Poker Blog Review

Traditional Rummy may have slipped in popularity to the gin rummy variations, but it is still around and still fun to play. Traditional rummy games can be found online in abundance, and there is always a crowd of rummy-lovers on-hand in online card rooms ready to play. Playing online is a great way to hone your traditional rummy skills – plus you don’t have to worry about never having an opponent. You can find both real money and play money games when you register at one of the many online rummy rooms available. Let’s discuss the rules of online rummy in case you’ve gotten a bit rusty. Here’s how to play the game.

Traditional Rummy Rules: Objective of the Game
The game uses a standard 52-card deck – no jokers. Some of those who play traditional rummy do include the jokers (and make the jokers a specific extra number of points, usually 25). When playing online rummy, some online game rooms may also include the joker in the mix – so be sure to read the individual rules of the game you are playing before you start. There are 2 to 4 players who try to organize or “meld” the cards they are dealt and draw into sets (cards of the same rank) or runs (cards of the same suit in sequence). The goal is to be the first to run completely out of cards.

Traditional Rummy Rules: Dealing

The Dealer is usually selected by a random high card draw. Each player is dealt ten cards and the remaining cards are placed on the table face down, creating the Stock or Draw Pile. The top card is then turned over and placed face-up next to the Stock Pile to create the Discard or Open Pile. Players then taking turns drawing from either the discard pile or the stock pile of cards on the rummy table. If the card can be used towards an existing meld on the table it is played. If not the player keeps it in his or her hand for future use. A turn is complete when the player places a card on the discard pile. In Traditional Rummy a player cannot discard the same card he or she picked up.
Traditional Rummy Rules: Playing the Game
Remember the objective of the game is to get rid of all your cards. You do this by melding or building. When you have melds (runs or sets) in your hand you lay them down in front of you. You can also “build” by adding appropriate cards to the melds laid down by the opponents. In Traditional Rummy you can build your hand at any time during the game, but only on your turn.
If the Stock Pile runs out before there is a winner the game is considered a draw with no winners or losers and the cards are re-shuffled and a new game begins.
Traditional Rummy Rules: Winning the Game
Players agree on the winning score before the game begins. Players could select 50 points or 100 points or even 150 points as the Winning Score. Once a player has reached the number of points needed to win, they are declared the winner. With Traditional Rummy rules, there are two ways in which to win a hand: “Going Out” and “Going Rummy.” When a player has all their cards on the table in melds with one card left for discard, that player has “Gone Out.” Going Rummy is very similar to Going Out but it is done all in the same turn. The player has no melds on the table and is able to dump all his or her cards with the last card going into the discard pile.

Traditional Rummy Rules: Scoring
Once a player has Gone Out or Gone Rummy, the losing players count up the points left in their hands and that number is added to the winner’s cumulative score. In addition, if a player has Gone Rummy, the losers are assessed a 25 point penalty. Aces count as 1 or 11 (depending on house rules agreed upon by the players), face cards (Kings, Queens and Jacks) count as 10, and the number Cards are worth their face value - for example: a six of spades is worth 6 points; a 9 of hearts is worth 9 points, and so on. If no player has reached the agreed upon winning score, a new hand begins.