Today, I’m going to be talking about rummy, a card game that spans many countries and cultures, beloved for its mix of luck and skill. You’re going to find out how to navigate the twists and turns of this game, starting with the fundamental objective. Keep in mind that Rummy has many variations and I am just going to focus on the one that I know and play.
Getting Started
Rummy can be played with either 2 or 4 players. The object of the game is to be the first person to get rid of all your cards. I will get into how to do that in a little bit. Ok, time to deal the cards. Use the following protocol to get started.
- If there are two players, each player gets 10 cards
- If there are 3 or 4 players, each player gets 7 cards
The remaining cards are placed face down and the top card is drawn and placed face up next to the pile. The player to the left of the dealer goes first. That player will either take the face up card or draw one from the pile. They then will decide whether to keep that card or place it in the discard pile. Once that player has gone, the game goes on like that with each player picking up a card from the discard pile or drawing one from the deck and discarding one.
So, What’s the object?
The object of this game is to put together melds and get rid of all your cards before your opponent (s). A meld is a group of 3 or 4 cards of the same rank (ex…4-Spades, 4-Hearts, 4-Clubs), or a sequence of cards in the same suit like 4,5,6,7 of Hearts. When you put together melds, you put them face up on the table. The exception to that is if you are going to take a chance and hold all your cards until you can lay them all down at once. That’s a risky strategy that can either get you or lose you a lot of points. I will cover that later on.
How to Emerge Victorious in Rummy
The game ends when one player has laid down all their cards. When this happens you get all of your opponents cards. You then add up those cards and those are your points for that round. Card values are as follow:
- Face Cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings)- are worth 10 points
- Aces- are worth 1 point
- All Other Cards- are worth their face value
How Many Points to Win?
The first person to a predetermined amount of points is the winner. You can decide on a winning point amount with your friends but most people use the following points system. If there are 2 players you play to 100 points, 2 players would be 150 points, and 3 players would be 200 points.
Stalemate: What’s That?
It is possible, especially when playing with multiple people that you can go through the pile of cards and still not have a winner. If that happens just pick up the discard pile, reshuffle it, and put it back down on the table as if you were just starting the game with one card starting face up. If you run through the deck again with no winner, the game ends in a stalemate. In this case no one wins and no one gets points.
The Strategy Part
A critical component of your strategy is choosing the right time to draw and discard cards. Each turn, you’ll assess whether to take from the discard pile, which could give away your game plan, or from the stockpile, which is more discreet. Deciding what to discard is another element of cunning play. Shed cards that don’t seem beneficial, but be careful not to inadvertently assist your competitors.
Timing Is Everything
Knowing when to hold onto cards or when to let them go is what separates novices from pros. Keep an eye on your opponent’s moves; they can reveal much about their hand.
Bonus Points
One strategy to use is building your melds but not putting them down until you have a hand that you can lay down all at the same time. If you have not put down any cards and then put down all your cards in one shot you get a bonus. Woohoo!!! Your points are now doubled!!! Remember, this can be risky because if your opponent goes out first and your left holding all those cards, they will clean up on points.
Final Thoughts
Rummy is a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening with friends. All you need is a deck of cards and at least one more player. It combines luck and strategy. So grab a deck of cards, a snack and or beverage , and let the fun begin!
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