31 Classic

Introduction

31 Classic is a new table game that had its first placement at the Muckleshoot Casino in Washington. It will debut at the Sunset Station in Las Vegas on December 14, 2017. It is difficult to compare to any existing games, other than a similar game by the same inventor Money$uit 31. The object of this game is to combine the point values of up to three suited cards to get a hand totaling 17 points or higher. There is no dealer hand to beat, only your own cards matter. The game features the card values of blackjack and a raise/fold decision as seen in many poker-based games.

The rules may look a bit intimidating at first, but the game really is simple to understand and play after a few hands. The strategy is fairly easy, and the odds are competitive compared to other new casino games.

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Rules

Following are the rules for 31 Classic.

One 52-card deck is used.
All cards are scored as in blackjack, except aces are always 11.
Play begins with the player making an Ante wager and an optional Natural 31 Bonus side bet.
The dealer shall give the player three cards and one Draw card face down.
After viewing his three-card hand, the player must either make a Play wager, equal to his Ante wager, or fold.
The dealer shall collect the Ante wager of any player who folded. His cards will be retained if he made the Natural 31 Bonus bet.
The dealer shall then expose the player's first three cards and resolve the Natural 31 Bonus side bet.
The dealer shall reveal the Draw card.
To determine the number of points in the player's hand, the dealer shall combine cards of the same suit between the player's three cards and the Draw card. The suit resulting in the greatest number of points shall determine the value of the player's hand. A three of a kind and mini royal (suited ace-king-queen) are winning hands and treated separately from their point value.
In the unlikely event that all four cards are the same suit, the player may use the three cards resulting in the greatest number of points only .
The pay tables for the Ante and Play bets are below.
As stated above, the Natural 31 Draw bet shall pay based on the value of the player's original three cards. The pay table is shown below.

Following is the pay table for the Ante and Play bets. All wins are on a "to one" basis.

Ante and Play Pay Table

Player Hand	Ante Pays	Play Pays
Mini-Royal	1	20
31	1	10
Trips	1	6
30	1	4
28 & 29	1	3
24 - 27	1	2
18 - 23	1	1
17	Push	1

Following is the pay table for the Natural 31 Bonus bet. All wins are on a "to one" basis.

Natural 31 Bonus Pay Table

Player Hand	Pays
Mini-Royal	200
31	100
Trips	30
29 & 30	15
26 - 28	10
22 - 25	5
16 - 21	1

Example

In the hand above, I had 20 points in hearts after my first three cards, so I made the Play bet. The Draw card was the four of hearts, for a total of 24 points in hearts. With 24 total points, my Ante paid even money, and the play bet paid 2 to 1. The Natural 31 Bonus is paid based on my original three cards, which totaled 20 points, which pays 1 to 1.

Strategy

Play if you have any of the following:

Suited 15 or higher composed of two cards.
Two suits both 9 or higher.
Three suits all 7 or higher.
Pair of 7's or better
Pair of 2's - 6's with a suited 10 or better

Ante and Play Analysis

According to a math analysis by GLI, the house edge is 2.59%. The player will make the Play bet with probability 69.68%, for an average final wager of 1.6968 units. This makes the element of risk, defined as the ratio of the expected loss to average wager, equal to 2.59%/1.6968 = 1.52%.

Natural 31 Bonus Analysis

The following tables show the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return for the Natural 31 Bonus bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 6.08%.

Natural 31 Analysis — Pay Table 1

Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
Mini-Royal	200	4	0.000181	0.036199
31	100	20	0.000905	0.090498
Trips	30	52	0.002353	0.070588
29 & 30	15	72	0.003258	0.048869
26 - 28	10	168	0.007602	0.076018
22 - 25	5	368	0.016652	0.083258
16 - 21	1	5,556	0.251403	0.251403
Loss	-1	15,860	0.717647	-0.717647
Total		22,100	1.000000	-0.060814