Play skill games online with William Hill online gaming site
Brag
Brag is the classic British card game, first played in the 16th Century.
Players are dealt 3 cards, with 2 betting rounds, and 1 draw. Up to 6 players vie to get a high card, a pair, a flush, a run, or the best hand Prial 3's! Full hand rankings can be found in the 'Hand Rankings' section.
This game is played with fixed limit 'Poker Style' betting.
Game Instructions:
Basics
Three cards are dealt to each player. There are two betting rounds, with fixed limits, one before the draw and one after the draw. The best hand wins the pot
Hand Rankings:
The hands are ranked similarly to that in poker but with some key differences. The best and worst combinations are listed below:
|
Ranking |
Best Hand |
2nd Best |
3rd Best |
Worst |
|
Prial (3 of a Kind) |
3,3,3 |
A,A,A |
K,K,K |
2,2,2 |
|
Running Flush (1) |
A,2,3 |
A,K,Q |
K,Q,J |
4,3,2 |
|
Run (2) |
A,2,3 |
A,K,Q |
K,Q,J |
4,3,2 |
|
Flush |
A,K,J |
A,K,10 |
A,K,9 |
5,3,2 |
|
Pair |
A,A |
K,K |
Q,Q |
2,2 |
|
High Card |
A |
K |
Q |
5 |
(1) Cards must be of the same suit
(2) Cards can be of any suit
Note:
A pair of 3's has no extra value.
Suits are all the same value.
A run beats a flush
K, A, 2 is not a run.
Sitting Down and Adding Funds:
There are 6 seats to choose from. You can bring between 10x and 50x the big blinds to the table.
Betting and limits:
Blinds
Example from a Regular £1.00-£2.00 table:
Small blind = half size of big blind, left of the dealer (£1.00)
Big blind = double the size of small blind, two to the left of the dealer (£2.00)
NOTE - When two players are playing heads up, the dealer becomes the small blind and the other player the big blind.
The Deal
3 cards face down to each player
First betting round
Fixed limit betting with each bet half the table stake size (size of the big blind). Example from a Regular table, stake £2.00. There is a maximum of 3 raises in this betting round unless two players are playing heads up. If a player has not viewed their cards yet and is playing blind they pay half of the bet.
The draw
Players may exchange 0, 1, 2, or all 3 cards. This happens in turn starting from the left of the dealer.
Final betting round
The fixed bet size is now the table stakes and is double the previous round i.e. 2x the big blind. The action starts from the left of the dealer. There is a maximum of 3 raises in this betting round unless two players are playing heads up. Once betting has finished players reveal their cards and the best hand wins.
The Blind rule explained
Players who have not yet looked at their hole cards may call bets for half price. Blind players cannot raise the pot, only call or fold. Blind players may look at their cards at any time; thereafter they are treated as normal players. Blind players may draw blind if they wish (although there is little point!). All players start every round blind by default.
Miscellaneous rules
All cards are shuffled after each round.
All suits have the same value.
Basic Strategy:
Know your opponent
When playing brag you need to be pay attention to how your opponents are playing: loose or tight, aggressive or passive? On a table with tight players be prepared to bluff more often. If your table is playing loose then run draws become more attractive and you should also consider playing blind more often.
Mix up your strategy
Playing a fixed way in Brag means your opponents will be able to read you easily. Mix up when you look at your hands, how often you call or raise and how many cards you draw in different situations. You need to play your opponent as much as the cards you're dealt.
Know your odds
How often will a pair improve into a flush? How often will my opponent hit a pair holding an ace? There are 22,100 different combinations of hands in 3 card brag. Take a look at the odds tables below and try and remember a couple of them as they can be very useful.
Chance of being dealt any hand pre draw
|
Rank |
Frequency |
% Chance |
|
Prial 3, 3, 3 |
4 |
0.0002 |
|
Running Flush |
48 |
0.2172 |
|
3 of a Kind |
52 |
0.2353 |
|
Run |
720 |
3.2579 |
|
Flush |
1096 |
4.9593 |
|
Pair |
3744 |
16.9412 |
|
High Card |
16440 |
74.3891 |
|
TOTAL |
22100 |
100.0 |
Chance of Completion: Drawing Hands
|
Drawing Hand |
Chances of Completion |
% Chance |
|
Two suited cards to a flush |
One in 4.3 |
22.9% |
|
Pair into a Prial |
One in 24 |
4.2% |
|
Open ended Run |
One in 6 |
16.7% |
|
Inside Run |
One in 12 |
8.3% |
|
Running Flush(open at both ends) |
One in 24 |
4.2% |
|
Running Flush (open on the inside) |
One in 48 |
2.1% |
|
Holding one card and getting at least a pair |
One in 3.9 |
25.6% |
Brag Rake:
The table below displays the betting limits and rake on a 6 handed table of Brag at the following stake levels.
Please note that there will be no rake on pots which contain only the blinds:
Fixed-limit tables:
| Small Blind | Big Blind | Min. Buy-In | Max. Buy-In | Rake % | 2 Players Max Rake | 3 / 4 Players Max Rake | 5 / 6 Players Max Rake |
| £0.20 | £0.40 | £4.00 | £100.00 | 5% | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| £0.50 | £1.00 | £10.00 | £250.00 | 5% | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| £1.00 | £2.00 | £20.00 | £500.00 | 5% | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| £2.00 | £4.00 | £40.00 | £1000.00 | 5% | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
No-Limit tables:
| Small Blind | Big Blind | Min. Buy-in | Max. Buy-in | Rake % | 2 Players Max Rake | 3 / 4 Players Max Rake | 5 / 6 Players Max Rake |
| £0.20 | £0.40 | £4.00 | £40.00 | 5% | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| £0.50 | £1.00 | £10.00 |
£100.00 | 5% | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| £1.00 | £2.00 | £20.00 | £200.00 | 5% | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| £2.00 | £4.00 | £40.00 | £400.00 | 5% |
1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
Please note – when joining a Brag table, you will be asked how much money you would like to bring to it in your own default currency. When playing, you will notice that your money has been converted into British Pounds and will be converted back to your default currency again on leaving the table.
