The Bonus Bet in Vegas Three Card Rummy - Yes or No?

Vegas Three Card Rummy is one of the online games at the casino that often gets overlooked.  Maybe it’s because it’s a card game that is instantly associated with older-generation players, rather than high-risk and high-reward gamblers! 

Perhaps it is because it is tucked away on the menu below several online games that have a reputation of paying out plenty of ZAR.  Whatever the reason, Vegas Three Card Rummy has been given a raw deal when it comes to click-and-play frequency – and we’re here to fix that!

Three Bets and Three Payout Structures 

What that in effect means is alert players at Springbok Casino can exploit the multi-faceted game play of Vegas Three Card Rummy with gameplay billed by three separate bets and three separate payout structures. 

One wager – the ante bet – is mandatory.  The other two bets – the bet wager and the bonus bet – are optional.  The question is – should players place all three bets as a matter or course?  Or is there some sort of criteria that should be taken into account before you put yet more of your hard-earned cash on the table?

Before we get into an optimal betting strategy for this reclusive addition to the online games at Springbok Casino, let’s have a quick recap of the rules.

How to Play Vegas Three Card Rummy 

In this counterintuitive variant of poker your mission is to beat the dealer by holding a three-card hand that has a lower points value than that of the dealer’s hand.  Points are allocated as follows – all aces count as one, face cards count as ten and the rest of the numerical cards retain their face value.

As with all great online games, there’s a twist in the tale.  When you are dealt two or three cards of a matching rank or a matching suit, they count as zero – and that is ideally what you should be gunning for every time you play Vegas Three Card Rummy at Springbok Online Casino!  

Once the mandatory ante bet is on the table, you are dealt three cards face up and the software automatically calculates the hand value.  At that point you can either fold the hand and lose the ante bet or place a second bet equal in value to the ante bet.

The dealer’s cards are then revealed and if the total of the cards is 20 points or less, the hand qualifies for the round.  If your hand has fewer points than the dealer or the dealer does not qualify, you are paid even money on the ante bet and at defined odds on the bet wager based on your total hand value.

The Nuts and Bolts of the Optional Bonus Bet 

Right, now to the bonus bet – a key component that has made Vegas Three Card Rummy one of the more exciting propositions when it comes to the online games at Springbok Casino.

As we have already mentioned, the bonus bet is an optional wager.  You can place the additional wager at the beginning of each round, at the same time as the ante bet.  There is no cap on the value of the bonus bet, so if you are feeling lucky you can bet high and hope for the best.

What can you win when you play the bonus bet? 

Well, if you are fortuitous enough to hit an ace, 2 and 3 suited run, you are paid out at astronomical odds of 100:1.  A zero hand value is paid out at 25:1 and a points total of one to six; seven to ten and 11 to 12 pay at odds of 2:1; 1:1 and 4:1, respectively.

Remember, the bonus payouts are over and above the winnings generated by the ante bet (1:1) and the bet wager, which are 4:1 for a zero hand value, 2:1 for a value of between one and five and 1:1 on totals of six to 19.

What’s the Catch? 

OK, with multiple winnings paid at those sorts of odds floating around in the ether, what is the catch?  As all good gamblers know, the odds represent the probability of a certain outcome occurring.  The higher the odds, the lower the statistical probability of hitting the cards required to unlock the odds.

In other words, you would have to be really, really lucky to be dealt a suited run.  It is not impossible but, as the odds reflect, it is highly improbable… unless of course you like to play online games in daily rather than hourly gambling slots!

That doesn’t mean you should not place the bonus bet.  It simply means you should be more risk-averse when it comes to choosing the chip value! 

That is the story with the odds.  Now for the facts about this casino game's house edge – the portion of all the bets placed on Vegas Three Card Rummy that the casino retains as profit. 

As I am sure you aware, online games with a low house edge are the best real money games to play at the casino.  In terms of Vegas Three Card Rummy, the house edge for the ante and bet wagers is 1,93%.  When it comes to the bonus bet, however, the edge jumps to 3,46%. 

That little bit of statistical information is pretty significant as it means the average return to player drops from 98,07% to 96,54%.

What’s Required is a Tactical Response 

Now back to the original question – is the bonus bet a good bet when it comes to banking cold hard South African rands?  Well, the online games purists will tell you it is a bad bet and should be excised from your Vegas Three Card Rummy strategy.

We’re of the opinion that it is the kind of bet that requires a tactical response… and by that we mean you should base your bonus betting strategy on whether your winnings are up or down!

There is no harm in going all in when your account balance is brimming with cash.  When you are losing money, however, it’s probably best practice to revert right back to standard gameplay and wait until that elusive hot streak strikes again!