Under the Gun 31

Introduction

Under the Gun 31 is a difficult game to compare to any major casino games but shares some of the same elements as Money Suit 31. It had placements at the Viejas and Pala casinos in the San Diego area in the early 2010's. It since has found a home at Internet casinos using Art of Games software.

Rules

 

1. A single 52-card deck is used.
2. For purposes of points, cards are scored as in blackjack, except aces are always 11 points.
3. Play starts with the player making an Ante bet and optional 31 Bonus side bet.
4. Player receives three cards and the dealer four. The dealer cards are dealt face down.
5. Player has three choices:
   • Fold and lose the Ante and 31 Bonus, if made.
   • Switch one card of the player's choice for the next card in the deck while making an additional wager equal to the Ante bet.
   • Stay on the initial three cards and make an additional wager equal to the Ante bet.
6. The dealer will reveal his four cards.
7. The dealer will choose the three cards that result in the greatest number of points.
8. Both hands are scored according to the most points represented in a single suit. The hand with more points wins.
9. If the player wins, the Ante and Raise pay even money. If the dealer wins, the Ante and Raise lose. If there is a tie, then the player will lose the Raise and push on the Ante.
10. There is a Stay 'N Play bonus for premium player hands. Winning is not required to collect these bonuses. However, the player must stand on his original three cards to qualify. The pay table is shown below.
11. The 31 Bonus side bet pays according to the player's final hand. If the player folds, it will pay based on the player's initial hand. The pay table is shown below.

 

Following is the pay table for the Stay 'N Play bonus. I assume that an suited A-2-3 counts as a straight flush, although in the base game aces are always high. Pays are shown on a "to one" basis.

 

Following is the pay table for the 31 Bonus side bet. The player is not required to have a flush for a 21 point win. Pays are shown on a "to one" basis.

 

Example

 

In the hand above I bet $5 on the Ante and $1 on the 31 Bonus. I was dealt 19 points in diamonds and 2 points in spades.

 

I made the $5 raise bet and discarded the 2 of spades, which was nicely replaced by the 8 of diamonds, for a total of 27 points. The dealer's best suit was hearts, which totaled 17 points. Since my 27 points beat the dealer's 17, my Ante and Raise each paid 1 to 1. The 8-9-10 of diamonds formed a straight flush, which should have paid $10 on the 31 Bonus, but this buggy game paid me only $5. Why, I don't know.

Analysis

 

The only other source I know of that addresses this game is Discount Gambling. This is a rare game on that site that Stephen does not analyze. However, a couple people in the comments posted a house edge of 2.1% on the base game.

I did at least analyze the 31 Bonus side bet. The following table shows my results. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.52%.

 

Strategy

 

Sorry, you're on your own with that for now.

Written by: Michael Shackleford