Online Vegas Three Card Rummy Guide

Looking for yet another novel and interesting way to play poker? Of course you are. You’ve always liked the odd challenge. Three Card Rummy at an online casino may just be your ticket to ride.

Three Card Rummy is a modern take on a card game from the Roaring Twenties. But back in those days it was called Gin Rummy. Sounds a little like a subversion of the Prohibition laws.

Then online casinos got a hold of it (the game, not the gin) and made it fancy for the monied class. They combined the scoring rules from Gin Rummy with the three bets from Three Card Poker. Both resulting in…drum roll please… Three Card Rummy. For real money, I might add. Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?

But the past is history. Let that sink in. Let’s focus on the now. Like playing Three Card Rummy Table Game for real money, and dominating Three Card Rummy strategy.

First up – how it all works.

1. How Three Card Rummy Works

The point of three Card Rummy online is to beat the dealer by holding the hand with the least points.

The hands are scored like this:

• The Ace is always 1 point.
• Kings, Queens and Jacks are 10 points.
• Cards 2 to 10 are worth their face value.
• A Three of a Kind, a Pair, and a Suited Pair or more are worth 0 points (Remember that Ace – King is not a Suited Pair).

And this is how you play:

• Choose the amount you want to bet by clicking/tapping on the chips. That’s your Ante. Do the same for the optional Bonus Bet if you’re feeling lucky.
• Click “Deal” to receive three cards face up and give the Dealer three cards face down.
• Now you decide to either Raise or Fold. Raising doubles your original Ante. Folding forfeits your bet and Bonus Bet.
• The Dealer’s cards are revealed. The Dealer either qualifies (has 20 or less points) or fails to qualify.
  • If they qualify, their hand is compared to yours using the scoring rules above. If you have a lower value hand than the Dealer, you win even money on your Ante. If you’re holding the lower value hand and made a Raise Bet, you get an additional payout (I’ll explain this later).
  • If they do not qualify, you win even money on your Ante and your Raise is returned. Woo-hoo.

That’s the gist of Three Card Rummy online. But what makes it really good egg are the increased chances of raking in the winnings. So let’s talk money.

2. What Makes Three Card Rummy Unique Versus Other Table Games

Remember that you win at Three Card Rummy by having the lowest score. But how much you win depends on a few things, which I’ll go over now.

The first payout you can get is with the Raise Bet. There are two scenarios:

• You have less points than the Dealer who doesn’t qualify (ie. Dealer 24, you 22). Here you win even money on the Ante and the Raise is returned (pushed) to you.
• You have less points than the Dealer who does qualify (i.e. Dealer 17, you 16). Here you get even money on the Ante plus a payout ranging from 1:1 to 4:1 for your Raise bet, depending on the final value of your hand.

On top of the Ante/Raise wins, you can also opt into the Bonus Bet before hitting Deal. The Bonus Bet wins when your score is 12 points or less. You can win the lowest prize at 4:1 for a total of 11-12, or up to 100:1 for an A-2-3 Suited Run.

3. Three Card Rummy Strategy

I bet those wins sound pretty nice. Now it’s time to lock them in with Three Card Rummy Strategy. Follow these tips:

• With the Ante Bet, Raise if you have 20 or below, and Fold if you have 21 or more. This lowers the house edge to 3.23%.
• With the Bonus Bet, the house edge rises to 3.46%. By all means take a chance at the 100:1 payout, but keep in mind that getting one of the four Suited Runs is quite rare. If your bankroll can stand it, place that Bonus Bet. Otherwise, it’s safer to stick with the Ante/Raise Bets.
• Take advantage of practice mode. You can try the game out to get a feel for the flow. When you’re ready, click “play for real” to play Three Card Rummy for real money. Simple.

Now that you’ve mastered Three Card Rummy Strategy, it’s time to get in on the action like it’s as familiar as the you-shaped imprint in your favourite chair.

Pour yourself a stiff Gin & Tonic (and finishing with anything other than a twist of lime is an affront to human decency), fire up that stogie, then make a Deposit and Play Now. Bodog out.

(Is this where I drop the mic?)