Rummy Games – An Ultimate View of Indian Rummy Games Online

Rummy is a traditional game which has history from long years ago, being even more boosted recently due to the development of online games and mobile devices. As a popular game not only in India but also around the world, you now are able to play rummy games whether online or offline anywhere and anytime.

Table of Content

What is Rummy?

Basic Indian Rummy Rules

How to Play Rummy?

How to make Rummy Sequence & Set?

Rummy History

The types of Rummy Games

What is Rummy?

Rummy is a group of matching-card games with similar gameplay. Rummy is based on matching cards of the same rank or sequence and same suit. Generally, The main goal in any form of rummy is to build melds which can be either sets (three or four of a kind of the same rank) or runs (three or more sequential cards of the same suit).

That is to say, Rummy is a card game that is played with 2 decks of cards with total amount of 2 Jokers. To win the rummy game a player need to make a valid declaration by picking as well as throwing out cards from both stacks provided.

One heap is a closed deck, where a player is unable to see the card that he is picking, while the other is an open deck that is created by the cards discarded by the players. To win at rummy card game, the players have to group cards in legitimate series as well as collections.

If a player discards a card, making a run in the discard pile, it may not be taken up without taking all cards below the top one.

There are two sayings of Rummy’s origin. One is from China in the 19th century, while the other one is from Mexico. Variants of Rummy like Canasta and Gin got popular in the 20th century.

Normally, when we talk about Rummy in India, it always refers ro the Indian Rummy.

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Basic Indian Rummy Rules

Rummy rules can vary a lot depending on the area or occasions. However, the general rule of the rummy card game is still the same. Most differences are only about the point value calculated. Take Indian Rummy played with 13 cards for example, the rules below shall make you a general concept.

  1. Each player starts with 13 cards
  2. Sequences can be “pure sequence,”  “impure sequence, ” and “triples”
  3. Must have a pure sequence
  4. Sequence must be valid
  5. Joker and wild card can substitute any card
  6. ”Draw” and “Discard” means you picking or dropping the cards

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How to Play Rummy?

Indian Rummy is known as Paplu, and ideally, it is usually played by 2 to 6 players. One or two decks of standard cards can be used depending on the number of players. Here’s the general process:

1.Each player gets 13 cards, and they need to arrange them into sequences, or sequences and sets.

2.Every player has to draw a card either from the open deck or the closed deck on their turn. They need to keep that card in the center of the table, discarding a card to the open deck after that.

3.The game won’t stop until one makes a valid declaration first. The winner then ends the game.

To make valid declaration, there are 3 types of combinations you can build:

  • All sequences
  • 2 sequences + 2 set
  • 3 sequence + 1 set

And you have to make at least one pure sequence out of your 2 or more sequences. So according to the rule above, you can see 2 sequences are must-do to win the game. Later we ‘re going to discuss what a sequence looks like.

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How to make Rummy Sequence & Set?

The main goal of rummy card game is to arrange the 13 cards in valid sets and sequences. To win the game you need to make minimum 2 sequences, out of which one needs to be pure sequence and rest can be any valid sequence or sets. Without a pure sequence you cannot make a valid rummy declaration. This is one of the most important rummy rules.

A sequence is a group of 3 or more serial cards of the exact same match, which means you need to make and also accumulate the exact same fit order of the numbers at the same time. There are two kinds of series: Pure sequence and impure sequence.  To win the rummy game you need at least one pure sequence in your hand.

Pure Sequence in Rummy

A pure sequence is a collection of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit, and there must not include any joker. In other words, no card can be replaced by a joker which can represent any card in a pure sequence. To make a valid declaration, you must have at least one pure sequence in hand.

Example of Pure Sequence

  • A♣-2♣-3♣
  • 5♦-6♦-7♦-8♦
  • 6♠-7♠-8♠-9♠-10♠

Impure Sequence in Rummy

An impure sequence is a sequence that includes one or more cards being replaced by a joker. The joker could either be a printed joker(PJ) or wild joker(WJ).

Example of Pure Sequences

9♠-PJ-J♠

In this sequence, the printed joker then represents the 10♠ to make it valid.

6♠-7♠-【2♣】-9♠-10♠

In this sequence, the 2♣ then becomes a wild joker that can represent any card, having the same functions as the printed joker.

Sets

A set is constructed by the same number of different suits, and the suit must not be repeated. The printed joker or wild joker is allowed to be used in sets.

In short, you cannot have the same suit in a set, while you are able to use a joker to replace any card you need.

Example of sets without a joker

  • 7♦-7♥-7♠
  • Q♦-Q♠-Q♥-Q♣

Example of Sets with a joker

  • 7♠-7♣-2♥ (8 as the WJ)
  • 3♣-PJ-3♦ (PJ as either 3♥ or 3♠)

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Rummy History

It is believed that rummy has multiple origins across geographical areas. According to the most widely cited saying, rummy originated in Spain. Later it spread across the Americas when the Spaniards began migrating there in the 19th century. Rummy was originally called conquian, which is believed to be the ancestor of this skill game.

Much like the tale of the Spanish immigrants in America, many opposing theories have emerged that connect rummy to poker. There’s a certain form of poker called whiskey poker , that is similar to the general version of rummy we play today.

The game then started to be called rum poker and eventually came to be known simply as rummy. Then the online rummy games soon develop like a typhoon.

Story of The British version

It is said that another theory about rummy is that its name has been derived from the British slang word rum, which means odd. The British considered the game as a strange way of entertainment. When the game became popular, it got the name rummy. Some people also believe that its name has been derived from rum, the alcoholic drink, and the game was played for alcoholic drinks in the past.

Story of The Asian version

While the majority say rummy originated in Spain or England, an alternate theory has emerged in Asia about the game having originated in China. Mahjong is a Chinese card game that has existed for over a thousand years. The claim of mahjong being similar to rummy is based on the fact that both use the same technique of drawing and discarding cards to win.

Mahjong later spread to India and paved the way for Indian rummy. This game is a variant of rummy that involves making required combinations out of the 13 cards dealt at the beginning of the game to each player. In case there are more than two players at a table, two decks of 52 cards plus a joker with each deck are used.

Modern Version of Rummy Games

Concerning the origin of rummy, we may never be able to surely say which one is correct. However, with the popularity of the game across continents, it is safe to say that we have all at least seen, heard of or grown up playing this game. With a lot of gaming apps available to download nowadays, you can play rummy online anytime, anywhere.

It also helps you connect with people from all over the world who share your love and passion for the game. The online availability of the game made it accessible to absolutely anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection, without them having to worry about carrying a card deck or having to wait for someone to play the game with.

If you have always been a fan of this game or are an expert at playing with real players, now is the time to utilise your skills. You can play real money rummy on those online rummy games that provide this service, and you’ll have chances to win real money with your rummy skills.

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The types of Rummy Games

Since rummy is a game with multiple variations, we can categorise it in several ways.

Real-cards & Virtual-card Rummy

Rummy with real cards is the most common and traditional one, which is widely played through the gathering of friends or family; the virtual rummy then consists of online and offline rummy games.

The advantages of real-card rummy is the face-to-face emotions and atmosphere of gathering. It brings more excitement than simply playing with a computer without internet connection. Also the facial appearance when playing real-card rummy can usually bring more exciting psychological gameplay.

On the other hand, playing the virtual-card rummy allows you to use mobile phone or laptop, and the place, time and number of players often don’t matter. You can enjoy the rummy game by yourself, without being bothered by others.

Virtual-card:Online & Offline Rummy

Rummy with mobile App can either be played online or offline. When playing rummy games online, the opnenments you face are real people who are just like you; some rummy game Apps allow you to play without internet connection. So you’ll have to connect to WiFi or portable internet once to download the rummy Apps, and then you can turn your phone internet off to save some data.

Normally, playing rummy online is more popular because of its excitement and thrill, especially when it comes to real money.

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