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The Rules and History of Rummy PDF Print E-mail
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Friday, 31 October 2008 00:00

The Rules of Rummy
Like all popular card games, there are massive disagreements as to their origins. It’s the same for the game called “rummy,” a popular game in the Americas, Europe, and Asia as well. This was also the game that propelled the God-like poker player Stu Unger to fame in Las Vegas.

Some say rummy originated from Spain as “Conquian,” was exported to Mexico, and crossed over to Texas and the American Southwest. There in America, it was called "Cooncan" or "Coon Can", or "Coon-Can", or "Coon-King", or "Conkin" or…you get the point. Another theory says it evolved from Poker, as it shares many features such as straights and groups (three-of-a-kind, etc.). Then there is a Chinese card game called "Khanhoo", or "Kon Khin" which have the distinctly Rummy-like and for that matter poker-like characteristic of combinations (sequences and groups) of cards. There are also similarities to the very Chinese game of Mah Jongg.

Whatever its origins, one thing is known for sure – it’s a fun and surprisingly deep game that’s easy to learn and easy to like.



How To Play Rummy
There is actually no one collection of rules for rummy. There are so many variations that Rummy can’t simply have one set of universal rules. But it does have some basic rules for the most basic mode of play, and here they are.

Rummy can be played by at least 2 and up to 6 players using a standard deck of 52. It can be played per game with wagering or up to a target score that is agreed upon before play. Normally that is 100 points but changes depending on the players.

The dealing rotates around the table and the first dealer is chosen by drawing cards from the deck. The player with the lowest card gets to deal first. The deal is one per player around the table, with cards per player dependent on how many players there are. If there are 2 players, then ten cards each; 3 or 4 Players, 7 cards each; 5 or 6 Players, 6 cards each.

The remaining cards get placed face down on the table to become the stock, with the top card turned over face up on the table as the first of the discard pile. Once dealt, the players sort their cards, and the player left of the dealer gets to start play. The object of the game is to dispose of all your cards.

Starting Play
There are three four main actions per player turn. The Draw, the Meld, the Lay off, and the Discard. Only the Draw and Discard are compulsory.  Here is a description of each step.

Draw – a player starts a turn by drawing a card from the pile or taking the top card from the discard pile – If you draw from the pile, you should not show it to the other players.

Meld - Cards can be discarded when you “meld” them together in combinations and place them on the table in front of you. As part of strategy, you can choose to keep melds in your hand for a chance to declare "Rummy" later on for a bonus. There are two kinds of melds - runs and sets.

A run is a sequence of three or more cards of the same suit: Example 2,3,4 of hearts. In rummy, the sequence of cards is A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K.

A set is a group of three or four cards of the same number and obviously different suits: Example A (diamond), A (Club), and A (heart).

Laying Off - This is discarding a card from your hand onto a meld placed by yourself or others on the table. You can add either an Ace of hearts or the 5 of hearts to the example of a run provided above. You can also add an Ace of spades to the set given above. Laying off is optional, especially if you plan to make a set of your own and there is no limit to the number of cards you can lay off during a single turn.

Discarding – after drawing, melding, or laying off, you can end your turn by discarding a card onto the discard pile where it will be available for play for the nest player or ignored entirely with the next playing taking a fresh card from the stock pile.

If the stock pile runs out, the top card from the discard pile is set aside and the remainder of the discard pile is shuffled becomes a new stock pile. The top card starts the new discard pile. However, some variations declare that the game is over when the stock pile runs out, with players proceeding to score the game.

The hand ends with the winner being the first to discard all their cards, or when the stock pile runs out. Each player’s remaining hands are counted at face value, with the J, Q, and K being counted as 10 points. The value of all cards remaining in the hands of other players is tallied and added to the score of the winning player who is either the one with the lowest cumulative points at the end of the round or the one who discards all cards.

Declaring Rummy
A player can declare "Rummy" when he is able to discard all the cards in his hand in one turn without previously having put down or laid off any cards. A player who gets “Rummy” earns double the points for that hand.

Last Updated on Friday, 19 December 2008 18:28