Rummy Instructions Card Game
Both players get ten cards. The dealer turns the rest of the cards into the stock by placing them in the center of the table and turning over the first card. The upcard is offered to the nondealer first. If he doesn’t want the upcard, the dealer may take it, and then play continues. The object of a gin rummy game is to strategically work with your hand of cards to create sets and runs while at the same time eliminating as many 'deadwood' cards (cards that are not in a set or run) as possible. The key to the game is understanding what a set, run, and deadwood cards are in gin rummy.
- Rummy Card Game Rules Pdf
- Free Printable Rummy Rules
- Rummy Card Games Instructions
- How To Start Rummy Card Game
Contract Rummy is believed to have originated from a game called Zioncheck thatwas devised by Ruth Armson. David Parlett suggests that Contract Rummy cardgames followed on from Contract Bridge which was popular in the 1930's. Othernames for Contract Rummy include Shanghai Rummy, Liverpool Rummy, Joker Rummy,Progressive Rummy, Combination Rummy, King Rummy and Continental Rummy.
Some of these are slight variations on the original Contract Rummy but the basicprinciples are the same. There are a series of deals, each of which have a setrequirement, or contract, in terms of the type of melds that need to beachieved for going out and are of a fixed character. The contract must beformed first, before any other cards may be laid down. The contracts becomeprogressively more demanding on each round.
Setup
Players: 2 to 5+ players. The optimum number of players is 3 or 4.
Dealer gives one card at a time face down, beginning with the player on the left. When two people play, each person gets 10 cards. When three or four people play, each receives seven cards; when five or six play, each receives six cards. The remaining cards are placed face down on the table, forming the stock. Rummy Players: 2,3,4,5,6 Type: Matching Card rank: K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 A Objective Each player tries to lay all of the cards from their hands onto the table by forming matched sets.
Cards: With up to four players shuffle together 2 standard decks of 52cards. For five or more players use 3 decks. The number of jokers used should beone fewer than the number of players, so for 3 players add in 2 Jokers, for 5players add in 4 Jokers, etc.
The Deal: The dealer is chosen at random. Cut the cards and deal one cardout to each player. The person with the lowest card starts out as the dealer,Ace is lowest in the draw. Each round, the dealer moves to the left. Play willstart with the player to the dealer's left and continues around to the left.
For the first four rounds the dealer will deal 10 cards to each player, one at atime. For the last three rounds, each player receives 12 cards.
After the cards are dealt to all players, the dealer places the remaining cardsface down in a pile on the table forming the stock pile. The top card is flippedover to start the discard pile.
Objective: Just as in Standard Rummy the objective of the game is toform your cards into Sets and Runs, although there are slight differences inwhat constitutes valid sets or runs outlined in the next section. For each roundof the game there is a different 'Basic Contract' that must be fulfilled beforeanything else can be done. The contracts are a specific mix of Sets and/orRuns, and are as follows:
Round | Cards | Basic Contract |
---|---|---|
1 | 10 | Two Sets |
2 | 10 | One Set, One Run |
3 | 10 | Two Runs |
4 | 10 | Three Sets |
5 | 12 | Two Sets, One Run |
6 | 12 | One Set, Two Runs |
7 | 12 | Three Runs |
It should be noted that the minimum number of cards required to form the BasicContract of the deal increases by one card for each subsequent round. Forexample, in Round 1 you only require 6 cards to form two sets. In Round 2, yourequire at least 7 cards to form one set and one sequence, and so on. In Round7, the first meld of this deal ends play and it must be achieved with nounmatched cards. In other words, it must be a complete hand.
Melds
In Contract Rummy a minimum of 4 cards is required to form a run, instead of theusual 3 cards in most other Rummy games. In addition, any three cards of thesame rank may form a set regardless of suit, and therefore a set formed of A-A-A is a valid set.
Also, where two runs are required in a Basic Contract, they must be of differentsuits. If they are not of different suits, then they must not be in consecutiveorder. For example, a sequence of 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 countsas just one run. However, 2-3-4-5-7-8-9-10 is consideredto be two runs because of the break between the 5 and the 7.
Ace can be counted as high or low, but not both at once. So sequences like J-Q-K-A and A-2-3-4 are valid melds, but K-A-2-3 are not.
Game Play
Play commences with the player to the left of the dealer taking a turn andcontinues clockwise until the round ends.
Players do the following actions when it is their turn:
Draw: The player begins by drawing one cards from either the stock pileor the discard pile and adding it to his or her hand.
Buy (the 'May I?') (optional): If the card on top of the discard pile(the upcard) is not wanted by the player whose turn it is, that card may beasked for by another player. Hence the term 'May I?'. This means the card canbe picked up and 'bought' by the other player even though it is not theirturn yet. The player who 'buys' must also pick up a card from the stock pile,which is known as a 'penalty card'. The player that does this may not meld,lay off or discard since it is not his turn. Also he must still must pick upanother card on his turn, which means that he will have two extra cards,though one or both may help him complete a contract. If more than oneplayer wishes to buy the upcard the precedence is given to the player whoseturn comes first.
After the buy is completed control returns immediately back to the playerwhose turn it is, who draws the top card of the stock pile. He may not drawthe next card on the discard pile, having already refused the first one.
Meld (optional): If the player has cards that can be formed into thebasic contract then they may lay them down at this time. This is called'fulfilling the contract'. Only the specific number of cards needed for thecontract may be melded when fulfilling the contract. No other cards can belaid down by the player until the turn after their contract has beenfulfilled.
Lay off (optional): Starting with the turn after the player has meldedthe contract they may lay off cards on any melds already on the table. Thereis no limit as to how many cards that may laid off in one turn.
Joker Substitution (optional): Once a player has laid down the basiccontract he is eligible to take a joker into his hand from a meld on thetable by replacing it with the card it represents. A joker in a sequence maybe moved to either end by a player who wishes to lay off the natural card onthe meld (but no sequence may be comprised of more than 14 cards).
Jokers played as part of a group are considered 'dead'; they cannot bereclaimed and played elsewhere.
- Discard: And the end of his or her turn the player must discard one cardfrom their hand to the face-up discard pile.
Depleted Stock
It can occasionally happen that the stock pile runs out of cards. If a playerwishes to draw a card when there are no cards left in the stock pile, then youtake all the cards of the discard pile except the top one, shuffle themtogether, and place them face down to make a new stock. The top card of the olddiscard pile remains face up to start the new discard pile. Play then continuesas before.
End of Hand
Play continues in this way until one player has gotten rid of all their cards bymelding and laying off.
Rummy Card Game Rules Pdf
Scoring
When a player goes out then all the remaining players add up the points of thecards they still have in their hands. Cards have the following point values:
Card | Value |
---|---|
Joker | 25 points |
Ace | 15 points |
Face cards | 10 points |
Others | face value |
A the end of the seven rounds the player with the lowest score wins.
Optional Rules and Variations
The following rules may be added to the standard game if all players agree tothe variation before the first player takes their turn. It’s not an all ornothing deal, the game participants can pick and choose which variations theylike.
More Jokers: It is common to use both jokers in each deck of cards usedfor the game, instead of limiting the jokers to one less than the number ofplayers.
Dueces wild: The game can be played with all the 2s acting as Jokers. Ifso then they are also worth 25 points at the end of the round.
Score variations: Some play with number cards (2 through 10) counting as5 points each instead of their pip or number value. Some play with jokerscounting as 15 points.
No buying: Some players play without the option for thebuying step of the turns described above, in order to be less confusing fornew players for example.
Multiple buys: After someone has bought the discard out of turn, it ispossible for a different player to take the next card of the discard pile inthe same way, also taking a penalty card from the stock pile along with it.There is no limit as to how many times this can be done, but the same playeris not allowed to take two successive cards from the discard pile in thisway.
Only when the other players have had the opportunity to take any cards theywant from the top of the discard pile does the person who was about to playdraw from the stock and continue their turn.
Rummy is a card game that is played with two decks of cards with total of two Jokers. To win the rummy game a player must make a valid declaration by picking and discarding cards from the two piles given. One pile is a closed deck, where a player is unable to see the card that he is picking, while the other is an open deck that is formed by the cards discarded by the players. To win at rummy card game, the players have to group cards in valid sequences and sets.
In rummy, the cards in each suit rank low to high starting with Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen and King. Ace, Jack, Queen and King each has 10 points. The remaining cards have value equal to their face value. For example, 5 cards will have 5 points and so on.
The Objective Of Rummy
The objective of rummy card game is to arrange the 13 cards in valid sets and sequences. To win the game you need to make minimum 2 sequences, out of which one needs to be pure sequence and rest can be any valid sequence or sets. Without a pure sequence you cannot make a valid rummy declaration. This is one of the most important rummy rules.
How to Form Sequences?
In rummy, a sequence is a group of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit. There are two types of sequences that are formed; a pure sequence and an impure sequence. To win the game of rummy you need at least one pure sequence in your rummy hand.
Pure Sequence
A pure sequence is a group of three or more cards of the same suit, placed in consecutive order. To form a pure sequence in rummy card game, a player cannot use any Joker or wild card.Here are a few examples of pure sequence.
- 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ (Pure sequence with three cards and there is no Joker or wild card used)
- 3♠ 4♠ 5♠ 6♠ (Pure sequence with four cards. There is no use of Joker or wild cards here.)
Impure Sequence
An impure sequence is a group of three or more cards of the same suit with one or more Joker card used.Here are some examples to show how an impure sequence is formed.
- 6♦ 7♦ Q♠ 9♦ (Here Q♠ has been used as a wild Joker replacing 8♦ to form an impure sequence.)
- 5♠ Q♥ 7♠ 8♠ PJ (Impure sequence with Q♥ as wild joker that is replacing 6♠ and the Printed Joker is replacing 9♠.)
How to Form Sets?
A set is a group of three or more cards of the same value but of different suits. When you are forming sets, you can use wild card and Jokers.
Examples of sets
- A♥ A♣ A♦ (In this set, all the Ace are of different suits, make a valid set.)
- 8♦ 8♣ 8♠ 8♥ (Rummy set is formed with four 8 cards of different suits.)
- 9♦ Q♠ 9♠ 9♥ (Here Q♠ has been used as wild joker replacing 9♣ to make set.)
- 5♦ 5♣ 5♠ PJ (Printed joker replacing 5♥ to make set.)
- 5♦ 5♣ Q♠ PJ (Here Q♠ has been used as wild joker replacing 5♠ & Printed joker replacing 5♥ to make set.)
- 5♦ 5♣ PJ Q♥ Q♠ (This is a set of 5 cards with Printed joker & Q♥ as wild joker replacing 5♠ 5♥ and one more wild joker Q♠ to complete 13 cards grouping.)
Typical Example: 2♥ 3♥ 4♥ 5♥ 5♣ 6♣ 7♣ 8♣ 5♦ 5♣ PJ Q♥ Q♠ (Set of 5 cards is made to complete the grouping of 13 cards and make a valid declaration)
Note: The set is formed with same card of different suits. However, you can’t use two or more cards of the same suit. This is taken as an invalid declaration. Also, note that a set can have more than four cards. So, if you have a set of four cards and you are using an additional Joker, then in total it becomes a 5 cards group and still be a valid set. At no given time, the hand can have more than 13 cards.
Examples of invalid set
- Q♥ Q♥ Q♦ (There are two Qs of the same suit ♥ making it an invalid set.)
- 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ 7♠ Q♥ (It has two 7 spades of the same suit. The wild card Q♥ as the fifth card is valid but having two 7♠ is making it invalid.)
How To Play Rummy Card Game?
Follow this simple rummy rules and instructions to know how to play the game from start to end:
- Rummy card game is played between 2 to 6 players with 2 decks of cards. Each player is dealt with 13 cards and a random card is selected as wild joker or joker card of the game.
- The player has to draw and discard cards to form valid sets and sequences of the 13 cards in hand where player can also use wild joker or printed joker of the deck to make impure sequence and sets.
- As per indian rummy rules, once a player arranged 13 cards in valid 2 sequences including 1 pure sequence and more groups (sequences or sets), one can make a declaration and win the game.
Quick Tips To Win The Rummy Card Game
Just as it’s important to know the rummy rules, it is also necessary to play carefully and with focus. Here are quick tips to win the rummy game and stay a step ahead of your competitors.
- Form the pure sequence at the very beginning of the game. Without a pure sequence, a player cannot make a declaration.
- Discard cards with high points like Ace, Jack, Queen and King. Replace these cards with Joker or Wild Cards. It reduces the point load, in case you lose the game.
- As much as possible, avoid picking from the discard pile. It gives away what hand you are trying to form.
- Look out for smart cards. For example, a 7 of any suit can work with 5 and 6 of the same suit and also 8 and 9 of the same suit.
- Jokers play an important role in rummy. Try using them to replace high value cards. Remember, Joker and wild cards cannot be used to form pure sequence.
- When you are ready to make a declaration, check and recheck your cards and then press the button. An invalid declaration can turn even a winning game into a complete loss.
Common Terms Used In Rummy Rules
Here are some common terms of Indian Rummy that every player needs to know before he starts playing.
Free Printable Rummy Rules
What is a Rummy Table?
It is the table where the game of rummy is played. Every rummy table can sit two to six players for each game.
What is Joker and Wild Cards?
In each rummy deck there is a Printed Joker and there is a Wild Card that is selected at random at the beginning of the game. The role of both these types of card is the same. Jokers are used to form sets and impure sequences. A Joker card can replace the desired number when forming the groups. This is a valid formation in a rummy game.
What is Draw and Discard?
In all Rummy games, each player is dealt 13 cards. Additionally, there are 2 stacks from which each player can select cards, thereby drawing a card. Once a player draws a card, he has to get rid of one card - this is called discarding.
What is Sorting of Cards?
Sorting of cards are done at the beginning of the game. This is done to arrange your cards to help you form your sets and sequences reducing the probability of mixing the cards. Once, the cards are displayed, you can hit the Sort button and start playing.
What is a Drop?
When a player decides to leave the game table at the start or middle of the rummy game, it is a drop. The act is withdrawing from the game as a personal decision. The first drop=20 points; middle drop= 40 points and last drop and maximum point loss is 80 points.
In case of Pool rummy, if a player drops in 101 pool, the score is 20. In case, it is 201 pool rummy, the drop score is 25. In a game, where it is best of 2 and best of 3 is played, then a drop is not allowed.
Rummy Card Games Instructions
What are Cash Tournaments?
Cash tournaments are those that are played for Real Cash and have Real Cash Prizes (in INR). These tournaments run 24x7 and are conducted in a knock-out style. To play any of the cash games, the player has to add Cash to its RummyCircle account.
How do I Join a Tournament?
Go to 'Tournaments' in the top navigation panel. Now, select the type of Tournament you wish to play. In the corresponding Tournament List, click on any of the Open tournaments that you wish to join. Finally, click on the blinking Join This Tournament button under Tournament Details.
What is an Invalid Declaration?
An invalid declaration happens in rummy card game when the player presses the Declaration button, but the cards are not in valid sequences and sets. Therefore, the player will lose the game and the competitor will automatically be declared as the winner.
Here are few examples of common invalid declarations players make while playing rummy:
Wrong Declaration with Invalid Sets
Example 1: 10♠ 10♠ 10♦ 10♣ Q♥
A set can have 3 cards or more, however a set needs to be formed with cards of the same value and different suits. In this situation, the Wild Joker (Queen of Hearts) card was added and that became the fifth card, which is valid as per rules, however the group consist of 2 cards of the same suit making it a wrong declaration.
Example 2: K♥ K♥ K♦
In this set, there are 3 cards which is well within the minimum limit. Also, a set consists of cards of the same face value but has to be of different suits. The set cannot have more than one card of the same suit. In this example, the set consists of two cards of the same suit and that makes it a wrong declaration.
Wrong Declaration with Invalid Sequences
Example 1: 10♠ 10♥ 10♦ 10♣ 5♠ 5♥ 5♦ 6♠ 6♥ 6♣ 9♥ 9♦ Joker
A valid declaration requires 2 sequences, out of which one needs to be pure sequence i.e. sequence without joker and the other can be pure or impure sequence i.e. sequence with or without joker. However, in the given example there is neither sequence made making it an invalid declaration.
Example 2: K♥ K♠ K♦ 6♥ 7♥ Joker 9♠ 10♠ J♠ Joker 5♠ 5♥ 5♦
A valid declaration must have 2 sequences, out of which one needs to be pure sequence i.e. sequence without joker and the other can be pure or impure sequence i.e. sequence with or without joker. This example shows that there are 2 sequences, but both are impure sequence i.e. sequence with joker and the pure sequence is not there. It is compulsory to have a pure sequence before you make a declaration.
Example 3: Q♥ Q♠ Q♦ 6♥ 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 5♠ 5♥ 5♦ 10♠ 10♥ 10♦
Sequences are very important for a rummy card game and you need minimum 2 sequences, out of which one needs to be pure sequence and the other can be pure or impure sequence to win the game. In this example, there is a pure sequence, however the 2nd sequence is missing and hence it is an invalid declaration.
Useful Chart - How To Play & Rummy Guidelines For Valid Rummy Declaration:
Handy Directions to Follow While Declaring With 13 Cards:
PURE SEQUENCE | IMPURE SEQUENCE | SET 1 & SET 2 |
---|---|---|
COMPULSORY to make | NOT COMPULSORY (Can make to fulfill minimum 2 sequence requirement) | NOT COMPULSORY (Can make to complete 13 Cards valid grouping) |
Made with 3 or More Cards | Made with 3 or More Cards | Made with 3 or 4 Cards without Joker. OR Made with 3, 4 or More Cards with Joker. |
Cards of SAME SUIT in SEQUENTIAL ORDER | Cards of SAME SUIT in SEQUENTIAL ORDER with Wild Card Joker or Printed Joker | Cards of SAME VALUE & DIFFERENT SUIT (2 Cards of same color but different suit can be used Ex - 5♠ 5♥ 5♦). |
CANNOT USE JOKER or WILD CARD | CAN USE JOKER or WILD CARD | CAN USE JOKER or WILD CARD |
Combination Possible as per the Above Rules to Declare 13 Cards in Rummy:
- There is one Pure Sequence of 4 cards
- There is Impure Sequence of 3 cards where 8♣ is a wild joker
- There is a “Set 1” of 3 cards
- There is a “Set 2” of 3 cards having a “Printed Joker”
Download this handy PDF for 13 Card Game Rules: “Download PDF Now”
How The Points Are Calculated As Per Indian Rummy Rules?
Let us look how points calculation is done, when you are playing online rummy card game.
CARDS | VALUE |
High value cards Ace, King, Queen, Jack | All carry 10 points each |
Joker and Wild Cards | Zero points |
Other cards | Have point value same as their face value |
Example: 8 ♥, 9 ♥ 10 ♥ | 8 points, 9 points, 10 points |
Losing Player Points
If the player doesn’t have 2 sequences including a pure sequence | Value of all cards is added, capped at 80 points |
If the player has formed 2 sequences including pure sequence | Value of cards that are not in sequence are calculated |
Wrong Declaration | 80 points |
First Drop | 20 points |
Middle Drop | 40 points |
3 Consecutive Misses | Considered as middle drop with 40 points loss |
Leave Table | If player leaves table after picking from closed deck, it is considered middle drop. If the player hasn’t picked any card, it is taken as first drop. |
Examples of Points Calculation With Winning Amount
Example: Table of 6 Players (Wild Joker Q♦)
How To Start Rummy Card Game
Player | Hand Formed | Points Calculated |
Player 1 | 2♥ 3♥ 4♥ 5♣ 6♣ Q♦ 8♦ 8♠ 5♣ 2♦ 2♣ K♠ Q♠ | The player has 2 sequences 1 pure and 1 impure. So, only the points of unmatched cards will be counted = 45 |
Player 2 | 4♠ 4♥ 4♣ 4♦ 5♦ Q♦ 3♠ 7♠ 8♠ Q♦ K♦ 10♣ 9♣ | The player has not formed 2 sequences, including the pure sequence. Hence, points of all cards will be calculated =68 |
Player 3 | 3♥ 4♥ 5♥ 5♣ 6♣ 7♣ Q♦ 8♦ 5♣ 2♦ 2♣ 2♥ K♠ | The player has 2 sequences, 1 pure and 1 impure. It also has 1 set formed. The points will be calculated only for the ungrouped cards = 23 |
Player 4 | A♥ 4♥ 5♥ 5♣ 6♣ 10♣ J♦ 8♦ 5♣ 2♦ 2♣ Q♥ K♠ | First Drop with a loss of 20 points |
Player 5 | 4♠ 4♥ 4♣ 4♦ 5♦ Q♦ A♠ 7♠ 8♠ Q♦ K♦ J♣ 9♣ | 3 consecutive misses= 40 points |
Player 6 | 2♥ 3♥ 4♥ 5♣ 6♣ 7♣ Q♦ 5♦ 5♣ 5♥ 2♦ 2♣ 2♥ | WINNER |
How Are Your Winnings Calculated In Rummy Cash Games?
At the end of the day it is all about seeing that winning cash amount in your account. You also need to be very clear how you are getting the sum that is reflecting in your Dashboard. Let’s help you understand how these calculations are done to play rummy online for real money.
Winning Calculation in Points Rummy?
When you are playing points rummy cash games, it is based on a pre-decided rupee value. The winner of the game wins the entire cash amount lost by the other players at the end of the game. Here is how the calculation is done.
Winning Cash = (Sum of all points of opponents) X (Rupee value of the point) - RummyCircle Fee
Here is an example that will help us understand this better:
Example:
Total of 6 players playing points rummy for cash on Rs. 860 table. Each point has a pre-decided value of Rs. 4. There will be 1 player who will be the winner and remaining 5 will lose the game. The losing points of the remaining 5 players would be 45, 78, 23, 20, 40 respectively. The winnings will be calculated as:
4x (45+78+23+20+40) = Rs. 824
This amount, after the deduction of RummyCircle fee will reflect in the player’s account.
Winnings Calculation in Pool Rummy?
The winning for pools rummy is calculated as per the given calculation:
Winnings = (Entry Fee) X (Number of Players) - RummyCircle feesExample:
Players pay the fixed entry fee for the tournament, which is used to form the prize pool. If 5 players join a pool rummy with Rs. 50 as entry fee. The prize pool of the game will be Rs. 250.
The winner will win Rs. 50 x 5 = Rs. 250
This amount will be credited to the winner’s account after the deduction of the RummyCircle fees.
Winnings Calculation in Deals Rummy?
In deals rummy, the winner wins all the chips at the end of each deal. Here is how the winnings are calculated:
Winnings =Sum of points of all opponents assuming each chip is equal to one point.
Example:
Let’s assume that there are 6 players on the table and the player 5 declares his hand. The other four players will lose with 10, 20, 30, 35 and 40 points respectively. The winner’s chips will be calculated as 10 + 20 + 30 + 35 + 40 =135 chips.
With all the above guide, get started to play rummy with right directions and win cash. RummyCircle gives you an option to make a rummy game download for hassle free, non-intrusive experience of online rummy. This app is available for both android users and IOS users. Also, you can enjoy the fun and entertainment packed game on mobile website.
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