What is a Rummy in Blackjack?
Rummy is another popular blackjack variant. However, there is also a side bet in blackjack called the rummy. Hence the term “rummy” has different meanings depending on the playing location.
In certain cases, Rummy pertains to a beloved blackjack side bet called 21 + 3. In other instances, it refers to a separate blackjack variant, often played in regions where traditional blackjack is not allowed. In this guide, we will define each of the two.
Rummy Blackjack
In places where live casinos are restricted from offering traditional blackjack games. To work around these regulations, many casinos provide a game called rummy. This game bears resemblances to blackjack but introduces some twists to comply with the rules:
- No special payout for achieving a blackjack.
- Aces hold a value of 11 only.
- Doubling down is allowed on any hand, even after splitting.
- Splitting and re-splitting are permitted.
- An early surrender option is available: If the dealer shows an ace, players can discard their hand without playing and receive half their stake back.
- The dealer must stand on a soft 17 due to aces having a value of 11.
- A bonus can be obtained in the main game by forming a rummy hand with the first three cards.
How to Play Rummy Blackjack
If you don’t know how to play blackjack, here’s a quick and simple tutorial:
The game begins with you placing a bet. The dealer deals you two cards, and you are competing against them. The dealer also receives two cards, one face-up, giving you information about their possible hand.
In this version of blackjack called rummy blackjack, the scoring is based on the following point values for the cards:
- Aces can be worth 1 or 11 points, depending on which value benefits the player.
- Number cards are worth their face value. For instance, a 2 is worth 2 points, and an 8 is worth 8 points.
- Face cards (jack, queen, and king) are each worth 10 points.
The objective of the game is to beat the dealer, which can be achieved in one of two ways:
- Have a higher total than the dealer.
- Stay in the game until the dealer busts (exceeds 21 points).
If a hand totals 22 points or more, it is considered a bust, leading to an automatic loss. It’s important to note that the dealer holds an advantage in this situation. If your hand busts, you lose immediately, even if the dealer also busts later in the hand. In blackjack, the player always plays their hand before the dealer does.
Most of your decisions during the game will be based on whether to “stand” (keep the current total) or “hit” (take another card to increase your total).
Additionally, you have a couple of other options:
- Splitting: You can split your hand with two cards with the same rank. This involves placing a second bet equal to your initial bet, and you will now have two separate blackjack hands, each starting with one of the two cards from your initial hand.
- Doubling Down: You can also choose to “double down,” which means doubling the size of your bet and taking one additional card, and only one more card is allowed.
Remember, the key to successful blackjack play is making wise decisions on when to hit, stand, split, or double down based on the cards you and the dealer have.
Rummy as Side Bet
In online blackjack games featuring the rummy side bet, the main game proceeds as usual, and the outcome of the blackjack game does not affect the rummy side bet results.
Considering a standard 9 to 1 payout, the house edge for this side bet is approximately 4.14%, which is unsurprising if you are familiar with blackjack.
It’s worth noting that most side bets in blackjack tend to have unfavorable odds compared to the main game, where the house edge is generally less than 1%, assuming you apply blackjack strategy.
