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In Three-Two-One, each player is dealt six cards and must then exchange exactly three cards, then exactly two, then exactly one, or fold, with a round of betting after each change. Each player finally puts one card into a face-down trash hand; the best five-card hand wins the pot, and any player whose hand fails to beat the trash hand pays a forfeit. Contributed by Treetop Collier, as published on pagat.com.
Also known as 3-2-1
Three-Two-One was contributed by Treetop Collier and published on pagat.com. It is a draw poker game for three to five players, played with a standard 52-card deck. There are no wild cards in the basic game.
Hands are ranked by the standard poker hand rankings. Each player finishes with five cards.
The object is to win the pot with the best hand at showdown, and also to avoid holding a hand that fails to beat the trash hand (see article 4).
Each player antes. The dealer deals each player six cards face down, in three batches: three cards, then two, then one.
The dealer also deals cards face down to the centre of the table to start the trash hand. The number depends on the number of players, so that the trash hand will finish with five cards:
2.2(a) Three players: two trash cards.
2.2(b) Four players: one trash card.
2.2(c) Five players: no trash cards at this stage.
A round of betting follows the deal.
The name of the game comes from the three draws. At each one, a player has no choice about how many cards to change.
| Stage | What each player must do | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Deal | Receive six cards | Betting round |
| First draw | Change exactly three cards, or fold | Betting round |
| Second draw | Change exactly two cards, or fold | Betting round |
| Third draw | Change exactly one card, or fold | Betting round |
| Trash discard | Put one card face down into the trash hand | Showdown |
At the first draw, each active player shall either discard exactly three cards and receive three replacements, or fold. Changing fewer or more is not allowed.
At the second draw, each active player shall either change exactly two cards, or fold.
At the third draw, each active player shall either change exactly one card, or fold.
There is a round of betting after each draw.
With five players, the 22 cards left after the deal are not enough for every player to draw six. The source does not cover this. The dealer shall announce before the deal how a shortage is handled; the usual practice in draw poker is to shuffle the discards to form a new stock.
After the last betting round, each remaining player discards one card face down into the trash hand, leaving themselves with five cards. If any players have folded, the dealer adds cards from the deck until the trash hand has five cards.
The remaining players show their hands. The best five-card hand wins the pot.
The trash hand is then turned face up, one card at a time. Any player in the showdown whose hand fails to beat the trash hand shall pay a forfeit.
The size of the forfeit shall be agreed before play. In the inventor's group, the forfeit is a larger ante to buy into the next hand, worth half of the pot.
Beating the trash hand
Four players; two have folded. At showdown:
Player A: Q♠Q♦8♣8♥3♠, two pair, queens and eights.
Player B: 10♣10♥9♠6♦2♣, a pair of tens.
Player A wins the pot. The trash hand is then turned: J♣J♦7♠5♥2♦, a pair of jacks.
Player A's two pair beats the trash hand. Player B's pair of tens does not, so Player B must also pay the forfeit.
Wild card. The first trash card is dealt face up. The card of the same rank and the opposite colour is wild: if a black three is turned, the red threes are wild. With three players, when two trash cards are dealt, the player to the dealer's right chooses one of them to turn.
Passing. Instead of drawing new cards from the deck at each change, players pass the required number of cards to the player on their left.
Trash as community cards. The trash hand is used as shared cards that every player may combine with their own, as in Cincinnati or Texas Hold'em. The trash cards are turned one at a time, with a round of betting after each.
With six cards and compulsory draws, a player often holds the start of two different hands and must choose which to pursue. The inventor notes that this choice, and the risk of losing to the trash hand, are what make the game interesting.
No. At each of the three draws you must change exactly the stated number of cards (three, then two, then one) or fold.
A five-card hand made from cards dealt to the centre plus one discard from each remaining player. Any player at the showdown whose hand fails to beat it pays a forfeit agreed before the game.
Three to five. The number of trash cards dealt at the start (two, one or none) is set so that the trash hand ends up with five cards.
Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.
Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.
Three-Two-One Rules · OPR-614 · officialpokerrules.com/three-two-one/