More and more online casinos are now offering the table game 3 Card Rummy. It makes a welcome change from the poker based casino games. This article first explains the rules of 3 Card Rummy and then offers some tips.

3 Card Rummy, or Vegas 3 Card Rummy as it is sometimes called, is played with a single standard 52-card deck. In the beginning the player makes an ante bet plus an optional bonus bet. The player is dealt three cards face up and the dealer is dealt three cards face down. The hands are scored in the following manner. Pairs, three of a kind, and runs of at least 2 suited cards count as zero points. Isolated cards are valued as follows. The cards from twos to nines have their face values; aces are valued at 1 point and all other cards at 10 points. The objective is to have fewer points than the dealer. Based on his hand the player has the choice of raising or folding. If the player folds he loses the ante wager. If the player raises he must make an additional bet equal to his ante bet. The dealer's cards are then exposed. The dealer must have 20 points or less in order 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 and the lower total will win. If the player has the lower total, the ante bets will pay even money and the raise bets will pay according to a given payout table. If the dealer has the lower total, both the ante bets and the raise bets will lose. A tie will result in a push. The bonus bet pays up front according to a separate payout table if the player is dealt specified hands.

In 3 Card Rummy the player makes only two decisions, which are whether or not to place the bonus bet and whether to raise or fold. The tips and strategies in 3 Card Rummy revolve around these decisions. The Microgaming 3 Card Rummy has the following payouts for the bonus bet. A suited A23 pays 100 to 1, 0 points pays 25 to 1, 1 to 6 points pays 2 to 1, 7 to 10 points pays 1 to 1 and 11 to 12 points pays 4 to 1. If the player has more than 13 points the bonus bet loses. The bonus bet with the above payouts has a house edge of 3.5%. This is a lower house edge than in online slot games and on par with the house edge in the main game therefore players are not taking undue risks in wagering the bonus bet.

The strategy in the main game is deciding up to which total to raise. Experts have evaluated the house edge of the main game with different strategies. It has been found that if the player decides to raise with a total of 20 or less and fold with a total of 21 or more, the house edge is minimum at 3.2%. Therefore this is the strategy to be followed. Incidentally it coincides with the dealer qualifying at 20 points.

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