3 Card Rummy is being offered by more online gaming sites each day. The game is a welcomed change from the traditional poker-based games. As regular players become bored, they are looking for exciting new variants and this is one of them.

3 Card Rummy, also known as Vegas 3 Card Rummy, is played with a standard deck of cards. The game begins with the player posting an ante bet in addition to an optional bonus bet. The player has then distributed three cards up while the dealer receives three cards down. The hand rankings are as follows:

• Three of a kind, pairs and two suited cards equal zero points
• Single cards from two to nine are worth their face values
• Aces equal 1 point
• All other cards are 10 points

The object of the game is to have fewer points than the dealer. Based on the dealt hand, the player can either raise or fold. Folding results in a lost ante while a raise is equal to the original bet. Following this round of betting, the dealer’s cards are exposed. The dealer must have a hand of 20 points or less to qualify, if not ante wagers pay even money and raises are a push. If the dealer qualifies the two sets of hands are compared with the lower total winning.

If the player has a lower hand total, he wins even money. Any raise bets are paid by the house according to a payout table. If the dealer has the lower total, all bets placed by the player are lost. A tie is simply a push. Additionally, the bonus bet payout is based on a separate table given specific hands.

The game is simply allowing the player to only have to make two decisions. These are whether to place the bonus bet at the beginning of the hand, and whether to raise or fold. Therefore, the primary tip in the game is whether to raise or fold. Experts have evaluated the main game to have different house edges. If the player raises with 20 or less and folds with 21 or more, the house edge is at least 3.2 percent. Therefore, this strategy should explicitly adhere to.

3 Card Rummy is a simple but fun game to play. With few decisions to make, new players can instantly become good at the game assuming they don’t veer from the above strategy. Try the game out next time you see it at an online casino.