How To Play Indian Rummy
- Standard Indian Rummy Rules
For decades since the long period of
British rule, card games such as Poker, Bridge and Rummy have been immensely popular
across the whole of India where they are played both socially and within the
family. Rummy is particularly popular in card rooms and even casinos where,
in certain jurisdictions, it is a wagering game. Little is known about the origin
and history of Indian Rummy. It could be that Indian Rummy evolved
from a version of Rummy in South Asia that goes by the name "Celebes
Rummy".
It is equally possible
that Indian Rummy (also known as Red Rummy) is derived from the United States as it
plays like a cross between Gin Rummy and Rummy 500. It is similar to Rummy 500
in that it is played with 13 cards, one or two decks and sometimes jokers (wild cards) but it
is a lot more like Gin Rummy in the simplicity of overall turn by turn play.
Players & Deck
Indian Rummy can be played
by 2 to 6 players. A single deck of 52 cards is used (54 if wild cards are
included) and each player takes turns dealing the cards. If there are 3 or more players, two decks are used (104/108 cards) but 13
cards are still dealt to each.
|
Number of players |
Number of
decks |
Number of cards dealt |
|
2 - 3 Players |
1 deck |
13 cards each |
|
4 - 6 Players |
2 decks |
13 cards each |
|
6 Players or
more |
3 decks |
13 cards each |
The Deal
The dealer deals each player 13 cards
face down. The next card from the deck is turned face up which indicates that
it is the start of the discard pile. The rest of the deck is positioned face
down and becomes the stock pile.
Object Of The Game
The purpose of the game is
to complete a hand with most or all cards formed into sets
and/or runs. A run (sequence) is comprised of three or more cards bearing the same suit
and in consecutive order
such as for example:
|
Example of
a Valid Run |
Example of
an Invalid Run |
3 4
5 |
3 4
5 |
|
4
5 6
7 8 |
4
5 6
7 8 |
A set is formed of three or four cards that are identical rank and of
different suits, such as for example:
|
Example of
a Valid Set |
Example of
an Invalid Set |
|
3
3 3 |
A A
A |
|
9 9
9 9 |
K K Q |
A card can be
used only once – either in a set or in a run. You cannot use the same card for
both a run and a set. Also note that in a group or set, each card must be of
the same rank and a different suit, however when two decks are used situations
do arise where you have in your hand for example K and
K
- you cannot add to this K
to form a valid set of three as the first
two kings are of the same suit.
| One crucial element of Indian Rummy is
that your hand must contain at least two sequences (runs) and if jokers are in
play, at least one of
those should be a "natural" or "pure" sequence (ie containing no joker wild card) before you
can go out. You must go out on your turn by discarding - it is irrelevant as
to whether this may or may not
be a card that could have been added to one of your existing melds. |
How Indian Rummy Is
Played Turn By Turn
There is no laying melds on
the table during play and there is no laying off cards either during or at the
end of play. The two main elements
observed during a single turn of Indian Rummy are simply the draw and the discard:
Drawing (Compulsory)
- The first player must take just
one card either from the discard pile or the stock and
add this card to the 13 cards of his hand. The discard pile is face up and
only the upcard is visible. If that player chooses to
take from the stock, his opponent will not see the
card (since cards on the stock pile are face down).
Discarding (Compulsory) - After drawing, you must examine your
cards and decide which one is the card you need least. It will be a card that
is probably not in sequence with the rest or is the only one of its kind
making it impossible to form either a set or a run. You then take this card
and place it on the discard pile, face up.
How and When To Go Out
There is no knocking in
Indian Rummy. Therefore, if the player manages to meld all his cards and has a
zero deadwood count, and his hand meets the requirement of containing at least
two sequences (one of which is pure, with no wild cards), only then may he may go out. He does this by discarding a final card,
face down to signal victory. At this point, the other
players display their melds and any deadwood is counted up and scored
accordingly.
What If The Stock Pile
Runs Out?
If there is just one card
left on the stock pile and the player, whose turn it is, does not want the card on
the discard pile, then the discard pile is taken, shuffled and turned over to
start a new stock pile.
Some Notes On Scoring
If the player who goes Rummy
does not have at least one pure sequence, all the other cards are counted as
unmatched and no other meld is valid.
Face cards (Jack, Queen,
King) score 10 points. Aces score 10 points. Joker are worth 0 points. All the rest of the deck score the
rank as the value (ie the pip value). For example, a 6
would be worth six points, a 7
is worth 7 points, etc.
|
Cards |
Value |
Example 1 |
Example 2 |
|
Jokers |
0 point |
 is
worth 0 points |
is
worth 0 points |
|
Aces |
10 point |
A
is worth 10 points |
A
is worth 10 points |
|
Faces |
10 points |
Q
is worth 10 points |
K
is worth 10 points |
|
Others |
Pip value |
5
is worth 5 points |
7
is worth 7 points |
Aces are high and the cards
rank in this order: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Jack Queen King Ace. Note that
because the ace is always high in Indian Rummy, A
2 3
is a valid sequence and also Q
K A
but Aces do not go "round the corner" and therefore K A
2 is not a
valid meld.
Each player or a designated
party ie the dealer will have to tally up the value of each players unmatched
cards (ie deadwood) and players are scored with negative points for deadwood.
The Winner earns the combined deadwood counts as a positive value.
Players keep dealing
the cards for subsequent games until one reaches a designated (previously
agreed) target score or until they play a fixed number of deals or until a set
amount of playing time has elapsed. The actual point at which play ends is
unclear.
Other House Rules:
Variations to the standard
Indian Rummy rules are mostly related to scoring although it is important to
note that a large number of people play a version of Indian Rummy which uses rule (1)
below.
(1) Some play this game
without jokers as wild cards.
(2) Some house rules provide
that you have to throw out a card to the discard pile that is different from
the card you drew earlier from the discard pile. In other words, you cannot
draw and discard the same card from the discard pile.
Little is known about
Indian Rummy and we would like to urge our Indian readers to get in touch if
you are familiar with the official rules of this game. If you have some feedback or
can suggest some corrections, we would appreciate you letting us know so that
we can edit this rules page. Please contact us via email at the address below:
 |