In Florida, 15 racino card rooms offer 3-Card Poker, a proprietary game offered by Scientific Games that pays the holder of a mini royal flush 200-to-1, compared to 2-to-1 for Texas Hold ‘em. That’s one reason some observers said 3-Card Poker accounts for a 10 percent increase in Florida poker business in 2016 over 2015.
The Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering authorized the games in 2014. The Naples greyhound track and card room was the first to take advantage, in January 2015, asking that slightly different versions of 3-Card Poker, pai-gow, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘em and Casino War be classified as poker. The card room uses a designated player rather than a house-banked card game like the Seminole casinos. Magic City Casino in Miami, which has the same owners as Naples, began offering the games soon after.
But last year during compact negotiations the Seminole Tribe of Florida asked that the games stop. The state complied with the tribe’s request and issued an administrative order. Isle Casino in Pompano Beach pulled its 3-Card Poker games, along with Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. Still, 3-Card Poker continues to be offered in many locations. A hearing on the issue is set for July 2016.
