The hand of Open Rummy is the lowest scoring of all the hands, which means that it is the easiest to play. If more than one of the four players in the game is playing Open Rummy, there is an improvement in those players’ chances of going out first over players, playing hands on their racks. This is because the open melds are available to lay off odd tiles. Otherwise, the players are working on the same possibilities as occur in Hand.
Open melds are not played for any of the special hands played on the rack. If they should develop in such a fashion, they do not count as anything extra. Therefore players are looking only for possible runs or groups that can be formed or added to. The point value of the open melds again does not mean anything. Scoring occurs only by a player going out. Of course points left on a player’s rack count against him, and to this extent melding high tiles may have a slight advantage, particularly late in a game in which the score is very close. Normally this is not a factor. Since any losing player who has not been open melding has 100 points scored against him, the advantage would be only the difference between the tiles on the rack and 100. Incidentally, the average point count for a rack with 14 tiles is 103, so that on the average, a losing player neither gains nor loses points over counting actual point values.
If the tendency for all or most of the players in a game is to play Open Rummy, a player must estimate their chances of winning against such players by playing on the rack. This is not the same game as the American version, in which you cannot rearrange tiles. Therefore the tiles on the table do not automatically become part of the pool in which you can play. Since you can only add to them, you cannot hold combinations on your rack awaiting a chance to use the table tiles to complete them. If you play on the rack, you either have to meld all your own tiles or form one of the Hands, or be able to lay off all odd tiles when you meld the others. Going out from the rack by laying off odd tiles is the play called Foot, and it is worth minus 200 points versus 100 points for the Open Meld. The question is, is the double point value worth holding your tiles while everyone else is on the table?
You automatically lose 100 points if you lose and have not melded. However, if you lose and have melded, you still lose the points on your rack. You are basically gambling on making 100 extra points for each hand that you win. If everyone wins an equal number of hands, you win one out of four times. Therefore, based on points alone you would lose by two to one playing each time for Foot or better. It isn’t really worth it, and if everyone is playing Open Meld then you should consider joining in as well.