How to Play Rummy

Rummy is a game of skill and strategy that requires players to form sets or sequences to score points. Rummy is played with two standard decks of 52 cards each and is typically played by two to six players respectively.

The objective of this 13 card rummy game is to group all cards into sets or sequences and have no remaining cards in hand.

Game of rummy demands a lot of skill and practice that can help a player make strategic decisions. Whether played casually or competitively, rummy offers hours of entertainment thanks to its simple rules and varied strategies.

How to Play Rummy

Rummy Rules

  • 1. The main objective of the 13 card game is to strategically arrange the cards in your hand by forming sequences and sets, and ultimately making a valid declaration before anyone else does.
  • 2. To make a valid declaration, you must have a minimum of two sequences, with one of them being a pure sequence. The remaining cards can be organized into either sequences or sets.
  • 3. If you find yourself unable to form complete groups with all your cards, it is important to minimize your points by discarding high-value cards that cannot be included in any group.
  • 4. In the game of rummy, the player who successfully completes a valid declaration first emerges as the winner.
  • 5. By making a valid declaration, you can avoid accumulating any points, while the other players will accumulate points ranging from 2 to 80.
  • 6. Points directly correlate to monetary value, it is crucial for players to minimize their losses by reducing the number of points accumulated through valid groupings.

A Deck of Playing Cards

A standard deck of cards used in rummy consists of 52 cards, including 4 suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Each suit contains 13 cards, including an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and numbered cards from 2 to 10.

Understanding the values and ranks of these cards is crucial for successful gameplay. Each numbered card from 2 to 10 has a specific number of points equal to its value. Face cards, including the Ace, carry 10 points each, while Jokers do not.

Number of Players

Rummy typically requires 2 to 6 players, wherein two standard decks of 52 cards are used for most variants in rummy.

Dealing

The game of rummy begins with a well-shuffled deck of cards being distributed randomly to each player, which is called dealing. Depending on the variant of rummy, a certain number of cards are dealt to each player. For example, in Indian rummy, each player is dealt 13 cards.

Undealt cards are placed face down on the table, which is called the closed deck. The cards that are discarded by the players during the game are kept next to the closed deck which is called the discard pile.

Grouping

Once the cards are dealt, the objective of each player is to arrange the cards in groups.

A group can be of two types: Sets or Sequences.

Sequences

A group of 3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit is known as a sequence. There are two types of sequences, pure and impure:

  • a. Pure Sequence
  • b. Impure Sequence

Pure Sequence

A pure sequence is a group of 3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit without a printed or wildcard joker.

Impure Sequence

An impure sequence is a group of 3 or more cards where a printed joker or wild joker is used for completing the sequence.

Sets

A set is a group of at least 3 cards of the same value but of different suits. For example, a 5 of hearts, 5 of spades, and 5 of diamonds, grouped together will be a valid set.

You can also use the Joker card to create a valid set. There are no pure or impure sets.

Gameplay

Once the cards are dealt, a player starts the game by drawing a card from the closed deck with the top card face down, after the card is drawn, the player must discard one card from their hand, which then goes to the discard pile.

This continues until one of the players calls for a show.

Show

As soon as you discard one of your cards to the Finish slot, you must show your cards to your opponents and make a valid declaration in order to win.

Scoring and Calculation of Points

  • In rummy, the player who wins gets 0 points while the other player(s) are given points based on the incomplete sets/sequences they have in hand.
  • Players must ensure they have the least number of points as these determine the amount one loses.
  • While declaring, a player must ensure that the cards are arranged appropriately to reduce the points and the resulting loss.
  • If a player makes a valid declaration before the other player(s) play even a single turn, then the losing player gets points equal to half of their hand score.

What is a Drop in Rummy?

When playing rummy, a player can opt out of the game if he or she isn't confident about the cards dealt, this is called a drop. By dropping out, players can minimise their losses and reduce their points accumulated.

There are two types of drops:

First Drop: Dropping the game before your first turn is known as the first drop. A player usually does this when they do not see any potential in their cards.

Middle Drop: When the cards at hand do not hold any potential even after several rounds, you may choose to drop. This is called the middle drop.

There are penalty points on every drop. Penalty points are calculated based on the different variants.

Declaring the Winner

For a valid declaration, you need to have at least two sequences, one of which needs to be a pure sequence. The rest of the cards can be arranged in valid sequences and sets.

The first one to make a valid declaration wins the game.

Points Rummy

Points rummy is the most popular format of the 13-card Indian rummy where players play for points with a pre-decided rupee value.

A game lasts for a single deal with the monetary value of the points being pre-decided before the game.

It is a fast-paced and exciting card game that requires a high level of skill to play.

What is a Point Value

In this game, the player who declares their cards first and does it correctly gets 0 points. The other players get points based on the sum of their ungrouped cards.

To join the game, players need to pay a buy-in amount, which is calculated by multiplying the point value by 80.

Players also have the option to drop from the game. If they choose to do so, their points are calculated as.

  • First drop = 20 points.
  • Middle drop = 40 points.
  • Invalid declare = 80 points.
  • Apart from the winner, the points of other players are based on the cards in their hands. Each card carries points as follows.
  • Face cards (J, Q, K, A) – 10 points each.
  • Joker – 0 points.
  • Numerical cards – Same points as their face value.

What is Buy In in Points Rummy?

  • The money you take with you to a specific table is called 'Buy-in'.
  • Buy-in = Point Value x 80.

What are the Max Moves Limit in Points Rummy?

A deal is settled when a player wins it or when all players have played 25 moves in the current deal, whichever happens first.

How is the Winnings Amount Decided in Points Rummy?

If your opponent loses by 30 points in a 2-player, 1-point game, you get 1x30 - RummyTime Commission. The same logic of calculation applies when you are playing a 6-player game.

Deals Rummy

In the deals format of rummy, players are allocated a pre-defined number of chips before the start of the game.

At the end of a game, the winner wins the entire number of chips.

This goes on till the fixed number of deals are played, with the player having the maximum number of chips at the end winning the game.

What are Express Deals?

As the name suggests, express deals are the fastest variant of Deals rummy on RummyTime. It's a single-deal game in which the winner of that deal gets the prize money.

What is Buy In in Deals Rummy?

In deals rummy, each player pays a fixed buy-in amount, which forms the prize pool of the table.

Drop option in Deals Rummy

Drop is available only in 6-player deals and not for the 2-player, 1-deal game. A player can choose to drop from the deal to minimize their losses.

Here’s the points calculation for a drop and invalid declaration:

  • First drop = 20 points
  • Middle drop = 40 points
  • Invalid declare = 80 points

What is the Max Moves Limit in Deals Rummy?

A deal is settled when a player wins it or when all players have played 25 moves in the current deal, whichever happens first.

How is the Winnings Amount Decided in Deals Rummy?

Winning amount:

(Entry Fee) X (Number of Players) – RummyTime Commission

For example, in a 2-player game of deals of buy-In ₹5.

Winning = (2*₹5)-₹1=₹9

Pool Rummy

Pool Rummy, is one of the most strategy-intensive variants of rummy. The variant has three sub-variants - 61 Pool, 101 Pool, and 201 Pool.

In this variant, players pay a fixed entry fee, forming the game's prize pool. Played on for an undefined number of deals, the winner of each deal in the Pool Rummy variant gets 0 points while the remaining players accumulate points based on the ungrouped cards they have. A player is eliminated once their points accumulate to a score over the maximum limit of points on the table - 61 in 61 Pool, 101 in 101 Pool, and 201 in 201 Pool where 61, 101, and 201 are predetermined elimination points for the respective variants.

The true objective of the Pool Rummy variant is to score the least points possible while avoiding reaching the elimination points. The players who reach these point values will be eliminated first while the remaining players stay back at the table to a point where only one player remains.

61 Pool

In 61 Pool rummy, a player who reaches the maximum of 61 points is eliminated, players have to pay a fixed buy-in amount which forms the prize pool. The last player to have points less than 61 wins the pool.

Buy-In:

Here, every player pays a fixed buy-in amount which forms the prize pool of the table.

Drop Option:

Players can drop their hand at any time. Here’s the points calculation

  • Drop = 15 points,
  • Middle drop = 30 points,
  • Invalid declaration = 60 points.

Split:

  • Players can split the prize pool amongst themselves. This can happen only when
  • There are 3 or less than 3 players left on the table.
  • At least one of the players has been eliminated.
  • If the scores of the players are close.

Winning Amount:

(Entry Fee) X (Number of Players) – RummyTime Commission

For example, in a 6-player game of Pool rummy, the buy-in amount is ₹5.

Winning= (6*₹5)-₹4.5=₹25.5

101 Pool

In 101 Pool rummy, a player who reaches the maximum of 101 points is eliminated, players have to pay a fixed buy-in amount which forms the prize pool. The last player to have points less than 101 wins the pool.

Buy-In:

Here, every player pays a fixed buy-in amount which forms the prize pool of the table.

Drop Option:

Players can drop their cards at any time. Here’s the points calculation

  • Drop = 20 points,
  • Middle drop = 40 points,
  • Invalid declaration = 80 points.

Split:

  • Players can split the pool amount amongst themselves. This can happen only when
  • There are 3 or fewer than 3 players left on the table.
  • At least one of the players has been eliminated.
  • If the scores of the players are close.

Winning Amount:

(Entry Fee) X (Number of Players) – RummyTime Commission

For example, in a 6-player game of pool of buy-in ₹5.

Winning= (6*₹5)-₹4.5=₹25.5

201 Pool

In 201 Pool rummy, a player who reaches the maximum of 201 points is eliminated, players have to pay a fixed buy-in amount which forms the prize pool. The last player to have points less than 201 wins the pool.

Buy-In:

Here, every player pays a fixed buy-in amount which forms the prize pool of the table.

Drop Option:

Players can drop their hand at any time. Here’s the points calculation

  • Drop = 25 points,
  • Middle drop = 50 points,
  • Invalid declaration = 80 points.

Split:

  • Players can split the pool amount amongst themselves. This can happen only when
  • There are 3 or fewer than 3 players left on the table.
  • At least one of the players has been eliminated.
  • If the scores of the players are close.

Winning Amount:

(Entry Fee) X (Number of Players) – RummyTime Commission

For example, in a 6-player game of pool of buy-in ₹5.

Winning= (6*₹5)-₹4.5=₹25.5

If you wish to start playing rummy then you should not wait. Learn, play and practice regularly to eventually become a pro player for real cash rummy games.

Refer to sections below for further reading:

Rummy Glossary

Pool Rummy

Deal Rummy

Points Rummy

Rummy Tournaments

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