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Rummikub

Rummikub is a tile-based game for two, three or four players. It won the 1980 Spiel Des Jahres award (German Game of the Year). The name Rummikub is pronounced Rummy-Cub or Rummy-Cube - such pronunciations are location specific.

History

The game is similar, in terms of game play and rules, to a Turkish game with the name Okey. According to, "... The game was introduced to Western Europe and America by the Israeli games inventor Ephraim Hertzano. His 'Official Rummikub Book', published in 1978, describes three different games: American, Sabra and International.". The rules listed below are that used by Sabra, but there are variations to these rules.

Equipment

Rummikub's main component is a pool of 106 tiles, being 104 number tiles and two joker tiles. The number tiles range in value from one to thirteen, in four different colors (black, orange, blue and red). Each combination of color and number is represented twice. Each player has a rack to store tiles, without revealing their tiles to the other players, similar to that used in Scrabble. The game is suited for between two and four players.

Set up

Tiles are either placed into a bag for selection; or the entire lot of tiles are placed face down on the table for selection. Every player picks one tile to determine who plays first. The player with the highest number begins, with play proceeding in a clockwise direction. Tiles are returned to the pool. House rules may apply if the player picks up the joker. The game rules list the jokers penalty value as 30, so that value could be used or the player could be instructed to return the joker and select another tile.
Once the order of play has been determined, each player in turn, collects fourteen random tiles and arranges them on their rack. Play then proceeds.

Play

For a players first move, they must play a set with a value of at least 30 points. Point values are taken from the face value of each tile played, with the joker assuming the value of the substituted tile (if played). A players first move is known as the initial meld. The initial meld cannot build on previously played tiles. A joker on the table cannot be retrieved before the initial meld. If a player cannot make an initial meld, they must pick up a single tile from the pool and add it to their rack and play proceeds to the next player.

Once a player has made their initial meld, for each turn a player must either play one or more tiles from their rack, making groups and/or runs. If the player cannot make a group or run they must pick three random tiles from the pool and add it to their rack.

Sets

All tiles in play must be arranged in sets with at least three tiles. The two valid set types are called runs and groups.

Runs are composed of three or more, same-colored tiles, in contiguous number order. For example- red 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Groups are three or four same-value tiles in distinct colors. For example- red 3, blue 3, black 3 and orange 3.

Examples of valid sets

• • blue 1, blue 2, blue 3, and blue 4 - a valid run
• • blue 1, red 1, orange 1 - a valid group

Examples of invalid sets

• • blue 1, blue 2, blue 4 - numbers in a run must be contiguous
• • blue 1, blue 2, red 3 - numbers in a run must all be the same color
• • blue 1, blue 1, red 1 - colors may not repeat in a group

Amending sets

Players may play tiles by amending sets already in play. The only limit to the length of a run is the extremes of the tile values. Groups are limited to four because colors may not repeat within a group.

Manipulation of played tiles

During a player's turn, sets of tiles that have already been played may be manipulated to allow more tiles to be played. At the end of the turn, all played tiles must be in valid sets.

Shifting a run

Players may add the appropriate tile to either end of a run and remove a tile from the other end for use elsewhere. If red 3, 4, and 5 have already been played, a player may add the red 6 to the end and remove the 3 for use elsewhere.

Splitting a run

Players may split long runs and insert the corresponding tiles in the middle. Thus, if blue 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are already a run, the player may insert his own 8 to make two runs: 6, 7, 8 and 8, 9, 10.

Substituting in a group

Players may replace any of the tiles in a three-tile group with a tile of the fourth color and the same value. If blue 6, red 6, and orange 6 are already a group, the player may add the black 6 and remove any of the other three for use elsewhere.

Removing tiles

So long as the remaining tiles form a valid run, tiles can be removed from the ends of runs. Any one tile may be removed from a four-tile group.

Joker substitution

A player with a tile matching the color and value of a joker may replace the joker with that tile. The joker must be played that same turn in a set with at least two other tiles from the player's rack. The color and the value of the joker may both change when this happens. Thus, if blue 3, blue 4, joker is an existing run, a player holding a blue 5, a red 7 and an orange 7 may replace the joker with his blue 5 and play the joker with the two sevens as a new group.

Winning

Game play continues until either a player has used all of the tiles in the rack, at which point they should call out Rummikub, and are declared the winner. If the pool runs out of tiles, play continues until there is a winner or no player can make a valid play.

Scoring

Once a winner has been declared, the losing players must add up the values of the tiles remaining in their racks (their score for the game). The joker has a penalty value of 30. The players' score for the game is subtracted from their current cumulative score. Each of the losing players scores for the game is added to the winners current cumulative score.

For example- suppose in a game player A wins, player B has a score of 5, player C has a score of 10 and player D a score of 3. Player A will now have a cumulative score of 18, player B will be -5, player C will be -10 and player D will be -3.

Should the game result in no winner, the player with the least number of tiles in their rack is the winner. Scoring is then carried out in the normal manner.

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