For many people, card games are their passion. From figuring out neat little tricks to using obscure game rules, players of card games have a world of their own. In the scheme of things, rummy is one of the simpler card games, though it may take years to actually master it. With that, one needs a lot of patience and an eye for patterns. The rummy game rules vary a little depending on the kind of rummy being played. In India, there are three types of rummy – Points Rummy, Deals Rummy and Pool Rummy. But overall, the rules remain the same.

These are some of the rummy game rules common to all these kinds of rummy:

• Each hand generally consists of 13 cards for each player.
• The rest of the cards are placed face down and form the ‘Closed Deck’, from which players can draw a card during their turn. The pile in which players discard their card is called the ‘Open Deck’ and players may draw the latest card in it, during their turn.
• A Joker card is selected at the beginning of the game. This card may be used as a replacement to other cards to make an Impure Sequence. It can be the Joker Face Card or a Wild Card Joker. A Wild Card Joker is any random card selected at the beginning of the game. This card number of all the suits then becomes the Wild Card Joker of the particular game.
• The goal of the game is to get rid of one’s cards as fast as possible by putting them in sets or sequences. The least number of cards one has at the end of the game, the better the chances of winning. The one who finishes their hands first and declares, wins.

Some of the rules that are different in the various kinds of the rummy game are:

• Points Rummy:

In Points Rummy, there is a single game at the end of which the winner is declared to be the player who finishes their hand first. This is the standard game of rummy that follows the basic rules.

• Deals Rummy:

In Deals Rummy, the game is played for a pre-decided number of deals. In the beginning of the game, each player is given a particular number of chips. This number is decided by calculations involving the number of players and the maximum number of points each player can get. At the end of each deal, the winner gets chips from the other players, according to the number of cards they have left in their hands. At the end of the game, the one with the most number of chips, wins.

• Pool Rummy:

In Pool Rummy, the players pool in money at the beginning of the game. Points have negative value so the winner of the game has 0 points, while the others get points depending on the number of cards left in their hand. Eventually, if a player reaches 101 or 201 points (Depending on which version one is playing), that player is eliminated. This goes on till all other players are eliminated, apart from the player with the least points. That player is the winner.

Conclusion:

The games rummy rules mostly differ in the number of deals played and the nature in which the winner is chosen. Apart from that, the basic rules remain the same throughout.