Playing cards is a crucial element of indoor games and is a major source of entertainment in house parties as well. Speaking of cards, Rummy occupies a special place and different cultures have tweaked the game leading to numerous rummy variations. A unique card game that has a distinctive charm associated with it.
However, all Variants of Rummy essentially encompass card melding, i.e., grouping of similar cards. The grouped cards can be consecutive cards of the same suit, in which case the collection is called a sequence or a run; or a combination of cards with the same rank but different suits, in which case, it is called a set.
With digital card game integrating as the latest trend, here we bring at your disposal you a description of different rummy variations and rules associated with them.
Cards Rummy
Popularly known as Indian Rummy and believed to be an extension of Gin Rummy and Rummy 500, it is a game of 2 to 6 players in which each player is dealt 13 cards. Players have to meld the cards into valid sequences and/or sets by taking in and discarding cards.
The game also permits the use of Joker cards, which are used as alternatives for any card. One pure sequence i.e. without the use of Joker and one impure sequence i.e. which uses Joker, are necessary for a valid or acceptable declare. Each card carries points – Face cards and Aces (10 points each), number cards (same as the number on them) and Joker cards (0). The aim is to meld the cards and reduce points to zero because points carry negative value. The player who does this first is the winner.
Points Rummy
Alternatively known as 80 Points Rummy, it is most basic format of 13 Card Rummy. A session of this game ends in just a few minutes. It is the version recommended for beginners. The most loved online rummy variant allowing card junkies to rejuvenate themselves without letting much time consumed. There are tables with different point values, usually ranging from 10 paisa per point to Rs 100 per point. Once a player declares in this game, the winnings of the player at Rummy Passion are calculated based on the points that the losing players have accumulated, whereby:
Player Winnings = (Total Points of all Losing Players) X (Points Value) – Rummy Passion Rake
Deals Rummy
Another variant, you can play Deals Rummy for a specified number of deals. Each player gets an equal number of chips at the beginning of the game. By the end of each deal, the losing players have to let go off their chips to the winner. The moment all the deals are over, players get ranks as per their chip count. The player which has assembled the most chips is the overall winner.
Player Winnings = (Entry Fee) X (Number of players at the table) – Rummy Passion Rake
Pool Rummy
All the players at a table collect or ‘pool in’ money to take part in this game. It further consist of two versions – 101 and 201 Pool Rummy games. Similar to the Points Rummy game till all the players except for one, get eliminated from the game on collecting 101 or 201 points depending on the version. The player who is left gets declared as the winner.
Player Winnings = (Entry Fee) X (Number of players at the table) – Rummy Passion Rake
101 Pool Rummy
This format of Pool Rummy leads you to drive your rival players to cross 101 points. As soon as a player collects 101 points, s/he has to accept defeat and step down from the game. It might require the players to play multiple deals of the rummy game.
201 Pool Rummy
In this version of online rummy, all the players are wiped out as soon as they collect 201 points each. In the end, only one winning player remains. To exemplify, Players A, B and C decide to play 201 Pool Rummy. As the game advances, Player B accumulates 201 points after the fourth game at which instance, he gets eliminated. Now Players A and C remain at the table. They play 2 more games
21 Card Rummy or Indian Marriage
A popular game in the Indian subcontinent, it is played by a lot of people at Dusshera and Diwali. The game is of a longer duration than classic rummy games with twists and turns in between. It is similar to the game of 13 Card Rummy, barring a few features. It uses 3 decks of cards along with printed jokers. Each player is dealt 21 cards and is a mandate for the players to form at least 3 pure runs and meld the remaining cards into proper sets or sequences.
An unique aspect of this game is that besides jokers, it uses ‘Value Cards’. Their usage is similar to that of jokers as they can also alternate any card. However, they are special because they hold additional points. For instance, if 8♠ is the wild joker, 7♠ 8♠ 9♠ will be the Value Cards for the game and players who have any of them can grab 20 points from their rival players.
In the given example, 9♠ is called Paplu; 8♠ is Titlu and 7♠ is Niche.
The Marriage Hand: A combination of cards that has 7♠, 8♠, 9♠ is known as the Marriage Hand. The players who possess this special suit get 100 points from their opponents. The game of 21 Card Rummy requires much more concentration and skills on the part of players as compared to 13 Card Rummy.
Canasta
The word means ‘basket’ in Spanish is a variant of rummy game that itself has different variations depending upon the number of players. However, generally, it is played by 4 players in 2 partnerships with 2 decks of cards and 4 jokers. All the 4 jokers and all the 2s are treated as wild cards.
Let us know the variations you plan to participate in this weekend with your gang!