RummiKub
The RummiKub Game
It is a game of cards usually called Rummy by people and
somewhere RummiKub. Rummy used to be one of the highly popular and well
known games of cards in the world. Canasata and Gin Rummy both became
national craze among the middle class during mid 20th century. Its
popularity is because of it needed only 2 persons to play the game and
also due to its simplicity and ease of carrying the required card
everywhere. Large numbers of cards are used in the game. The game has many
variations and this also has helped this game to be so popular.
Standard 52 card pack is used in the game of Gin. Rank of the
cards is A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K from lowest to highest score. Aces are
of lowest score. Ace has 1 point, face cards K, J, Q have 10 points each
and number cards have their respective values as scores.The aim is to
score more points in the team compared to the opponent. Main skill is to
better one’s hand by making melds by cutting deadwood.
Melds, generally, are of two types in RummiKub which are
given as follows:
The cards which are not in any meld are called deadwood.
Deadwood count of the player would be sum of the points of the deadwood
cards. One point is for ace and 10 points are for face cards. This is
according to the numerical values of the cards.
The Deal
Firstly, a dealer is chosen first and the players take the role of dealer
one by one so that every player gets the chance to be a dealer. Depending
upon the number of player the dealer distributes the cards in following
manner:
Two players- 10 cards each
Three players- 7 cards each
Four players- 6 cards each
Two players’ game in RummiKub: Every player deals with 10 cards at one
given time. 21st card is turned face up to begin with the discard pile and
the remaining cards of the deck are put with face down beside it so as to
form a stock. The players sort their cards after looking at it.
Play
On each turn, a player acts in following ways:
o He either draws on card from the stockpile or from the top of the cards
from the discard pile.
- He has to discard one of his cards to the stockpile.
- Depending upon the combination of cards he has he can “knock” that
would bring the game to end.
The players try to maximize similar cards in their stock so that they
can make melds. In a two player’s game, a player can have two melds. In
the game involving more than two players, there can be only one meld for
each player as the number of cards is either 6 or 7 for 4 players’ or 3
players’ game respectively.
Knocking
Knocking in RummiKub is a process which tells who is the winner of the
game. While the players are in the game, a player may knock in following
conditions:
- If he has at least one meld
- ten or less deadwood counts
The player, who is knocking, has to show his meld(s) and the deadwood
counts. This is verified by other players and if the players agree they
decide that the player who has called for knocking has won and the game is
over. Then the players may decide to embark on another game if all the
players agree to it.
Avoiding Disputes
The players have to obey the rules of the game RummiKub while playing.
While the dealer is dealing the cards the cards are distributed in face
down position so as to maintain secrecy of the cards. After card dealing
has been done and the game is in play, the players keep their cards in a
position so that the other players do not see the cards so that their
strategy is not exposed to other players.
Generally the game is played in right spirit and players follow the rules.
But, punishment for breach of code of conduct is also observed so that to
maintain professionalism
All said and done, this is a game which depends upon luck but players can
turn the tides with proper strategy and this makes the game very
interesting and it has become a very popular time pass both for masses and
the classes. It also attracts ladies and young children who try their luck
and hone their skills in this game. The game has gone through much
experimentation and thus has produced many variations.
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