Leading online casino software providers offer a game titled Vegas Three Card Rummy in their table games category. This is a fast paced game requiring simple decisions from the player. The game play and strategy is illustrated using the Cryptologic Three Card Rummy as an example.

Three Card Rummy is played with a single standard 52-card deck. The player has to place the ante bet. He has the option of wagering a bonus bet, and this is the first decision that he makes. The player is then dealt three cards face up and the dealer is dealt three cards face down. The components of rummy count as zero points. These are a pair, three of a kind, and runs of at least two cards of the same suit. The left over cards are valued in the following manner. Cards from twos to nines are valued at their face values; aces are valued at 1 point and all other cards are valued at 10 points. A lower hand value is better in Cryptologic Three Card Rummy. Based on his hand the player has the choice of raising or folding. This is the second and final decision he makes. If the player folds he loses the ante wager without seeing the dealer’s hand. If the player raises then he must make an additional bet equal to his ante bet.

The dealer’s hand is then exposed. The dealer qualifies with 20 points or less. If the dealer fails to qualify, then the ante bet pays out at 1 to 1 and the raise bet pushes. If the dealer qualifies then the hand with the lower value wins. If the player has the lower valued hand, the ante bet pays out at 1 to 1 and the raise bet pays out according to the payout table. A hand value of 0 for the player pays 4 to 1; a hand value from 1 to 5 for the player pays 2 to 1 and a hand value from 6 to 19 for the player pays at 1 to 1. If the dealer has the lower valued hand, both the bets lose. A tie results in both bets pushing. The bonus bet pays independently, irrespective of the main game outcome, according to a separate payout table. A suited ace , two and three 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 second decision of when to fold and when to raise is discussed first. The dealer qualifies with 20 points or less and the optimum strategy says that the player should raise with 20 points or less. This will keep the house edge to a minimum, which is 3.2%. This house edge is in between that for European Roulette and online slots. Therefore players also have to decide whether they want to play Cryptologic Three Card Rummy at all. The bonus bet offers a house edge of 3.5%. Therefore if players are willing to play Cryptologic Three Card Rummy, they might as well place the bonus bet. Cryptologic Three Card Rummy can be played at online casinos like InterCasino.