Rummy is one of the more popular games available in the world. Due to its simple nature and its high fun factor, it can be found in most family households and in online casinos as well, usually featured on "Specialty Games" or "Other Games" sections. Rummy has many variations. This article will explain the basic rules of Vanilla Rummy as they are usually played in online casinos and gambling sites. A minimum number of two players are required to play Rummy, the maximum number of players permitted in game is six. Rummy uses a standard 52 card deck. The rank of cards is as follows: King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A.
A Standard game of Rummy
A dealer is usually randomly chosen among the players. The dealer then gives out one card in a clockwise fashion to all. The cards are face down. If two players are playing, each gets 10 cards. Three-Four people means seven cards for each, and Five-Six people is six cards for each. All remaining cards are placed on the table face down, becoming the stock; only the top card is turned face up, and is placed next to the stock to become the pillar of the discard pile. With two players playing, the winner of the hand deals the next; with more than two players the role of the dealer passes clockwise. The goal of the game is forming matching sets, like three and four of a kind, or sequences of cards from the same suit, like four spades and so on.
Then in a clockwise fashion each player can either draw a card from the stock pile or rather take the card on top of the discard pile. The discard pile is revealed with the cards being face up while the stock pile has its cards face down. Then players can do what is called Melding, if they have sequences or matching sets they can lay them on the table. If one player melds it does not obligate other players to place their melds. Melding leads to Laying Off, which is the act of getting rid of the cards.
Provided the last card out of the stock was drawn and no player has left the game, the player playing the turn can take the top card of the discard pile or in exchange, create a new stock from the discard pile without shuffling it, then drawing the card on top.
As we've seen before, this is the ultimate goal of Rummy – get rid of your cards. The player who rids of all of his cards first is the winner. In the Rummy jargon this is also called "Going Out". The winning player calls out "Rummy" and the game comes to an end.
Scoring
The winner gets from his defeated comrades the pip value of the cards that have remained in his hand; Face cards are 10 each, aces 1 and the other cards are their pip value.