How to Play 3 Shot Poker: One Decision, Three Hands

In 3 Shot Poker under Colorado rules, you receive two hole cards and make one decision: fold or stay by adding two equal wagers. Three community cards are then revealed. Each forms a separate three-card hand with your two hole cards, and each hand pays for a pair or better. The optional 5 Shot wager evaluates all five cards separately.

This guide covers Colorado rule 30-1099.58, effective April 14, 2026—not universal rules for every operator. The primary source is the official Colorado rulebook, pages 502–505.

How the Deal and Decision Work

Place the first shot wager, look at your two hole cards, then either fold or place the second and third shot wagers. There are no further decisions after the community cards are exposed.

The sequence in the Colorado rules is:

1. Before the deal, place the first shot wager. You may also place the separate optional 5 Shot wager.
2. Receive and look at your two hole cards.
3. Fold, or stay by placing the second and third shot wagers. Each must equal the first shot wager.
4. The dealer reveals all three community cards, labeled for the first, second and third shots.
5. Each main-game wager is settled using both hole cards plus its corresponding community card.

The community cards do not combine into one five-card main-game hand. You have three separate three-card hands, with no dealer hand to beat.

For example, with a $5 first shot wager, staying requires another $5 + $5. Your total main-game stake is $15, excluding any 5 Shot wager.

English Colorado rule excerpt showing the hole cards and single decision in 3 Shot Poker

Official Colorado rule 30-1099.58. This screenshot shows the English original.

What Colorado Table 1 Pays

Colorado main-game Table 1 pays each qualifying three-card hand separately, starting with a pair and reaching 50:1 for an A-K-Q royal flush. This schedule comes from the official Colorado rule; do not assume every table uses it.

“Pays X to 1” means X units of profit plus the return of the winning stake. A $5 wager paying 50:1 therefore returns $250 in profit plus the $5 stake: $255 gross. A $5 wager paying 1:1 returns $10 gross. A losing wager returns nothing.

English Colorado Table 1 showing the main-game 3 Shot Poker paytable

Official Colorado paytable, shown in its original English.

How the Optional 5 Shot Wager Differs

The 5 Shot wager evaluates one five-card hand made from both hole cards and all three community cards, rather than the three separate main-game hands. It must be placed before the deal and remains live if you fold the main game.

Under the Colorado rules, a pair of tens or better qualifies, and only the highest qualifying hand is paid. Operators may use Colorado 5 Shot Table 2 or Table 3, so check that paytable separately.

Table numbers belong to their source. Colorado’s 5 Shot Table 2 is not Wizard of Odds’ main-game Paytable 2.

Which Basic Strategy Fits This Paytable?

For the matching schedule, Wizard of Odds recommends staying with any pair, any two suited cards or an outside straight draw. Otherwise, its basic recommendation is to fold.

Colorado main-game Table 1 matches Wizard of Odds main-game Paytable 2. This recommendation comes from the Wizard of Odds analysis, updated August 3, 2026.

An outside straight draw can be completed at either end. With 7 and 8, for example, a 6 or 9 completes a three-card straight. Two suited cards qualify under the separate suited-card condition.

Wizard’s additional inside-draw conditions apply to its other schedules, not this one. This strategy does not establish that the optional 5 Shot wager is worthwhile, and it does not guarantee profit.

A Full-Hand Example: Gross Return and Net Result

The hypothetical hand below returns $269 gross, giving a net profit of $252 after subtracting all $17 wagered. It illustrates settlement under the specified paytables, not real play or a predicted outcome.

Assume:

• A $5 first shot wager.
• Hole cards of A♠ K♠.
• You stay and add $5 + $5.
• Community cards, in order, of Q♠, 9♦ and K♦.
• A separate $2 5 Shot wager using Colorado 5 Shot Table 2.

Total stakes: $17. Gross return: $269. Net result: $269 − $17 = +$252.

These calculations use profit-to-one payouts from the Colorado rules. Only winning stakes are returned, and no rounding is needed in this example.

What House Edge and Expected Loss Mean

For this model, Wizard reports a 6.3348% house edge on the initial wager and a 3.54% element of risk on average total action. These percentages use different wager bases; neither is the probability of losing a hand.

The Wizard of Odds analysis gives average main-game action as 1.787330 times the initial wager. That average accounts for rounds in which the player folds rather than adding both remaining wagers.

With a $5 initial wager over 40 rounds, the initial-wager calculation is:

$5 × 6.3348% × 40 = $12.6696, or approximately $12.67 in expected loss.

Because this house edge is already expressed per initial wager, do not multiply it again by the average-action factor. The alternative method uses element of risk multiplied by average total action.

This is a long-run expectation under the analyzed rules and strategy, excluding the optional 5 Shot wager. It does not predict the result of a particular 40-round session or describe the range of possible wins and losses.

How to Reproduce the Calculator Example

In the ToolsGambling house edge calculator, enter 3.54% as the custom percentage, $8.94 as average action per round and 40 rounds. The displayed expected loss is −$12.66.

The calculator applies the supplied percentage to total wagered. For this example, it therefore needs the element of risk, not the house edge measured against the initial wager.

1. Open the calculator and check “Enter a custom house edge”.
2. Enter 3.54% in the custom percentage field. Despite the control’s name, you are supplying element of risk here.
3. Enter $8.94 under bet size. This is rounded average total main-game action per round, not just the first shot wager.
4. Choose “By rounds”.
5. Enter 40 rounds.
6. Read the expected loss: −$12.66.

English calculator results: 3.54% house edge, 40 rounds, $357.6 total wagered and −$12.66 expected loss

Captured in the local project interface; the public calculator page was not checked. The visible result is an expected loss of −$12.66 at a 3.54% house edge over 40 rounds, with $357.6 total wagered.

The calculation is $8.94 × 3.54% × 40 = $12.66, rounded to cents. Its difference from the $12.67 initial-wager result comes from using rounded source values: 3.54% and $8.94.

The calculator cannot model 3 Shot Poker directly. It does not derive the strategy, house edge or average action, and it does not calculate 5 Shot outcomes, hand probabilities or session variance. You must supply the model’s inputs yourself.

What to Check Before Playing

Check the main-game paytable, the separate 5 Shot paytable and when the play-or-fold decision occurs. The strategy and mathematical figures above apply only when the relevant rules and payouts match the analyzed model.

Do not confuse 3 Shot Poker with Three Card Poker. The structure described here uses two hole cards, three community cards evaluated separately and one decision before those community cards are exposed.

A paytable lets you calculate the return for a known hand. Expected loss estimates the average cost under a specified model. Neither establishes what your next hand or a single session will return, and this guide does not establish current casino availability.