The strategy of American Rummikub deals mostly in the discarding of the tiles. Your goal is to get rid of the tiles that you don’t need to win, and at the same time, reducing the value of your hand, since the tiles you are left with count against you in somebody else wins.
For example, if you have two 13’s, and two 3’s, you would obviously want to break up your 13’s and hope for another 3 to become available to you, rather than keeping the 13’s. However, if you hold a 12 in the same color as one of your 13’s, it gives you another chance to meld with 13, 13, 13 or 11, 12, 13, or even 12, 13, 1. This is where you have to make a decision and hope that you pick up something that will help with the tiles in your hand.
When you are at the beginning of the game, you can afford to take more of a chance of holding onto the higher tiles. However, when you are reaching the latter stages of the game, or if you think someone is about to call “Rummikub”, you should try to reduce your holdings by getting rid of the higher tiles at every discard.
An important part of this strategy is to note and remember in your mind what you are throwing away into the discard pile, as well as what your opponent is putting into his discard pile. You should really look at each tile that is put down or discarded because remembering them long after they have been discarded is an excellent way to figure out what you need to do with your hand. You can’t just glance at these tiles; you must study them to do well in this game. This knowledge of what is out of play is essential in determining the odds of completing a run or group. It also lets you plan or alter if necessary your game strategy.
Holding on to a joker which you are in position to meld at the beginning of a round is often good strategy, but you need to remember that if you are stuck with the joker at the end of the game, it counts as 30 points against you and therefore an additional 30 points for your opponent. So, you need to make sure that you find the proper time to play it without giving too much of your hand away if your opponent then picks up your joker with his tile.
It is a lot like gambling. If you are more of a gambler you may wish to hold back your melds, hoping to make your opponent feel secure. You are denying your opponent an opportunity to build on your melds, and allowing yourself the freedom of rearranging your melds anyway you choose before putting them on the table. There are some risks involved in holding back your melds, but it could be worth it if you get the payoff you are looking for.