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The basic objective behind the game of standard game of Rummy,
a matching and draw and discard card game, is for each player
to seek to develop their hand by arranging it into melds. This
is done through drawing one card or more, depending on the
game, from the stock pile or the discard pile and then
discarding one card to the discard pile. The key is to form
your entire hand into melds (sets or runs) as quickly as
possible. The winner, in most Rummy games, is the one who
achieves this objective and goes out first.
In Western countries, such as for example the United States, Rummy is regarded to be the second most popular card game after Poker
though globally the picture is similar. In fact, if you include Mahjong, which is
conservatively estimated to be played by over 400 million people across Asia (including China,
Japan and Taiwan), along with western Rummy
games, it has been estimated that Rummy games are played by
over 700 million people worldwide (well over half a billion).
This makes it not just one of the most popular card games
but also one of the most popular games in the world
ranking up there with the likes of Scrabble, Chess and
Monopoly. There is no one, single Rummy game. In fact Rummy,
much like Poker, covers the original game as well as a
number of variations, many of which have different rules.
The main problem is that there are no official rules per se
and the same games have often been played with different
rules in different countries. To complicate things,
different games have been played using different names. We
are going to attempt to summarise some basic differences
between what we regard to be the most popular
Rummy games.
*The word "Rummy" is usually appended to this word but has been omitted in this instance to save space in the table.
**Names listed under this heading are either alternative names for, or variations on, the corresponding game.
While the basic idea and pattern of play behind these Rummy variants is generally the same, there exist variations in the rules, strategies, and even objectives. John McLeod of the internet card game encyclopaedia
Pagat, advocates a method of separating Rummy games into a number of categories
as below, including: Basic, Conquian, Knock, Contract, Asian, Meld Scoring, Canasta, and Manipulation.
First To Meld The Hand
First
of all, consider the category of Basic Rummy games. As mentioned
previously, Basic or Standard Rummy (which we will refer to
plainly as just "Rummy") involves attempting to turn the entirety of your whole hand into melds as soon as possible. The winner of the game is the player who accomplishes this first. However there are a number of different variants of the game, most notably Kalooki (aka Kaluki), played in Europe and North America; Rummikub (North America) which involves the use of tiles rather than playing cards, Loba de Menos (Argentina), and others.
In the next category of Rummy games, are Conquian type games which derived from the original Conquian of the early Spanish communities. The objective is the same as that of basic Rummy, but the method of drawing and discarding is slightly different. Basically, players do not add drawn cards (taken from the stockpile or discard pile) to their hand.
Instead, they must use the last discard to add it to an existing set displayed on the playing table as soon as the card is picked up.
If not, they must take the next card from the stockpile and place
it on top of the discard pile for the next player. Conquian Rummy games include Conquian and Panguingue.
Knock Rummy Games
Gin Rummy is one of the most popular Knock Rummy games. In Gin Rummy, as with a Rummy variant known as Tonk, you are not required to wait until all of your cards are formed into melds. You have the option of “going out” when you determine that the combined value of your unmelded cards (“deadwood”) is likely less than a predetermined maximum point score (which is 10 points in Gin Rummy). If, however, your opponent has less deadwood when you knock, then they undercut you and score a bonus against you.
Contract Style Rummy Games
Contract Rummy is another range of Rummy games in which melds must follow a preset contract, which get progressively more complicated, for each and every deal hence it is also known as Progressive Rummy. Besides Contract Rummy (aka Shanghai Rummy, Liverpool Rummy, Joker Rummy, Progressive Rummy) other Contract Rummy games include Carioca, Push, Jamaican and South African Kalooki, and Telefunken.
In other variations of Contract Rummy the nature and number of Contracts varies. There are ten contracts in Shanghai Rummy, seven contracts in Contract Rummy, five contracts in Russian Rummy and Continental Rummy has just one contract. Some Rummy games can be said to have a "Basic Contract" even though they are not classified as a "Contract Rummy" game
as such.
For example, Indian Rummy could be said to have a basic
contract, in the sense that it is played with a requirement to form two sequences (at
least one of which must be pure and without any wild card).
In this game, the same contract is applied to every deal. We have separated contract games below and given an estimation of relative game popularity based on a number of criteria including search inventories and page listings and denoted using a star rating system. Five stars given for the most popular and one star given for the least. All are Contract Rummy Games and all are played with at least two decks.
Contract Type Game
Basic Contracts
Est. Popularity
Contract Rummy
7 Contracts
*****
Shanghai Rummy
10 Contracts
***
Liverpool Rummy
7 Contracts
***
Joker Rummy
7 Contracts
**
Progressive Rummy
15 Contracts
**
Continental Rummy
1 Contract
*
Florida Rummy
10 Contracts
*
Dummy Rummy
12 Contracts
**
Russian Rummy
5 Contracts
***
Asian Style Rummy Games
Next is the Asian Rummy games, in which a wide assortment of cards and tiles are used to play and the types of sets players require of their hands in order to go out can vary from game to game. Some games allow players to claim discards of other players out of turn to complete their sets. In others, certain matching sets are considered more valuable than others. The most popular Asian Rummy game is Mahjong (aka Mahjongg, Mah Jongg, Mah Jong, Mah Jiang) which is hugely popular in China and Taiwan.
This is played with money cards called Mahjong tiles. Similar games include Hanafuda (flower cards), a Japanese game; Okey, a Turkish game using numbered tiles; Cuajo, using Spanish cards; and Si Se Pai (using Chinese chess cards), Kap Tai Shap (Chinese dominoes), and Quan Dui (Chinese money cards).
Meld Scoring
RUMMY Games
Rummy
variants can also be placed into the meld scoring category. Here, points are awarded for scoring various melds, some of which are more valuable and higher ranked than others. Mahjong and international Rummikub are considered meld scoring Rummy games, as are the popular Rummy 500 (aka 500 Rum), Romanian Tile Rummy which is played in Romania and Indonesian Remi (the Indonesian Rummy).
Canasta is actually a sub category of the meld scoring Rummy game. Many people assume that Canasta is a game unto itself. However, there is an entire range of Rummy games with a similar pattern of play including Samba, Bolivia, Burraco, Hand and Foot and Pennies from Heaven. In these games players receive bonuses for Canastas (or "baskets"), which are defined as sets of seven cards.
Manipulation Rummy Games
These games are generally a departure from the standard form of Rummy melding. You have the option of rearranging existing sets or melds displayed on the table in order to create new sets or melds using the cards you have drawn. The objective remains the same as traditional Rummy. Carousel (aka Vatikan, Manipulation, Sabra) style Rummikub are the most common Manipulation Rummy games.
