How to Play 3 Card Rummy Online
If you have come across the game of 3 Card Rummy online at various different casino sites or physical casino venues, you will have found that it is a variant of Three Card Poker. However, there are some differences (some more subtle than others) between the two games, including a slightly higher set of winning payouts for winning raise bets in 3 Card Rummy.
This guide has been compiled to give you a deep insight into the way that 3 Card Rummy plays and pays. If you are a fan of playing casino card games then do read on.
3 Card Rummy Standard Rules
The game uses a standard deck of playing cards, that is 52 cards in the deck, none of which act as wildcards and each playing card uses its usual face value.
The only exception to the face value and poker ranking rule is that all Aces and classified as low cards.
The basic aim of the game is to end up with a hand that is lower in value, by virtue of its points score, than that of the dealer’s hand.
Players are first required to decide which type of bet they would like to place on each individual hand they play. Players can choose to play an Ante Bet and can also opt to play a completely optional bonus type bet.
Once a player has made their staking and bet type decision, then both the player and dealer will be dealt out three playing cards. Be aware that whilst the player’s cards are dealt face-up, the dealer’s cards are dealt face down.
It is the type of hand that is dealt out to both the player and dealer that will determine the score of each hand. Due to the possibility of there being both a high or low score on one of those to hands, it will be the lowest total that will be used on such hands.
Hand Score
If a hand contains a single Ace then that card is worth 1 point, all 2 to 10 valued playing cards are valued at their pip score. So, for example, a 6 is worth six points and a 4 is worth four points etc. All face cards are worth 10 points.
Any pairs, three of a kinds and runs which contain at the least two suited cards count at zero points.
Playing Structure
Each player has to make a decision of how to play each hand they have been dealt out. There are two options when playing 3 Card Rummy online. The first is to fold a hand, which basically means you give it up as you do not think it is strong enough to win the game.
When you do give up and fold your hand then you will lose your Ante Bet. However, if you think your hand has a chance of winning and you wish to continue playing then you will need to place a Raise Bet.
The Raise Bet is equal in value to the Ante Bet you placed on that hand initially, so if for example you wager $10.00 initially then you will need to place another bet equal to $10.00 onto the betting layout to cover that additional bet.
The dealer will then turn over his cards. Please be aware that the dealer is going to have to have 20 points in total or less for his hand to qualify. Should his hand not qualify the Ante Bet will be paid out at even money and the Raise Bet is classified as a push.
However, if the dealer’s hand does qualify, then his hand will be compared with the player’s hand and the hand with the lowest value will be deemed to be the winner! If both hands have the exact same value the game will end as a push.
If the player’s hand is the winning one by virtue of it having a lower value than that of the dealer’s hand then the Ante Bet he or she placed is paid out at odds of even money, and the Raise Bet will be paid out at the following odds.
If the player’s hand is valued at zero, then the Raise Bet is paid out at odds of 4 to 1, if that hand is valued at 1 to 5 the winning payoff is 2 to 1, and any winning player’s hand valued at 6 or higher is paid out at odds of even money.
Bonus Side Bet Payouts
There can be slight differences in regards to the payout odds associated with the optional Bonus Bet wager depending on where you play. However, below I have fully listed the standard bonus payouts. These are awarded on the point score or value of the player’s hand only.
The highest possible payout is 100 to 1 of the side bet wagers value, which is awarded to players when their hand is an Ace, 2 and 3 all of the same suit.
A 25 to 1 winning payout is awarded should the players hand have a value of zero. A player’s hand with a value of 1 to 6 pays out at odds of 2 to 1, a 7 to 10 valued players Hand returns a winning payout of even money.
If a player’s hand is valued at 11 or 12 the winning payoff is 4 to 1. However, if that hand is valued at 13 to 30 points then the Bonus Bet wager is a losing one.
Ante Bet House Edge
If you are interested in playing 3 Card Rummy, then it will pay dividends for you to learn the optimal strategy for playing that game, for as it is your decision and your decision alone to either fold or raise your initial hand then you have a direct effect on the outcome of the game.
When playing perfect strategy, which to be perfectly honest shouldn’t take you that long to master, then you can expect a house edge of 3.23%.
Bonus Bet House Edge
As long as you are playing a 3 Card Rummy variant that offers the payout listed above in regards to the Bonus Bet, then the house edge associated with that particular bet is 3.54%, which is slightly higher than the Ante Bet’s house edge.
Keep in mind however that you are not forced or required to place that Bonus Bet, so it will be up to you whether you place it or not.
3 Card Rummy Playing Strategies
One of the best strategies that you can adopt when playing 3 Card Rummy is to raise your hand when it has a value of 20 or lower points, and always fold your hand when it has a value of 21 or more.
Based on the fact that when using such a strategy players will raise their bet around 67.38% of the time then the actual element of risk associated with that bet when using the above strategy is 1.93%.
Regarding whether or not you should place the optional side bet wager, keep in mind that as the Ante Bet has a much lower house edge and a lower element of risk, you will be best advised to only place that bet and avoid placing the Bonus Bet, despite the higher payouts possible.
Using Casino Bonuses
If you choose to play 3 Card Rummy online (usually available via desktop or mobile casino) then do be aware those sites are likely to offer you a range of different bonuses.
However, due to the fairly low house edge associated with this game you may find that you may not be permitted to play it with bonus funds, but if you are there may be a slightly higher playthrough requirement attached to you bonus credits when playing it.
Therefore I recommend that you always do make sure to first read through the terms and conditions that are associated with the respective bonus you are thinking of claiming to double check whether 3 Card Rummy is a permitted game, and if so how high the playthrough requirements actually are!
Whist you will find some very high valued deposit match type bonuses, keep in mind that an increased playthrough requirement is going to put both your deposited funds and bonus funds at risk and as such many players avoid claiming any type of bonus when playing 3 Card Rummy games online.
Avoid a bonus on which you are going to be restricted in regards to how much you can cash out as winnings. Some casinos that do offer this game will have a maximum payout limit attached to their bonuses which could be a small multiple of your deposit amount.
Earning Comps When Playing 3 Card Rummy Games
If you do play 3 Card Rummy in a real money playing environment, then one way you will get rewarded for your gaming action will be by a casinos comp club scheme.
It doesn’t matter if you win or lose when playing this game, each wager you do place will see you earning comp points. But do keep in mind that some casino sites are much more generous than others when it comes to awarding comp points.
The best casino sites at which to sign up to and play at will always be those that award the most points per wager placed, and those that have a very low redemption rate for turning your points into additional playing credits.
Practice for Free
The well-used phrase, ‘Practice makes perfect’ is very appropriate when playing card games like 3 Card Rummy. As such, one thing to keep in mind is that you are going to have the ability of playing at most if not all online and mobile casinos as a guest player.
By doing so you will then have access to an unlimited supply of free no-risk demo mode credits and will be able to play the game for as long as you want to. I recommend this for getting the hang of playing and working out which betting opportunities are going to suit your style of play.
Staking Options
There are a couple of different factors that can determine the actual table stake limits in regards to 3 Card Rummy games.
Most online casinos will offer a minimum bet of 1.00 ( in whatever currency that you have set your casino account at) and the most commonly available maximum bet per hand is 100.00.
However, there are some casino sites that will either offer a high roller version of this game or may increase the table stake you can play at dependent on your VIP player ranking.
So if the table limits are a tad low at the casino site you are playing at, you could ask the support team or your casino host if they can increase the table stake limits for you; If not, then look for another casino site that offers the higher limits.
Certified Fair 3 Card Rummy Games
To ensure that the 3 Card Rummy games you play (and for that matter every other type of casino game you play online or on a mobile device) are fair and completely random, you’ll be best advised to stick to playing at casino sites that are licensed and regulated.
By doing so, as part of that casino’s license application process they will have had to prove to the license issuer that their games are fair and random and have been certified by an independent game testing company as being so.
Plus, by playing at a certified site you are much kes likely to ever experience any problems that cannot be resolved by the casino, which is something that there are never going to be any guarantees of if you choose to play at an unlicensed casino site.
Additional Player Option Settings
Keep in mind that downloadable, instant play and also mobile casino sites are going to have 3 Card Rummy games available, and as such you are going to be able to pick and choose not only where you play this popular casino card game but how you access it too.
There will be no real differences in regards to the way that game plays and pays in any playing environment, but you will often find you have a range of player adjustable option settings that you can make use of to give yourself something of a tailored and fully rounded gaming experience.
Option settings will generally include a range of sound effects which you can activate or mute, which is just as well as some can be pretty irritating. You should also be given the option of playing a full screen version of the game, or possibly being able to open it up in its own window to play it alongside some other games consecutively.
3 Card Rummy Autoplay
I have seen a number of casino sites that will offer you an autoplay option when playing 3 Card Rummy online, and as such when making use of that option setting you are going to be able to set the game to play itself.
You will of course need to configure the stake you wish to play each hand for, and exactly how many hand you want to play off using that auto play setting.
However, one thing that may actually benefit you when using auto play on 3 Card Rummy games is that it will employ the perfect strategy for each hand it plays off for you.
With that in mind, if you are new to playing 3 Card Rummy, and haven’t quite mastered the ins and outs of playing off each hand perfectly, I would suggest that you make use of the autoplay option.
By doing so, the way that the auto play setting will have been configured is such that it will be using the optimal strategy for playing off each hand dealt out, so no costly playing errors will be made when using that feature.
Responsible Gambling
One final but critically important aspect of playing any type of game of chance such as 3 Card Rummy online is to mention playing responsibly.
You are going to be experiencing winning and losing streaks when playing such games and it can sadly be way too easy to get carried away when things are not going your way.
With that in mind always make sure that if the casino site you are playing at offers a set of player adjustable gaming limit options, you make use of them! Set yourself a deposit and loss limit before you start to play as that way once you have reached those limits you will not be able to carry on depositing and possibly losing. Everyone needs these safeguards in place.
You can of course also set yourself a winning goal, and once you reach that goal – stop playing and cash out your winnings. The lower you do set your winning goal however the more chance you will have of reaching it.
General information about the game of rummy can be found on Wikipedia.
