What is Rummy in Blackjack?

Maybe you’re an avid player of blackjack, or maybe you’re just starting out: the question you might find yourself asking however is “what is rummy in blackjack?”.

Sit tight – we have all of the rummy-related information you need to know. From what does rummy mean in blackjack, to how to get rummy in blackjack, but the end of this article you’ll know all about rummy in blackjack, and more besides.

So what is Rummy in Blackjack?

Let’s get one thing straight: when it comes to playing rummy in blackjack, you’d be forgiven for getting confused . That’s because rummy in blackjack means different things to different casinos. In some games, rummy is a side bet. In others, it’s a separate card game with its own set of rules.

So when it comes down to the question of ‘what is a rummy in blackjack’, we need to define a few things:

Rummy in blackjack is a category of card games. The objective of it is to create ‘melds’, which means multiple cards that are of the summer ranking, sequence or suit.

For example –

1. They’re all the same suit – jacks, spades etc
2. They’re all the same rank – all jacks, all queens etc
3. They’re in a sequence – e.g They go 3,4,5,6 etc.

When playing rummy in blackjack, you need to draw and discard cards.

Rummy is super easy to play – even easier than blackjack some might say.

How to Get Rummy in Blackjack

It’s simple. When you’re playing blackjack, or even if you’re playing rummy as a standalone game., you look at your hand, with your two face-up cards, you have the opportunity to make a meld with your downward-facing other 3 cards.

Rummy in blackjack is commonly known as ‘21+3’ – you try to make a ‘rummy’ – a sequence, as we outlined above – using your two face-up cards and the dealer’s up-card. You want to make a straight, flush, straight flush, suited three of a kind o9r regular three of a kind.

This is where you can either make a rummy as a side bet in the game or as a separate game in itself. If your;e playing rummy in blackjack as a side game, it can pay off 9:1 if those first 3 cards give you a rummy. The house edge is around 4.14% in this case.

Costa Rican Rules: What Does Rummy Mean in Blackjack?

Here’s where things get a little weird: rummy in blackjack, as a separate game, usually refers to the Costa Rican variant of the game.

The reason behind this is because blackjack is illegal in Costa Rica, so a very similar (and barely distinguishable game) was created for Costa Rica blackjack fans to be able to get their blackjack fix, without breaking any laws. Rummy in Costa Rica is identical to blackjack elsewhere.

Rummy in blackjack (outside of Costa Rica) simply refers to the side bet in the game itself. Your first two face-up cards and the dealer’s up-card are combined to make Rummy hands. And that’s everything you need to know about what is a rummy in blackjack. Simple, right?

FAQs about What is Rummy in Blackjack

So what is rummy in blackjack?

As we discussed above, it can mean one of two things – either a popular side game in the blackjack game itself, or as a separate version of Blackjack (mainly played in Costa Rica) – see our explanation of this, above for more details.

Is Rummy a game of skill or luck?

We’d say, it’s mostly a game of luck. That’s because you can’t really influence which cards you get as your two up-cards, or which the dealer gets as their up-card. Unlike blackjack, in which you can influence the outcome based on your strategy and decision-making, rummy doesn’t have the luxury of other moves. You simply need to learn how to play, wait and keep going at it (hopefully until you hit a rummy!).

Is playing rummy easy?

It’s one of the easiest table games around, in fact even easier than playing blackjack. When it comes to how to get rummy, that might be a little trickier, as – as we mentioned above – rummy in blackjack is purely a game of luck, not skill.

What’s the sequence of how to get rummy in blackjack?

Easily – there are three possible sequences: either getting consecutive cards (e.g. a straight flush of 2,3,4, etc); three of a kind, e.g. all kings, or three of a suit, e.g. all spades.

The Bottom Line on What is Rummy in Blackjack

As we mentioned above, rummy in blackjack can mean two things: either it’s a side game played alongside blackjack, or it’s a separate, blackjack-identical game played in Costa Rica.

You’re most likely to see rummy in blackjack as a game, and if that’s the case, brush up on what is rummy in blackjack, using our tips and explanation, above, and you’ll be winning at rummy in no time!