The International version of Rummikub is by far the most complicated, as well as the most varied of all three versions. It takes a considerable amount of time to master with each playing choosing from three different approaches to winning the game. Once they choose one approach, it is then further subdivided into forty different winning combinations. This is what you have to look forward to playing when you play International.
Even the scoring of International is unusual. Not only can the final scores be extremely high, but the method for computing them has been devised to add more excitement to an already absorbing matching of the wits. As play proceeds, the leading players receive minus scores for their efforts, but then at the end of the game session you can change up some of the mathematical equations and suddenly the minus scores become winners and the positive scores become losers.
This game requires four or five players. When five people play, the fifth player acts as dummy, sitting out the opening of the game and cutting in at regular intervals. To determine the dealer, the seating arrangement, and (if necessary) the dummy, you need to select four or five tiles in numerical order and place them face down on the table. Then you shuffle and draw. The high tile is the dealer, the next highest sits to his right, and so on counter clockwise around the table. The fifth player is the dummy. He does not play until four rounds have been completed. He then replaces the fourth player for four rounds, and after four more rounds the fourth player comes back into the game, replacing the third player, and so on around the table.
After the players have been seated according to the draw, you place all the tiles face down on the table. You shuffle them and arrange all of the 106 tiles in stacks of seven. The odd tile, also face down, goes on top of the first stack, and the top tile of the last stack is turned face up to become the trump.
The dealer deals out the stacks one at a time in two counter clockwise rounds of the table, starting with player #2 on his right, who will have 15 tiles instead of 14. Players study their tiles and arrange them on their racks. Player #2 discards an unwanted tile, placing it face up on the table to his right, and the game begins.
The basic object of this game is to be the first to get rid of all of their 14 tiles. This may be accomplished by putting together any of the 40 combinations or by melding. Play is counter clockwise and continues until one player declares “Rummikub”, making him the winner.