Rummikub
Included in the RUMMIKUB Box:
106 tiles (8 sets of tiles 1-13 in four colours, and 2 joker tiles), 4 racks + rack holders or stand legs
Object of The Game:
To get rid of all the tiles from your rack by forming them into sets (runs and/or groups) on the table. The first player out wins.
Melds (a.k.a. "sets):
Like in rummy (with playing cards), there are two kinds of melds or sets:
- 7 7 7 7 - A group is a set (meld) of either three or four tiles of the same number in different colors (this deviates from traditional forms of card games).
- 3 4 5 6 - A run is a set of three or more consecutive numbers all in the same color. The number 1 is always played as the lowest number, it cannot follow the number 13.
Set-up:
- Place the tiles face down on the table and mix them thoroughly. Each player picks a tile; the player with the highest number goes first. Return the tiles to the table and mix them. It is recommended to stack the tiles in piles of 7 for ease of playing. Each player takes 14 tiles and places them on his/her rack.
- The remaining tiles are called the “pool.” Each round is made up of multiple games. The number of players determines the number of games in a round - with four players a round is made up of four games, with three players a round is made up of three games, and with two players a round is made up of two games. However, the players can determine the numbers of rounds. (Nevertheless - players may have their own 'house rules' )
- When a player plays the last tile on his/her rack a game ends. Players then start over again until they have played the number of games/rounds they agreed to play.
Playing The Game:
- Each tile is worth its face value (the number shown on the tile).
- In order to make an initial meld, each player must place tiles on the table in one or more sets that total at least 30 points. These points must come from the tiles on each player’s rack;
- For their initial meld, players may not use tiles already played on the table.
- A joker used in the initial meld scores the value of the tile it represents.
- When players cannot play any tiles from their racks, or purposely choose not to, they must draw a tile from the pool. After they draw, their turn is over. Play passes to the left (clockwise).
- On turns after a player has made his/her initial meld, that player can build onto other sets on the table with tiles from his/her rack.
- On any turn that a player cannot add onto another set or play a set from his/her rack, that player picks a tile from the pool and his/her turn ends.
- Players cannot lay down a tile they just drew; they must wait until their next turn to play this tile.
- Play continues until one player empties his/her rack. This ends the game and players tally their points. If there are no more tiles in the pool but no player has emptied his/her rack, play continues until no more plays can be made. This ends the game.
Manipulation of Tiles on the Table:
Manipulation is the most exciting part of playing "Rummikub®". Players try to table the greatest amount of tiles by rearranging or adding to sets which are already on the table. Sets can be manipulated in many ways (examples follow) as long as at the end of each round only legitimate sets remain and no loose tiles are left over.
Add one or more tiles from rack to make new set:
Tiles on rack Tiles on table
3 8 4 5 6 8 8 8
Blue 4,5,6 are on the table. The player adds a blue 3. The blue 8 is added to the group of 8’s already on the table.
Remove a fourth tile from a group and use it to form a new set:
Tiles on rack Tiles on table
4 4 4 4
3 4 5 6 8 8 8 8
3 5 6 A tile is missing from the potential blue run on the rack. The player takes the blue 4 from the group of four on the table and lays the run: blue 3,4,5,6.
3 4 5 6 4 4 4
Add a fourth tile to a set and remove one tile from it, to make another set:
Tiles on rack Tiles on table
8 9 10
11 8 8 The player adds a blue 11 to the run and uses the 8’s to form a new group.
9 10 11 8 8 8
Splitting a run:
Tiles on rack Tiles on table
6 4 5 6 7 8
The player splits the run and uses the red 6 to form two new runs.
4 5 6 6 7 8
Combined split:
Tiles on rack Tiles on table
1 1 2 3 4 1 1 1 1
The player places a blue 1 from the rack with the orange 1 from the run and the red 1 from the group to form a new group.
Multiple Split:
Tiles on rack Tiles on table
10 5 5 6 7 5 6 7
5
6
7
8 9
5 5 5 5 6 6 6
7 7 7 8 9 10
The player manipulates the three existing sets on the table, and use the black 10 and the blue 5 from the rack to make three groups and one new run.
The Joker:
There are two jokers in the game. Each joker can be used as any tile in a set, and its number and color are that of the tile needed to complete the set. On future turns, a joker can be retrieved from a set on the table by a player who can replace it during his/her turn with any tiles that can keep the set legitimate.
This tile can come from the table or from a player’s rack. In the case of a group of three tiles, the joker can be replaced by a tile of either of the missing colors.
When a player retrieves a joker, the joker will once again have any value or color. However, a player who retrieves a joker must play the joker on his/her current turn to make a new set, and must also use at least one tile from his/her rack on that turn (just as on any other turn). A player cannot retrieve a joker before s/he has played his/her initial meld.
Four ways to clear the joker:
1. The player can replace the joker with any of the tiles on his rack
2. The player can move around tiles on the table, taking from the ends where there are more than 3 tiles in a meld to use the joker elsewhere on the table to his advantage.
3. The player can split a run and clear the joker for use with another group from his rack.
4. The player can make entirely new new melds, adding one or more tiles from their rack, using a joker that was previously used in a different meld.
Time Limit:
There is a time limit of 1 minute per player, per turn. Players who go over the time limit must draw a tile from the pool, ending their turns.
Incomplete Runs:
Players who cannot complete a move within the 1 minute time limit must replace the tiles that were on the table to their previous positions, take back the tiles they played, and draw 3 tiles from the pool as a penalty. This ends the turn.
Winning:
When the last round ends, the player who has won the most games in all rounds combined is the winner.
In the case of a tie, the player with the highest score is the winner.
Scoring:
After a player has cleared his/her rack and called “Rummikub!”, the other players add up the value of the tiles they are holding on their racks as a negative figure and the winner of the game receives a positive score
equal to the total of all the other players’ points. As an aid to checking the figures, the winner’s score should equal the total of the other players’ scores in each game and at end of each round.
Note: the penalty for having a joker on a rack is 30 points.
In the rare case that all the tiles in the pool are used before any player wins
and no player can play any more tiles, the player with the lowest value of tiles on his/her rack wins the round.
Each player totals up the value of his/her tiles and subtracts it from the winner’s total (this will result in a negative number for each player). They then reduce their scores by this amount.
The total of these negative numbers is scored to the winner as a positive amount.
After scoring the game, players place all the tiles back on the table and begin the next game by following the directions under Set Up. In addition to keeping track of points, players keep track of the number of games each player has won.
Strategy:
The beginning of a game of Rummikub may seem slow, but as the table builds up, more plays are possible. In the early stages of the game it’s a good idea to hold back some tiles so that other players open up the table and provide more opportunities for play. Sometimes it is useful to hold back the fourth tile of a group or run and play only three, so that on the next turn you can play a tile instead of drawing from the pool. Keeping a joker on your rack is also a good strategy; however, you risk being caught with it (earning a penalty of 30 points.