put together Two Pairs, a Full House, or a Four-of-a-Kind. A player can, however, put together the obvious High Card and Pair, as well as a Straight, a Flush, a Straight Flush, or a Three of a Kind.
A Straight in Monte Carlo is simply three cards in sequence, for example, a 9-10-Jack. A Flush is simply three cards of the same suit, for example, a player who is dealt three Diamond-suited cards. A Straight Flush is three cards in sequence that are of the same suit. Obviously, Monte Carlo follows its own ‘what beats what’ table, that works as follows:
- High Card: Nothing matches up or amounts to anything in the player’s hand. The highest card in the player’s hand is the High Card. For example, if the highest card is a King, the player has what is called a King-high
- Pair: Self-explanatory, the player has two cards that match. For example, a pair of Queens.
- Straight: Three cards in sequence, regardless of suit.
- Flush: Three cards of the same suit, regardless of sequence.
- Three-of-a-Kind: Self-explanatory, the player has three cards that match. For example, three Sevens.
- traight Flush: Three cards that are in sequence and that are all of the same suit. For example, a 4-5-6 and all of them Spades.
Some tables take different opinions on what beats what between a Three-of-a-Kind and a Straight Flush, some tables favouring a Three-of-a-Kind as the best possible Monte Carlo hand. The dealer or house rules will need to determine which is better of the two.
Mathematically speaking, the poker hand statistically harder to get should be the better hand. Based on this logic, not only should the Straight Flush beat the Three-of-a-Kind, but a regular Straight should beat a Flush (again, this based on the mathematical probability of three-card hands). In this case, the sequence would be: High Card => Pair => Flush => Straight => Three-of-a-kind => Straight Flush
It is tantamount that the dealer clarify before it is dealt.
Description:
Three cards are dealt to each player. Beginning in sequence after the dealer, players call in or out. Those players that call in, without any kind of draw or betting round, throw down their three-card hands. The player who called in with the best hand at the table wins the pot, the others who called in match the pot. The game is re-dealt a la Guts theme, where it ends when one player calls in.
