Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQs

1. How is rummy played?

The gameplay of rummy is quite simple and easy to understand. Rummy is usually played by 2 to 6 players at a time. A standard 52-card deck plus a joker is used if only two players are playing. If there are more than two players playing, two standard card decks and two jokers are used. At the start of the game, each player is dealt 13 cards. The remaining cards are kept in a pile at the center of the table, forming the closed deck. The top card from the closed deck is revealed and kept at the center to form the open deck.

Once the game begins, players have to pick a card from either of the decks and discard a card to the open deck on each turn. To win the game, players have to arrange their cards in required combinations – sequences, or sequences and sets – and make a valid declaration before everyone else. The game goes on until one player declares their cards, prompting other players to declare their cards too. If the declaration made is valid, the player wins the game. The other players incur a penalty, determined by the value of ungrouped cards in their hand.

To learn about the rummy game in detail, click here.

2. What is a sequence?

A sequence is a group of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit. In rummy, there are two different types of sequences: pure sequence and impure sequence. To make a valid declaration, you must create at least two sequences, out of which at least one must be a pure sequence.

Learn about the sequence and the difference between its two types here.

3. What is a set?

A set is a group of three or four cards of the same rank but different suits. While creating sequences is mandatory to make a valid declaration, creating sets is optional.

If you wish to learn about sets, you can check out this page.

4. What is a valid declaration?

In rummy, players need to arrange the 13 cards in their hand in required combinations in order to win. Once a player has created all the required combinations, they need to declare and show their hand for validation. The player wins the game only if they make a valid declaration. The criteria to make a valid declaration are as follows:

• Players need to create at least two sequences, at least one of which must be a pure sequence.
• The remaining cards can be arranged into sequences or sets.

If the player declares his/her cards but fails to fulfill these conditions, it is considered an invalid declaration and he/she incurs a penalty of 80 points.

5. What is the role of the joker in rummy?

Jokers play a crucial role in the game of rummy. It is used in place of any missing card that is required to complete a sequence or a set. For example, if you have 6♥ and 7♥ in your hand and you need only one more card (5♥ or 8♥) to complete a sequence, you can use a joker as a replacement for the missing card and create the sequence (6♥-7♥-10♣ wild joker).

You can read in detail about the joker and its two types here.

6. What do the terms 'drawing' and 'discarding' mean?

In rummy, drawing refers to the action of picking a card from the closed deck or the open deck on your turn. On the other hand, discarding means laying off an unwanted card on your turn. Drawing and discarding help players arrange their cards in required combinations and make a valid declaration.

7. How are the cards distributed in a rummy game?

In the traditional version of the game, one of the players deals 13 cards from the card deck to each player. However, in online rummy, cards are dealt using an RNG software that eliminates any chance of bias and ensures random shuffling and dealing of cards.

8. How are the cards distributed in a rummy game?

Points are negative in rummy. The goal of the game is to bring your score down to zero points and avoid incurring a penalty. Each card has a certain value, as given below:

Type	Value
Face Cards (K, Q, J) and Ace (A)	10 points
Number Cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)	Their face values
Printed and Wild Jokers	0 points

* Number cards are worth their face values. This means the 4 of every suit is worth 4 points, and the 7 of every suit is worth 7 points, and so on.

Winner’s Point Calculation

• The winner of a rummy game gets zero points.

Losing Player’s Point Calculation

• The losing player incurs a penalty equal to the value of the unmatched cards in their hand if they have created a pure sequence.
• If the losing player has not created a pure sequence, they get a penalty equal to the value of all the cards in their hand.
• The maximum penalty that a player can incur is 80 points.

To read more about the points system in rummy, you can check out this page.

9. What is a drop in rummy?

The drop is a feature that players can use to quit a game. This option is particularly useful when your chances of winning the game seem fairly low and you wish to avoid incurring a heavy penalty. There are two types of drops in rummy: first drop and middle drop. If a player decides to drop before picking his/her first card, it is considered a first drop. A middle drop is when a player decides to drop at any time after making their first move or misses three consecutive turns. The penalty incurred for a drop is as follows:

Type	Penalty
First Drop	20 points
Middle Drop	40 points