How to Play Three Card Rummy

The first section here will strictly be about how to play this game and not the rules (below). You will need to click on one of the chips to bet that denomination. That bet will go into the Ante. You will have a chance to make a Bonus Bet as well. To do this, click on the Bonus Bet on the table to select it, then click on a chip to place a bet.

If you want to remove a bet, click on the chips on the table to remove them. Press the Deal button when you are ready. Both you and the dealer will receive three cards, you must make a decision whether to Fold and give up your Ante bet or you will have to Raise and place a second bet equal to your Ante. This wager will be put on the Bet spot on the table.

Your hand will be compared against the dealer to see whether or not you have won on the bet. The rules will be explained below.

Three Card Rummy Rules

Each card has a value ranging from 1 to 10 points. This means that the highest score you can get is 30 points. The object of the game is to get the lowest score possible. Specifically, you will be concerned with getting a lower point total then the dealer.

The lowest score that is possible is 0 points. How is this possible? The cards that you hold can equal 0 points in the following situations: two cards will equal 0 points when you have a pair or two cards to a straight flush (consecutively ranked cards of the same suit) or three cards will equal 0 points if you have a three of a kind or three cards to a straight flush.

Now for the bad news - the dealer can also get a low score by receiving 0 points for pairs and such. That means that you can lose even when you are very confident that you will win. This is no different then a dealer showing a full house in Caribbean Stud Poker.

Here you see a hand that I have won. If the dealer has 21 points or more, they will not qualify on the hand. This means two things: you will automatically win on your Ante and you will not win anything for your Bet.

In order to win on both your Ante and Bet, the dealer must qualify by getting 20 points or fewer and you must have a lower total then the dealer. If the dealer's total is lower then your total, then you will lose both your Bet and Ante. If you and the dealer are tied in points, then both bets are pushed (assuming the dealer's hand qualifies).

If you look at the Payout chart in the picture above, you will see that your raise bet does not have to be just 1:1 payout. If you get a point total between 1 and 5, you will be paid out 2:1 (if the dealer qualifies and you beat him) or 4:1 if you receive a point total of 0.

Bonus Bet

You can also see the Bonus Bet Payout in the screenshot above. When you place a bet on the Bonus Bet, you are betting that you will receive 12 or less points in total. The payouts looks weird because the 11 and 12 points pay out 4:1 when the 7-10 and 1-6 only pay out 1:1 and 2:1 respectively. This is because you will automatically win if you have 2 cards zero each other out. In order to get a score of 11 or 12, all three cards will have points that add up to this amount.

There are two big bonus bet prizes: When you get 0 points, you will be paid out 25:1 on your bonus bet. If you receive an Ace/2/3 in the same suite, you will be paid out 100:1 on your bonus bet.

Three Card Rummy Strategies

Here are the major important things to remember while playing 3 card rummy:

1. The chances that the dealer will not qualify is about 1 in every 2.5 to 3 hands.
2. Your best bet at winning will be to Bet whenever you have a point total of 17 (18 is iffy) or less. Fold if you have 19 or higher.
3. Receiving 17 points gives you about a 50/50 chance at winning.
4. You will see a 0 point hand about once in every 240 hands dealt.
5. You have a 68.1% chance of receiving 13 points or higher (no win on the Bonus Bet)

Would you like some more help with strategies for playing Vegas Three Card Rummy? Take a look at this three card rummy strategy page.