Money$uit 31

Introduction

Money$uit 31 is a new table game that debuted at the Lac Vieux Desert Resort & Casino in Watersmeet, Michigan in January 2015. It is difficult to compare to any existing games, as the object of this game is to combine the point values of multiple suited cards to get a hand totaling 17 points or higher. It features the card values of blackjack and a raise/fold decision as seen in many poker-based games. Suits matter, and a special Money$uit is determined by the roll of two custom dice.

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.

Rules

 

Following are the rules for Money$uit 31.

1. One 52-card deck is used.
2. All cards are scored as in blackjack, except aces are always 11.
3. Play begins with the player making an Ante wager and an optional Natural 31 side bet.
4. The dealer shall also roll two dice to determine the Money$uit. One die has both a black and a red suit (for example hearts and spades), while the other die shows either "Black" or "Red". The suit from the suited die that matches the color on the Color die determines the applicable Money$uit.
5. The dealer shall give the player three cards face down and one Draw card face down.
6. After viewing their three card hand, the player must either make a Play wager, equal to his Ante wager, or fold.
7. The dealer shall collect the cards and wagers of any player who folded.
8. The dealer shall then expose the player's first three cards and resolve the Natural 31 side wager.
9. To determine the number of points in the player hand, the dealer shall combine cards of the same suit. The suit resulting in the greatest number of points shall determine the value of the player's hand.
10. The dealer shall then turn over the Draw card and resolve the Ante and Play wagers, using the player's best three cards.
11. In the unlikely event that all four cards are the same suit, the player may only use the three cards resulting in the greatest number of points.
12. In addition, there are special pays for a three of a kind and a Mini Royal (suited ace-king-queen).
13. The player shall also be paid according to whether the suit of his greatest number of points matches the Money$uit. In the event the player has two suits resulting in the same number of points, and one matches the Money$uit, then the player will be deemed to have matched the Money$uit.
14. The pay table for the Play bet is below.
15. The Ante bet shall pay even money for any Play bet win and otherwise push or lose in the same manner as the Play bet.
16. As stated above, the Natural 31 bet shall pay based on the value of the player's original three cards and if the greatest number of points is in the Money Suit. There are three pay tables available, as shown below.

 

Following are three available pay tables for the Play bet.

 

Following are three available pay tables for the Natural 31 bet.

 

Example

   

In the hand above, I bet $100 on the Ante and $25 on the Natural 31. My initial three cards were an ace, 8, and 9 of diamonds. Fortunately, the Money$uit was also diamonds. This was already a paying hand of 28 points, so I made a Play wager of another $100. The Draw card was the 10 of clubs, which didn't help.

My total number of points in diamonds was 11+8+9=28. Since I had a winning hand of at least 18 points, the $100 Ante bet paid even money. The win for 28 points on the Play bet is 3 to 1. Since my best suit matched the Money Suit, the win doubled to 6 to 1. So, my $100 play bet won $600. My $25 Natural Bonus bet paid 20 to 1, because 28 points in the first three cards pays 10 to 1, and that doubles because I matched the Money Suit. Thus, my Natural Bonus wager paid $25 × 20 = $500.

 

Strategy

 

Play if you have any of the following:

• Suited 15 or better
• Three unsuited cards, each being 7 or higher
• Two different suits valuing 10 or better
• Pair of 7's or better
• Pair of 2's - 6's if holding a suited 10 or better

 

Ante and Play Analysis

 

The following table shows various statistics for all three Play pay tables. As a reminder, the Element of Risk is defined as the ratio of the house edge to the average units bet.

 

Natural 31 Analysis

 

The following tables show the number of combinations, probability, and contribution of each return for three known pay tables of the Natural 31 bet.

   

Video

Please watch my video of Angela Wyman promoting Money$uit 31 at the 2016 Cutting Edge table game show.

 

External Links

 

Money$uit31 — Official web site.

Written by: Michael Shackleford