Learn Rummy, Practice, and Play Rummy on RummyModern – Rummy Game Rules
These days, before and during COVID19-pandemic, more and more Indians are playing this skill-based Cards game to pass time as well as to win exciting cash prizes. But, because of the strategic moves and complex rules that the game demands, it can be a difficult nut to crack for first-timers.
That’s why, we have compiled a list of important rules and guidelines on “How to play Rummy”, and more. Read through this section, learn the rules, improve your skills, practice what you have learned on the RummyModern Platform, and enjoy the thrilling world of Rummy, while mastering it.
When you are playing Indian Rummy, you are bound by the rules of the game and you have to depend on your skills to win. The lady luck has a very small role, here, trust us! Rummy is a skill-based card game, where players have to arrange and form proper sequences or sets to declare a win. Initially, each player is dealt a total of 13 cards. And each player must seek to arrange his/her cards in the correct order to make at least two sequences, where one of them must be a pure sequence.
It is important to note that the players must act quickly to form the right sequences or sets, to reach the least number of points or zero, to make a valid declaration/show. But, one must not act in rush and impulsively. One should be calm and controlled, employing one’s calculating abilities, mathematical and probabilistic reasoning, throughout the game, to outplay his/her opponent.
With our step-by-step guide, let’s take a deep dive into the thrilling world of Online Indian Rummy and learn how to win in this popular card game.
The Total Number of Players Seated on a Table
To play this game, at one time, you need two to six players.
The Total Number of Decks Used on the 2/6 Players Table
For both the tables of 2 to 6 players, two decks of cards are used. Each deck contains a total of 52 cards plus 1 face joker. Hence, the total number of cards used to play Indian Rummy is (2*52 + 2 (face jokers) = 106) cards.
The Total Number of Face Jokers per Deck
Every deck of 52 cards has 1 face joker. Since two decks of cards are used per game, the total number of face jokers per game is 2.
Deciding the Dealer
In simpler terms, the dealer is the one who distributes the cards, at the start of the game. But, who becomes the dealer?
Read on to know more – At the start of the game, one card is given to each player, randomly. The player with the card of the highest rank will be made, the dealer. For example, consider these two cards, 3D and 4H. Going by the rank, 4>3, so the player having the card 4H will become the dealer.
However, if two players end up getting the same rank, then the suits hierarchy is followed, in the following order – Clubs (Lowest) < Diamonds < Hearts < Spades (Highest) For example, consider these two cards, 3S and 3D. Both cards have the same rank. But, going by the metrics, the card 3S has higher importance. So, the player with the 3S card will become the dealer.
Once the dealer has been chosen, the game starts with the player sitting at the immediate left side of the dealer.
Card Distribution
At the start of the game, 13 cards are distributed randomly among the players seated at the table. At RummyModern, we follow RNG (Random Number Generator) standards. It is a system that distributes unpredictable numbers. RNG is based on a mathematical computation or hardware device that generates a random set of numbers that does not follow a set pattern. Hence, the process is completely random. It is impossible to guess the cards that will be dealt with or understand a pattern.
Closed Deck
Closed deck or stockpile is made up of the remaining cards after dealing 13 cards to all players, at the start. The pile is called the “Closed deck” because the players are not allowed to see the value of the cards. Every card you pick from the closed deck is a surprise as you do not know the value of the card and your opponent is equally clueless about the card that you have picked up.
Open Deck
The “Open deck” is formed by cards discarded by players. On every turn, each player draws a card and discards one. The discarded one ends up in the open deck. Remember that when you are picking up cards from the open deck you are in a way giving clues about the possible melds that you are working on.
Table/Wild-Card/Open Joker
Any card that is chosen, at random, by the dealer from the closed deck is a “Wild Card Joker” or “Cut Joker” or “Table Joker” for that particular game. For example: If the wildcard is 7C, then all cards with the value of 7 despite being belonged to different suits, will be considered as the “Wild Card Joker”.
Suits in the Cards
Cards with one of these symbols is considered as a “pack of Suits”
♠ – Spades
♥ – Hearts
♣ – Clubs
♦ – Diamonds
The Face Value of Cards
The face value of each card refers to the points assigned to it. Cards 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 bear the actual face value of the number assigned to them. Whereas, the cards J, Q, K, A bear 10 points each.
The Objective of Rummy
The most important objective of Rummy is to form “Sequences” and “Sets”. In simpler terms, each player needs to create sequences and sets from the cards they have been dealt. The first player who creates a valid Rummy Combination is the winner. So, you will win the game if you create a correct set/sequence faster than other players.
Now let us come to making the points. In Rummy, the player who makes the least number of points or at times Zero point is declared as the winner. This means fulfills you should make the set and sequence that has the least number of points.
Sequence
As mentioned earlier, making the correct sequences is important. Or you can lose at this game. Following the 13 cards Rummy rules, the sequences you need to make should be in the following order:
Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen & King
Pure Sequence
One cannot make a pure sequence using the wild card joker or the face joker. For example: If at the beginning of the game, the dealer decides the wild card joker to be 7C, any card bearing the point value 7, irrespective of its suit, cannot be used to create a pure sequence.
Example 1
7C is the wild card joker. Following the rules of Indian Rummy, a pure sequence should not have a joker card. Hence, this is not a pure sequence.
Example 2
Following the rules, if the dealer decides 7C as the wild card joker, then every card bearing the point value of 7, irrespective of its suit, cannot be used to create a pure sequence. Going by this rule, the card 7S cannot be used to form a pure sequence. Hence, this example is not a pure sequence.
Example 3
This sequence is pure. Note that a wild card joker can be used to make a pure sequence from the same suit. Like it happened in the example above.
Few other examples of Pure Sequences are:
Sequence or Impure Sequence
When a sequence is made by using a wild card joker or a face joker, it is called a sequence or impure sequence.
Example 1
All four cards are in a consecutive order if we consider the Joker to play the part of the QD in the Sequence. All four cards are from the same suit, in this case, diamond. The Sequence has been formed with the use of a Printed Joker. An Impure Sequence can contain three or more cards. Hence, this is a valid impure sequence.
Example 2
In the example above, if we consider the Joker to play the part of 7C in the sequence, then all the cards are in consecutive order. All cards are from the same suit, in the case, clubs. Therefore, this is an impure sequence.
Example 3
Following the rules, if the dealer decides 7C as the wild card joker, then every card bearing the point value of 7, irrespective of its suit, cannot be used to create a pure sequence. Going by this rule, the card 7S cannot be used to form a pure sequence. Hence, this example is not a pure sequence.
Sets
A set consists of three or four cards from different suits but each card bears the same number or face card. We have illustrated few examples of valid and invalid sets, below
Example 1
A set cannot have more than 4 cards. Hence, this is not a valid set.
Example 2
The cards all have the same value, in this case, the value is ‘8’. And they all belong to different suits. Hence, this is a valid set.
Example 3
The cards all have the same value, in this case, the value is ‘9’. However, two cards are from the same suit, i.e., diamond (Insert symbol). This set does not meet the criteria of a Valid Set of two or more cards not being from the same suit. Hence, this is not a valid set.
Correct Show in rummy
Correct show is the one with the below combination. Note that a wrong show will result in a penalty of 80 points.
- (1st Group – Pure)
- (2nd Group – Pure or Impure) OR
- (3rd Group – Pure or Impure or Sets ) OR
- (4th Group – Pure or Impure or Sets ) OR
- H(A23), S(567), C(JQK), D(10JQK) – SHOW
Examples of Valid Show:
Valid Show Example 1
As shown in the above example, the Declaration is a Valid Declaration, as it:
- Uses all 13 cards
- Contains two Valid Sequences (Both are Pure Sequences)
- Contains two Valid Sets
Valid Show Example 2
As shown in the above example, the Declaration is a Valid Declaration, as it:
- Uses all 13 cards
- Contains two Valid Sequences
- Sequence No. 1 is a Pure Sequence
- Sequence No. 2 is an Impure Sequence
- Contains two Valid Sets
Examples of Wrong Show:
Wrong Show Example 1
In the above example, you can observe that the Declaration is an Invalid Declaration because it does not contain even one Pure Sequence, even though both Sequences are Valid Sequences. As Sequence1 and Sequence 2 contain a Printed Joker and a Wild Joker respectively, they cannot be considered to be Pure Sequences.
Wrong Show Example 2
In the above example, you can observe that the Declaration is an Invalid Declaration because it contains one Invalid Set. Set 2 is considered Invalid because though the cards are all of the same value (King), this Set contains two cards from the same suit i.e., ♥
Deal Show
A deal show happens, when right at the beginning you are dealt all show cards.
Drop
A player can choose to drop out of the game, or surrender the game at the very first turn if they deem their cards or the hand they are dealt to be unsatisfactory. This action is known as ‘First Drop’. Once the player drops out, he/she will not participate in the game.
Middle Drop
A ‘Middle Drop’ in Rummy is when a player chooses to drop out of the game at any point in time, after the first drop.
Picking a Card
A card needs to be picked from the open or the closed deck to make a valid show. However, the Joker (Open/Cut or Face) can be picked during the first turn by the first player from the open deck. Once this is done, another joker cannot be picked from the open deck by another player.
Moreover, a discarded joker cannot be picked again. Note that if you do not pick a card during your turn, and this continues for three more turns, we will do a middle drop from our side.
Discard a card
In Indian Rummy, each player should have a total of 13 cards, at any point in time bank time. Whenever you pick a card from the open or the closed deck, the card total goes up to 14 cards. This means you have to discard 1 card to bring the total to 13. The discarded cards go to the open deck pile. The discard pile history appears on the table. Note that when your timer runs out, the card that you have picked from the closed or the open pile will automatically be discarded by the system.
Finish a card
When you have picked a card from the open or the closed deck and see that you now have a valid Rummy, you can choose a card that is not part of your Rummy to discard. After selecting that card, click on the finish button. Once that is done, the card will go to the finish slot and you will be asked to declare your cards.
Declare your cards
Once you chose to finish, you have to declare your cards. The system will then validate whether you have a Rummy or a Wrong show. If your show is wrong, you get a penalty of 80 points. Next, your cards are folded and the remaining players continue the game.
But, if you have placed a correct Rummy, we intimate other players and ask them to declare their cards. If your opponent has a Rummy, he/she will get 2 points.
How are the card points of opponent players counted?
If you have a valid sequence – Zero AND
If you have a next sequence – Zero AND
If you have a next set or sequence – Zero AND
The remaining cards will be counted as per the face value of the defined cards.
Remember, A Joker (cut joker or face joker) is always counted as Zero.
For example A23, 567, 789, 5273 = Here the count would be A23 = 0, 567 = 0, 789 = 0, 5273 = 5+2+7+3 = 17
Timer
Each player gets a time of 30 seconds for his/her turn.