Tim Ander - How to Play Rummy and Gin Rummy: A Beginners Guide to Learning Rummy and Gin Rummy Rules and Strategies to Win

How to Play

RUMMY

Tim Ander

Copyright 2018 by Tim Ander.

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Table of Contents

At its most basic, Rummy is a card game. At its most complicated, Rummy is still a card game. Rummy is one of the most popular card games played in the world, and especially North America. The popularity comes from the simple rules and gameplay which in turn give complexity to the game. It is one of those games which takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master (though you can become an expert, by playing a lot).

Rummy uses a standard deck of cards; the ace is generally considered low, depending on how you decide to play the game. The game can be played with two or more players. The object of the game is to get rid of all your cards through melding (making combinations), laying off (playing cards on other cards), and discarding (placing a card in a discard pile).

Scoring is determined by the cards left in a players hand after one player has discarded all of theirs. The person who reaches a predetermined score, or has the highest score at the end of a certain number of rounds, wins the game.

Much like the history of any topic or subject, there are always many theories as to how something was started. It could be that the origins of Rummy have been lost to the winds of time, or you could choose to believe the following likely scenarios. The truth is up to you.

There are many people who claim that the game of Rummy has a Spanish origin. The game of Conquian was played in Spain over four hundred years ago, later becoming popular in Mexico too. From Mexico, it made its way to North America, and from there it traveled the world. The word Conquian translates as for whom, and it is certain that the game was played in Mexico. The word is Spanish, and that add levity to the thought that the game originated in Spain.

It was in the saloons of Texas that the game began to gain its popularity. Gunfire would ring out. Glasses would be slammed to the table after the alcohol was consumed. The game of Conquian would be played by the patrons. The game headed north and integrated itself into the bars around the US. Once America and Britain began to trade, the game was taught to the British. It was played aboard ships as it made its way to England.

The English loved the novelty of the game and the quirky rules. It was unlike any game that had played before. It became popular in English society, and the game was dubbed Rum, which translated as odd. From there the name made its transition from Rum to Rummy, and the rest is history.

Or is it? There is another theory that the game was actually invented in South America, with the name Cooncan. It moved to Mexico, where it was renamed Conquian; the closest word in the Spanish language. From there, the game evolved in North America to be the game we all know and love today.

Could that be the answer? Or could it be that the game is an evolution of French Poker, which was brought across the world by French settlers? They played a variation of poker called Whisky Poker, later renamed Rum Poker. The name of the familiar game was shortened to Rum, and then evolved to Rummy.

A few options for the origin. Lets add one more. There are a few people who claim that the Rummy could have originated from China. In the game of Mahjong, the discard features of the game are strikingly similar to the discard features of the game, Rummy. Mahjong was created over one thousand years ago. Could this be where Rummy came from?

One thing is certain. The game of Rummy is fun and fascinating. You can go with whichever origin story you like best, they all lead us here. The game may have started in a variety of ways, but it has ended up the same. The game of Rummy is a game which we love to play and will love to play. So without further ado, let us look at the rules.

The game of Rummy can be played with a minimum of two players, and a maximum of six (there are some variations where you can play with more, by adding more decks). It is best played with four players.

Before beginning the game, there are a couple of details which you will need to work out. You will need to decide when the game will end. You can do this in two ways. You can set a total score. The first person to reach that score will be the winner. You could also set the number of deals, or rounds, that you will play. Once the cards have been dealt out a certain number of times, the game is over, and the player with the highest score is the winner.

The second detail to work out is who will deal the first hand. You can do this any way you please. I like to randomly deal each player a card, and the player with the highest card will be the first dealer. From then on the deal will move in a clockwise direction, with the player to the left of the dealer becoming the next dealer.

Once you have the details figured out, you need to find a regular deck of playing cards. Any deck will do as long as all the cards are there. With a regular deck, the game is played with the ace being low.

Whoever has been chosen to be the first dealer should shuffle the cards, and offer them to the player to their right to cut them. The player to the right of the dealer can opt to cut the cards or leave them as they are.

If you are paying with only two players, then each player should be dealt 10 cards. If there are three or four players, then each player should be dealt 7 cards. If there are five or six players, then each player should be dealt 6 cards. Deal each card one at a time, moving around the table in a clockwise direction. The player to the dealers left should be dealt the first card.

When the cards have been dealt, the next card in the deck is placed face up on the table. This will be the beginning of the discard pile. The remainder of the cards are placed beside this face-up card. They will be the stock pile. The players can now look at their own cards and plan their strategy for the game.

What is the object of Rummy? The object is to get rid of all the cards in your hand. By getting rid of your cards, you end the round. Any cards left in your opponents hands are attributed points. These points are added to your total score. You can see why it is beneficial to get rid of all your cards. By doing so, you score points. You can also see why it is beneficial to get rid of all your cards quickly. The quicker you get rid of your cards, the more cards your opponents will have left. The more cards your opponents have left, the more points you will score, and the bigger your total score will become.

By getting rid of your cards, and scoring lots of points, you will be on your way to hitting your point target or having the most points when the game ends. If you have the most points when the game ends, you are the winner.

The player to the left of the dealer will take the first turn. The play will then continue in a clockwise direction. Each turn consists of four phases: the draw, melding, laying off, and the discard. Lets take a closer look at each of these phases.