The Sabra version is the most popular Rummikub version and most of the players just call it “Rummikub” as it is the classic game for them.
As with all things in life, game rules change throughout the years as well as people make their own variations of the game. The Sabra style, which was one of the most popular ways to play Rummikub, has changed in the rule style depending upon which Rummikub set you buy. These are the original rules as stated by Ephraim Hertzano in the 1978 edition of The Official Rummikub Book. There are now over 10 different variations of these rules, so it is best to learn the basics and then vary your play according to the set in which you buy.
In Sabra, two, three, or four people can play. Three-handed Sabra is faster paced and livelier than just having two players, and four players are idea for having a really exciting game.
The tiles are placed face down on the table and shuffled. Each player draws a tile and the high tile goes first, just as in American Rummikub. The next highest is seated on his right, and so on counter clockwise around the table. The tiles are then reshuffled and stacked in groups of seven, then lined up to form the pool. The odd tile does not matter in this game, as it did in American because there is no trump in this version.
Each player takes two stacks of seven and arranges them on his rack, forming sets whenever possible. As in American, sets consist of either Groups of three or four tiles of one numerical value but are different colors. For example, a group is a 10, 10, 10 of different colors. The other set of course is the Run. That is the set of tiles of one color in numerical sequence. Unlike in the American game rules, tile 1 is always considered low tile in Sabra. That means that you cannot use it for a 12, 13, 1 run, it must always be 1, 2, 3.
The object of the game is essentially the same, but with a different outcome sometimes. You need to eliminate all of your tiles as quickly as possible, but in Sabra, it is most common that the exact opposite may happen. In this game, there is no discarding. Until you can make your initial meld you must draw a tile each time your turn comes around. That means that there is no limit to the amount of tiles you can hold on your rack. After making your initial meld, if you are unable to play when it is your turn, you must draw a tile. Basically that means you must either play or draw, you have no other options.
You have two minutes for your turn, and when the table gets complicated, you may need all of that time to just decide if you can play or if you must draw. Your particular table rules may expand this time limit, if you allow it to. However, you’ll see a much more spirited game if you keep it at 2 minutes. Once you draw your tile, your turn is over. At the end of your turn, you should announce “over” to alert the player on your right, who may be deep in their own strategic thought and not watching what you are doing. The play continues counter-clockwise around the table until on player goes Rummikub.