Three Card Rummy is a table game offered by Microgaming and Cryptologic at their online casinos, many of which are popular with players from Canada. It is based on the popular card game Gin Rummy, but is played with only three cards instead of ten cards. It has been recast as a casino poker type game in which the player hand is compared against the dealer hand.
The first aspect of Three Card Rummy that needs to be understood is the hand valuation. The Ace is valued at 1 point; the King, Queen, Jack and Ten are valued at 10 points each and all other cards are valued their face value. Any pair, any triple and any two or three card suited run are valued at 0. If the three card hand is a triple or a three card suited run then its value is 0. If the three card hand has a pair or a two card suited run then the hand value is equal to the value of the third card. Otherwise the hand value is equal to the sum of the card values. Aces are low cards and do not make runs with Kings and Queens. For the beginners the software displays the hand value.
Three Card Rummy is played with one standard 52-card deck. After the player places the ante wager, he is dealt three cards face up. The player can then fold, but in that case will lose the ante wager. Alternatively the player can place a raise wager, which has to be equal to the ante wager. The dealer’s cards are turned over. If the dealer’s hand value is 21 or more, then he does not qualify. The ante wager is paid even money and the raise wager pushes.
If the dealer’s hand value is 20 or less, then he qualifies. The hand with the lower value wins. If the player’s hand value is higher than the dealer’s hand value both bets lose. If the player’s hand value is lower than the dealer’s hand value then the ante wager is paid at even money and the raise wager payout depends on the player’s hand value. A hand value of 0 is paid 4:1, a hand value from 1 to 5 is paid 2:1 and a hand value from 6 to 19 is paid 1:1. If the dealer’s and the player’s hand values are equal then both bets push.
In Three Card Rummy the player can also place an optional bonus wager before the cards are dealt. If the player folds then the bonus wager will be lost. The payout on the bonus wager does not depend on the outcome of the main game, but only on the player’s hand value. The bonus wager payouts are as follows. A suited run of A-2-3 pays 100:1. A hand value of 0 pays 25:1. A hand value from 1 to 6 pays 2:1. A hand value from 7 to 10 pays 1:1. A hand value of 11 or 12 pays 4:1. In all other cases the bonus bet loses.
Three Card Rummy can be played at Microgaming online casinos like Jackpot City, Platinum Play and Royal Vegas and at Cryptologic online casinos like InterCasino. There would be minor differences between the games of the two software providers, particularly in the gaming features offered. However, the essence is as described above.
