The online casino game of Vegas Three Card Rummy is enjoying a wave of popularity that compares only to the game it most resembles: Three Card Poker. With players and the dealer receiving three cards, the games are similar, but Vegas Three Card Rummy has better bonus odds for the player, and is actually a point-total poker game.
Vegas Three Card Rummy is played between you and the Dealer with one standard 52-card deck. You are dealt three cards face up and the Dealer takes three cards face down. The goal of Vegas Three Card Rummy is to get fewer points than the Dealer. Once you learn how the point system works, this casino table game can triple your fun with big wins. How to Play Vegas Three Card Rummy.
Played with a single deck of 52-cards, there are no jokers or wild cards in use. Cryptologic Gaming was the first to offer software for the game. For players in the USA, Real Time Gaming also offers software for the game at a number of websites. The basic mechanics of the game are quite similar and the bonuses are set at a standard rate.
- Start your turn by drawing a card from the top of the stock pile or the discard pile. You dispose of cards by building melds which are made up of sets, three or four of a kind and the same rank; or runs, three or more cards in sequence and same suit. An example set is the 7 of diamonds, 7 of hearts and 7 of spades.
- Three Card Rummy is played using a standard deck of 52 cards. Every card in the deck has a point value: aces are worth one, numbered cards are worth their number, and face cards are worth ten. The object of the game is to have a lower point total than the dealer.
Unlike most poker-style games, Vegas Three Card Rummy employs a point system to assign winners and losers, but like many poker table games the dealer must qualify before any raises are paid. Why not try our free Flash game below?
Vegas Three Card Rummy
How to Play Vegas Three Card Rummy
To begin play, each gambler must make an Ante wager. The dealer will then deliver three cards to each player along with three cards to themselves. Aces always count as one-point. Other cards are given their pip value, meaning a five=5 and an eight=8, etc. Tens and face cards=10, but there is a twist. If the hand includes a pair or three of a kind, those cards count as zero, as does a run of two or three suited cards (they must connect, as in a 3 and 4 of spades, or 9 and 10 of clubs).
To win, the player must achieve a lower point total than the dealer, so the player must decide after seeing their three cards whether to place an amount equal to their Ante bet into the spot for a Raise, or fold their hand. Once all players have made their bets the dealer will turn over their cards, and to qualify, the dealer must have a total of 20 points or less, or only the Ante wager will be paid.
The Ante wager always pays even money when it wins, and loses if the dealer’s point total is lower than the player’s. The Raise wager also wins or loses, and is paid 1 to 1, if the player’s total is 6 or under. If the player’s total is 1 to 5, the payoff is 2 to 1. Should the player manage a total of zero (three of a kind, straight flush) they are paid 4 to 1.
The Bonus Wager
Players may also place a Bonus Wager, up to whatever limit the table allows. This wager is quite popular because it pays regularly and offers a large payout.
Bonus Bet Payoffs
Hand | Payoff |
---|---|
Suited Ace-2-3 | 10 to 1 |
Total Points: Zero Pays | 25 to 1 |
Total Points: 1 to 6 | 2 to 1 |
Total Points: 7 to 10 | 1 to 1 |
Total Points: 11 or 12 | 4 to 1 |
Total Points: 13 and above | Wager loses |
Optimal Strategy for Vegas Three Card Rummy
Vegas Three Card Rummy is one of very few games where the Bonus wager is nearly as good as the standard (Ante) wager. The house edge on the Ante bet is about 3.25% and the house edge on the bonus bet is closer to 3.5% – so players might as well place both bets and enjoy the big payoffs when a suited Ace-2-3 or a Zero-point hand appears.
Since the dealer only qualifies with a hand of 20 or below, the player should mimic their play and make the Raise wager with any hand of 20 or less points. Hands of 21 or more points should be folded.
On This Page
Introduction
Vegas Three Card Rummy is a poker variation found at Internet casinos using Cryptologic and Real Time Gaming software. The rules are similar to Three Card Poker, except hands are scored much differently and there is no ante bonus. Additionally, the raise bet pays up to 4 to 1 for premium hands.
Rules
- The game is played with a single 52-card deck.
- All cards are ranked according to their poker value, except aces are always low.
- The object is to have fewer points than the dealer.
- Play starts with the player making an ante bet plus an optional bonus bet.
- The player and dealer will each receive three cards. The dealer cards will be dealt face down. Both hands will be scored according to the table below. In the event a hand may be scored more than one way the lower total will be used.
- Singleton aces count as 1 point, 2 to 10 count according to pip value, and faces cards are 10 points.
- Pairs, three of a kind, and runs of at least 2 suited cards count as zero points.
- After the player reviews his hand he has the choice of raising or folding. If the player raises he must make an additional bet equal to his ante bet.
- The dealer will turn over his cards.
- The dealer must have 20 points or less to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify, any remaining ante bets will pay even money and raise bets will push.
- If the dealer does qualify the player and dealer totals will be compared, the lower total wins.
- If the player has the lower total, the ante will pay even money and the raise according to following table. If the dealer has the lower total, the ante and raise will lose. A tie will result in a push.
- The bonus bet will pay according to the pay table below.
Raise Pay Table
Player Points | Pays |
---|---|
0 | 4 to 1 |
1 to 5 | 2 to 1 |
6 or more | 1 to 1 |
Bonus Bet Pay Table
Event | Pays |
---|---|
Suited A23 | 100 to 1 |
0 points | 25 to 1 |
1 to 6 points | 2 to 1 |
7 to 10 points | 1 to 1 |
11 to 12 points | 4 to 1 |
13 to 30 points | Loss |
In the following picture I bet $25 each on the ante and bonus bet. I then bet $25 on the raise bet. With a three of a kind my score was 0. The dealer's suited 10-jack is worth 0 points and the singleton 5 is worth 5, for a total of 5. My 0 beats the dealer's 5 so I won 1 to 1 or $25 on the ante, 4 to 1 or $100 on the raise, and 25 to 1 or $625 on the bonus bet, for a total win of $750.
If these rules were not clear please have a look at how they are expressed at Bovada.
Ante Bet Analysis
The following table shows the possible outcomes of the ante bet assuming optimal player strategy. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.23%.
Ante Bet Return Table
Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Player beats dealer with 0 points | 5 | 1188508 | 0.002919 | 0.014595 |
Player beats dealer with 1-5 points | 3 | 24911320 | 0.061182 | 0.183545 |
Player beats dealer with 6 or more points | 2 | 59776920 | 0.146811 | 0.293621 |
Dealer doesn't qualify | 1 | 91156848 | 0.223879 | 0.223879 |
Tie | 0 | 11459864 | 0.028145 | 0 |
Player folds | -1 | 132800192 | 0.326154 | -0.326154 |
Dealer beats player | -2 | 85876748 | 0.210911 | -0.421822 |
Total | 407170400 | 1 | -0.032337 |
How To Play Vegas Three Card Rummy
The player will raise 67.38% of the time, for an average bet of 1.6738 units. The element of risk is thus 3.2337%/1.6738 = 1.93%.
Bonus Bet Analysis
![Card Card](https://bspin.io/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/three-card-rummy.jpg)
Gin Rummy Rules Card Game
The following table shows the possible outcomes of the bonus bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.46%.
Bonus Bet Return Table
Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Suited A23 | 100 | 4 | 0.000181 | 0.0181 |
0 points | 25 | 92 | 0.004163 | 0.104072 |
1 to 6 points | 2 | 2712 | 0.122715 | 0.24543 |
7 to 10 points | 1 | 3592 | 0.162534 | 0.162534 |
11 to 12 points | 4 | 644 | 0.02914 | 0.116561 |
13 to 30 points | -1 | 15056 | 0.681267 | -0.681267 |
Total | 22100 | 1 | -0.03457 |
The bonus bet is always one unit so the element of risk is the same as the house edge at 3.54%.
Strategy
On the ante bet the player should have the same folding point as the dealer, raising with 20 or fewer points, and folding with 21 or more.
In my opinion for purposes of comparing one bet to another the element or risk should be used, which is 1.96% for the ante bet, and 3.46% for the bonus bet. So between the two the ante is the better bet.
![Card Card](https://d2ta4x7gamgoz8.cloudfront.net/system/table_game/screenshots/attachments/000/004/862/original/vegas3card-rummygold.jpg?1496101841)