Rules

Basic Rummy game rules

With the Rummi software game you can play a wide variety of Rummy type games. However, the basics of all games are the same:
* The game is played with two decks of cards, including two jokers. Often, tiles with coloured numbers (like Rummikub) are used instead of playing cards.
* At the start of a game, each player gets 14 tiles.
* In turns, you must try and play your tiles in melds called runs or sets.
* You may add tiles to existing runs or sets.
* You may take tiles that already on the table to combine with your tiles, as long as at the end of your turn, all tiles are in valid melds of three tiles or more.
* In the first turn where you actually play some tiles, you must play new melds with a total value of 30 or more before you can do anything else.
* You may play a Joker to take the place of any other valid tile.
* If you cannot play (or don't want to), you have to draw another tile from the pool. This will end your turn.
* If you are the first player to have played all your tiles, you win the game.

Game variations

Rummy games are played in many variations, under various names like Carousel, Shanghai, Vatikan and more.
A few of the common varations are listed below. Rummi supports all these variations, and more, so you can enjoy your personal favorite game variation!

* You get a different number of tiles at the start of the game.
*The game uses a discard pile, like in Gin Rummy. At the start of your turn, you draw a card from either the pool or the discard pile. You end your turn by playing a card onto the discard pile.
* If you can't play, you have to keep drawing tiles from the pool until you can.
* At the start of your turn you always draw a tile, and if you can't play you draw another one or two tiles.
* You may only re-use a joker if you have replaced it by the matching card.
* You may only re-use a joker in a new meld, not by adding it to an existing meld.
* In your first turn, you can only play your initial melds and do nothing else.
* In your first turn there are no restrictions.
* Aces (ones) can count as either high or low.
* You may knock, as in games like Tonk. This ends the game early and the winner is the player who has the lowest total face value in his hand.
* Two spare cells contain cards that every player can use.
* You may swap those annoying duplicate tiles with another player who has a duplicate.

Strategy tips

Here are some strategy tips that you can use to improve your own game of Rummi. They will work for other Rummy type games too, e.g. when you are playing a real life, non-computerized game with cards or Rummikub tiles.

Most of the following tips work best only in certain game situations, and some tips even are contradictory. You'll have to experiment: use these suggestions in your own games and see which ones work best for you in which game situation.
Play as many tiles as you can. This will push the game forward, the other players will be able to play more of their tiles, and you will have more ways to combine your tiles in your next turn. And, if you would have kept tiles back for your next turn instead, the situation may have changed so you might not be able to play them any more.
Play some tiles, but not all. Delay some possible moves to your next turn so you won't have to take a new tile from the pool then.
Don't play at all, even if you can. So you won't give away opportunities to your opponents, especially when they have only a few tiles left in their hand.
Keep jokers in your hand. By playing your jokers, you only give the other players more possible ways to combine their tiles.
Don't keep jokers in your hand for too long. If you loose the game, they count as 30 points.
Play jokers soon. They will push the game forward as other players will use the joker to combine with new tiles.
Replace a joker with its actual tile. Then you can re-use the joker and combine it with more of your own tiles.
Don't replace a joker with its actual tile. Especially useful in a game where the replacement must come from your hand. When both replacement tiles are already played elsewhere, the joker is fixed and can't be used by your opponents any more.
In games where you can only add to a group with a joker, add tiles to such a group rather than playing them in a new group. That way they can't be used by others to play combinations with.
Don't play ever, at all. Just keep drawing more tiles from the pool, until at some stage you have so many tiles that you can play them all at once and you win. Caution: if other players follow the same strategy, this may backfire on you!
Note: Many players don't like it when their opponents follow this strategy, because it takes much of the challenge out of the game. If you do this too often, people might not want to play with you any more.