What is Rummy, and how is it different from other card games?

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Card games have always been a fun pastime for people belonging to the Indian subcontinent. Every family gathering during Diwali nights brings individuals closer to each other and the party remains incomplete without a good game of Tash or Rummy.

Rummy is a game of creating a meld, i.e. forming relevant sets and sequences from the cards handed out to you.

Unlike most card games, it does not limit winnings to the player’s luck. Rummy makes use of skills like analytical reasoning and a sharp memory to emerge a winner. The more experienced the player, the greater the chances are of winning.

Types of Rummy:

All over the world, rummy has many variations. Listed below are the three basic, popular variants of Rummy.

  1. Gin Rummy: Famous in Europe, this is the easiest type of Rummy played with a deck of 52 cards and one joker card.
  • It is a two-player game, wherein each player is dealt a hand of 10 cards.
  • the player melds the cards into triplets of sets/sequences;
  • The set has to be of the same number and can be of different suites.
  • The sequence has to be of the same suit and is along with this order- king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
  • Each card has a point equal to the numerical value on the card
  • The face card carries 10 points.
  • the player that melds all the cards dealt into triplets is the winner.
  1. Oklahoma Rummy: It is a popular version of Gin rummy that is played with 52 cards and a randomly selected joker. There are 2-4 players in the game. The rules of the game remain the same as Gin rummy, with a few exceptions:
  • If there are over 2 players, each player is dealt a hand of 7 cards.
  • Players meld their cards and get rid of the melded cards as the game goes on.
  • The first person to become rid of all the melded cards is the winner.
  1. The Indian Rummy or 13 points rummy: It has three variations-
  1. Points rummy
  2. Deals rummy
  3. Pools rummy

The rules are:

  • The game is played between 2-6 players, and each player is dealt 13 cards. The player can use the Joker card as a substitute to form a meld.
  • Each number card bears the equivalent point, the ace and the face cards carry 10 points each; the joker carries zero points.
  • An impure sequence is a meld formed using a joker
  • A pure sequence is a meld without a joker.
  • A player should have one pure meld and one impure meld for a valid declare.
  • The first player to form all valid sets & sequences (pure or impure) wins the game.

In a nutshell,

Rummy is a fun, intellectual card game of melding the cards to reach a declare. It differs from other card games, extensively using wit, intuition, and probability.

Simultaneously, it’s simplicity makes it a popular game worldwide. 13 card rummy keeps the interest levels high and is considered one of the favorite leisure activities amongst multiple age groups. Online gaming platforms like RummyPassion, etc are providing several variants of this particular card game.