Rummikub Online Guide

The Draw and Discard

When play first begins, a player at his turn may draw a tile from the pool or he may choose instead to pick up the top discard tile of the player on his left. This can be done whether or not he has already melded. Later on in the game, for his final draw he may take the trump tile to complete a hand.

Each player must pick up one tile and must discard one tile at each turn, so the number always totals 14. Discards are placed on the table to the player’s right, face up, and neatly stacked so that only the top tile is visible. You cannot win with 15 tiles. In order to win and declare yourself “Rummikub” you must discard a tile, which you place upside down on your discard pile to indicate that the game is over. Then you display the tiles on your rack to the other players.

The Meld

Whereas in the other two versions of Rummikub, the meld was extremely important, it isn’t the case with International. It occurs only if a player decides to play the Open version, in which case the initial meld must total a whopping 50 points, which is usually a deterrent in itself to play Open.

When melding, tile 1 can be considered either high or low, but not both. For example, 1, 2, 3 would be considered a valid run, as would 12, 13, 1, but not 13, 1, 2. As in American and in Sabra, melding consists of laying sets on the table face up, or you can add tiles to a meld that is already on the table. Once a meld has been made it cannot be manipulated or taken back into your rack.

Jokers

As before, the joker can be substituted for any missing tile. The value is the same as the missing tile. A player holding the missing tile may exchange it for a melded joker, in his turn, but he must then play the joker immediately in another meld on the table. He must then continue to play an Open game. If a layer goes Rummikub by discarding a joker, all scores for the round are doubled.

The Winning Variations

This is where the game really gets exciting. There are three ways to win at International. In order of their value, they are Open, Foot, and Hand. There are 40 different Hand combinations but that doesn’t mean you should be discouraged. Each of these combinations is related in some way to the familiar idea of sets, and many are simple variations of point value or color. In any case, you are permitted to keep the list handy to consult as you play, along with the scoring table. In fact, it’s a good idea for each player to have their own.

The Trump

The trump tile plays an important role in the Hand game. Any player may draw the trump to finish out his Hand and win the game. Knowing that it is yours if you need, you should consider this one of your tiles throughout the round. If the trump is a joker, it makes for a very exciting ending. It represents the winning tile to any player who is one tile away from winning, and that may mean “sudden death” for the other players.