3 Player card games can be heaps of fun because with only three players, each turn can have a significant impact on the outcome of the game, leading to exciting and unpredictable gameplay. The game often tends to move quickly, and because of this, such card games often require a high degree of strategy and skill to win, making them thoroughly challenging and engaging.
Many 3 Player card games are relatively easy to learn, making them a popular choice among card players. Here is a tight list of an exciting bunch of 3 Player card games that you can play right away and stir up the action.
10 Best 3 Player Card Games in India
1. Hearts Game
2. Texas Hold’em
3. Call Break
4. Pool 51 Rummy
5. Rummy
6. T23 Card Game
7. SlapJack Game
8. Oh Hell!
9. Open Face Chinese Poker
10. Crazy Eights
1. Hearts Game
Hearts is a popular trick-taking card game that can be played with 3 to 6 players. It requires both skill and strategy making it a popular choice for casual and competitive players alike. The objective of the game is to avoid taking certain cards, namely the Queen of Spades and any Hearts, as these cards carry penalty points.
To begin the game, a standard 52-card deck is shuffled and dealt out to each player in a clockwise direction, with each player receiving 13 cards. The player with the 2 of Clubs starts the first trick, and players must follow suit if possible. If a player cannot follow suit, they may play any card in their hand. The player who wins each trick leads the next one. The game continues in this manner until all 13 tricks have been played.
After each trick, players count up the number of penalty points they have collected in the form of any Hearts or the Queen of Spades. In the end, the player with the lowest number of penalty points is declared the winner.
2. Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em is among the best 3 player card games you can enjoy any given time of the day. Texas Hold’em requires skill, strategy and applying reverse psychology tha can thrill and engage players of all levels.
The goal of the game is to have the best five-card hand at the end of each round of betting.
To start, each player is dealt 2 cards face down, known as “hole cards”. The 1st round of betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer, who can choose to bet, check (if no one has bet yet), or fold (give up their hand). Betting continues clockwise around the table until all players have either folded or called the highest bet.
After the first betting round, 3 community cards are dealt face up on the table, known as the “flop”. Another round of betting ensues, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
A 4th community card, called the “turn”, is dealt face up on the table, followed by another round of betting. Finally, the 5th and final community card ,called the “river”, is revealed, followed by a final round of betting.
The player with the best five-card hand combining their hole cards and the community cards wins the pot. If two or more players have the same hand, the pot is split evenly between them.
3. Call Break
Call Break is an engaging trick-taking card game played with a standard 52-card deck between 3 to 4 players. The goal is to win as many tricks as possible while predicting the number of tricks that a player can win before the start of each round.
At the beginning of each round, players must predict the number of tricks they think they will win by calling a number between 1 and 13. The player who makes the most accurate prediction earns the most points for that round.
The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick, and each player must follow suit if possible. The game continues in this manner until all 13 tricks have been played.
Points are awarded based on the number of tricks won. If a player fails to win the number of tricks they predicted, they receive negative points. This 3 player card game requires strategic decisions that can challenge players of all levels.
4. Pool 51 Rummy
Pool 51 Rummy is one of the fastest variations of 13 Card Rummy and is a great choice if you are three players. Here, all players must pay an entrance fee to participate that will form the prize pool.
The goal is to make valid melds constituting sequences and sets and be the last player to get eliminated by keeping one’s points to the minimum. As the name suggests, the game eliminates any player who scores 51 points or more.
In order to make a valid combination, you need to form three type of combinations that include:
Pure Sequence
A pure sequence is formed of three or more cards in a serial order without the help of wild cards. An example of a pure sequence would be Ace of Hearts, King of Hearts and Queen of Hearts.
Impure Sequence
Any sequence that includes a wild card makes an impure sequence. If we take the same example above, An Ace of Hearts, King of Hearts and a Wild card can form an impure sequence.
Set
A set is formed of three or more cards of the same rank but of different suits. An example of a set would be King of Hearts, King of Clubs and King of Diamonds.
The winner in Pool Rummy is the last standing player with the least number of points.
5. Rummy
There are a wide variety of card games that people love to play, but one classic game that always seems to be a favorite is Rummy. Rummy can be played with as few as two players or as many as six, making it a great game for any size group. The objective of the game is to remove all of the cards from your hand by melding them into sets or runs.
6. T23 Card Game
T23 is one of the fun 3 player card games that can be played with two to eight players. According to the T23 Card Game’s rules, each participant is dealt 8 cards. The countdown of 45 seconds starts as soon as you get your cards, so you have to move quickly to arrange them. So round up some friends on the CardBaazi app and give T23 card game a try – it’s sure to spill in hours of fun.
7. SlapJack Game
Let’s add a quirky one to the list of 3 player card games. Slapjack is an interesting game that helps you improve your reflexes and hand eye coordination. To begin, the deck is shuffled and one player deals the cards face-down, one at a time, to all players. Players take turns revealing their top card and place it face-up in the center of the table.
If a player reveals a Jack, the first player to slap their hand on top of the Jack wins the entire pile of cards in the center of the table. The player who wins the most cards by quickly slapping the deck becomes the winner.
However, if a player slaps the pile when it is not a Jack, they must give one card from their own pile to the player whose card was on top of the pile when it was slapped. The game can also include additional rules, such as the ability to slap certain combinations of cards or requiring a certain number of cards in the pile before it can be slapped.
8. Oh Hell!
Trick taking card games are so much fun that another one makes it to the list of 3 player card games. Oh Hell is a fun trick-taking card game played with 3-7 players. In each round, players predict the number of tricks they will win and then try to reach that exact number. The game is played over multiple rounds, however, the number of cards dealt to each player increases by one in each round.
The highest card of the suit led in each round wins the trick. The player who wins the trick then leads the next trick. At the end of each round, players receive points based on their accuracy in predicting the number of tricks they would win. The player with the highest score wins the game.
This game may sound a lot like Call Break, however, the challenge here is amped up. You cannot win more or less the number of tricks than you bid or predicted. Only scoring the exact number of bids shall win you this game.
9. Open Face Chinese Poker
Open Face Chinese Poker (OFC) is a variant of Chinese Poker and is one of the best 3 player card games out there. The game is played over multiple hands and the objective is to win more points than your opponents.
All players receive 14 cards out of which they ust use 13 cards to form the best 13 card hand. This hand is caterozied into three separate rows- top, middle and bottom.
The top row has three cards and the middle and bottom row should consist of 5 card hands each. Each row must be formed of hands stronger than the row below. Players cannot move a card once it has been placed.
The game continues until all players have completed their rows. Points are awarded based on the strength of each player’s hand in each row, with stronger hands earning more points.
For example, in the top row, a royal flush would earn 20 points, a straight flush would earn 10 points, and a three-of-a-kind would earn 6 points. In the bottom row, a flush would earn 4 points, a straight gets 2 points, and a pair would earn 1 point. Players can also earn bonus points for certain combinations, such as making a flush in all three rows.
OFC is a strategic game wherein you must carefully consider your moves and anticipate their opponents’ hands. It can take some time to learn, but once you get the hang of it, it can provide hours of entertainment.
We are certain that choosing to play any of these games above shall lead to hours of fun. So, go ahead and get your jam on with your pals today!
10. Crazy Eights
The crazy Eights card game is a great way to spend some time with friends and family. It’s a simple game that can be learned quickly, and it’s a lot of fun. The goal of the game is to get rid of all of your cards as quickly as possible. The special cards, known as 8s, are the origin for the game’s name, Crazy Eights which specify which suit the following player’s 8 will be.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our list of the best 3 player card games online! These best 3 player card games are all suitable for players of different levels that can offer you hours of fun at a stretch. So gather your friends, family, or co-workers and get ready to have a blast playing these easy 3 player card games.