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Rummy is a simple game to play and has many different variations, not only Gin Rummy which you may have heard of but many other variations and twists on the game exist.
It’s a card game based on making sets (or melds) making three or four of a kind or making runs of cards of 3 or more in a row such as 5,6,7 etc. It was originated in Honduras in Central America, created from the Mexican game Conquian which is one of the more famous games from the rummy family of games. In some parts of Europe it is called romme.
For 2 players, each player will receive 10 cards each, leaving the rest as the stock. For 3 or 4 players, each will have 7 cards and for 5 or 6 players each will have 6 cards.
With all your cards in hand you can now view if you have any sets and if not take it in turns to draw from the stock to try and clear down your cards into sets. After drawing a card, you must now discard a card which will be face up next to the stock as an option for your opponents to pick up. Typically, in the early stages you would be trying to discard low value cards that not only would score you less points placed into a meld but also are of less value to your opponents to pick up and use.
The aim of the game is to make runs of cards into sets to place all of your cards before your opponent. You will lay you sets/runs/melds face up on the table in front of you. When all your, or your opponent’s cards are all placed the game is over and all remaining players will have their remaining cards deducted from their score (deadwood). Many variants of scoring exist and will be crucial to understand to apply the best strategy.
Typically, you would want to be placing higher value cards as a priority so that you are making higher value sets and also not risking being left with them in hand at the close of the game to be deducted from your score.
Once you have placed cards into sets they are not final and you can add cards to your sets to clear your remaining cards. You may for example want to add a 7 to a set of triplets that you have already placed or you may want keep that 7 to add to a run of 5,6,8 to create a new set.
Before play begins you will agree or enter a game with some predetermined points target and stake money.
You will declare “Rummy” in laying out all your cards at once without having previously laid out any sets, the best possible outcome for you and in which case your opponents will have to pay you double.
Rummy has a skill element and it’s many variants keep it interesting making it a long-standing classic and popular competitive online game.
Here is a simple free flash game for you to have a quick go to get the feel of it
Written by Mathew Lemin webmaster here at https://the-players-edge.com
