Rummy: Instructions
How to play
A new game can be started by simply clicking “New Game“. The player may then define a number of settings to determine who may join the game, such as the opponents’ skill level, as well as the number of opponents. The player must decide whether the "Knock" button should be activated during the game. If this button is activated, the players will have the opportunity to take the card laying on the discard pile before the opponent can. The player may then take his/her turn as usual. Lastly, the player may set the point limit for the game, with a choice of 1, 50 or 100 points. 1 means that the game is over after one round. Alternatively, the player may join a game that has been set up by another player.
A red exclamation mark signifies that it is the player’s turn, while a green arrow points at the opponent who is making his/her move.
The time remaining for the move is shown to the right of the table, as is the agreed maximum point total and other handy buttons such as “Player Info.” and “Invite”. The game chat is also located here. The player’s own cards are shown face-up and his/her nickname and points total are displayed below. At the top left of the screen are two piles of cards.
The pile facing upwards is the discard pile, while the other is the deck. A player may take a card from either pile. To do this, the player need only click on the desired card. To lay a card on the discard pile, the player can either click on the unwanted card or drag and drop it onto the pile. Jokers can normally only be laid by using the drag and drop method.
Each player is shown a blended out “Lay Cards” button. As soon as the player has formed a group or sequence that can be laid, this button becomes active. The group or sequence that can be laid is highlighted by a blue line that stretches across all of the cards. The laid cards are shown in the middle of the table. To add cards to a group or sequence already laid, a player need only drag and drop the desired card into position. To make the order of the cards clear, a blue arrow shows the ends of the groups and sequences.
The player has the opportunity to move the cards around in his/her hand. This is possible while other players are taking their turns and can be done by simply dragging and dropping the cards into the desired position.
At the end of the round the point value of the cards that the player is still holding is shown. The player must then click “Next”. If the total exceeds the limit set at the start of the game, a red X appears next to the player’s name and the button “Exit” is displayed. Clicking on this button takes the player back to the lobby. If the total is lower than the limit, he/she can click again on “Next” and join the next round.
Rules
Rommé is a card game for two to four players. It is played with two decks of 52 cards and 6 Jokers. The Jokers can be used to complete groups or sequences. Before the game begins, a point limit is determined. If, during the game, a player exceeds this limit, he/she must sit out the remaining rounds.
Each player receives 13 cards at the start of each round. The aim of the game is to lay all of the cards in the middle of the table in groups or sequences. At the beginning of a player’s turn he/she must first take a card from either the deck or the card discarded by the previous player. Should the player have a recognised group or sequence of cards, he/she may lay it. Finally, the player must discard a card, irrespective of whether a group or sequence was laid. The turn is then over and the next player may go.
A group consists of at least 3 cards of the same value, e.g. three 10s or four Aces. However, no card may appear twice in the group, meaning that a group of e.g. 10 of Diamonds, 10 of Clubs and 10 of Diamonds is not possible.
A sequence is a number of consecutive, same suite cards in ascending order, e.g. 8 of Diamonds, 9 of Diamonds, 10 of Diamonds or 10 of Clubs, Jack of Clubs, Queen of Clubs. Aces can be either high or low, however one cannot lay a sequence consisting of a King, Ace and a 2. This is referred to as “laying around the corner”.
While a player may lay a set of 3 cards, only one of the 3 may be a Joker. This means that Ace, Joker, Joker, for example, is not a valid combination, as it is unclear as to whether the cards form a group or a sequence.
A player requires at least 30 points in hand to lay for the first time. If the player holds, for example, three 7s, he/she must wait as this group totals only 21 points. Once the player can lay a group or sequence of at least 30 points in value, the cards go into the middle of the table. Any player, who has already laid once in the round, may then add his/her own cards to the group or sequence already in the middle. E.g. A sequence consisting of 7 of Clubs, 8 of Clubs and 9 of Clubs has already been laid. A player who holds the 10 of Clubs may add this card to the sequence. The Jack of Clubs could then also be added, however the players must take care when a group is concerned as each card may only appear once.
Hint:
If there is a group or sequence laid out on the table that includes a Joker, a player may exchange the card, which the Joker is standing in for, for the Joker itself.
As soon as a player has laid all of his/her cards, the round is over. The values of the cards remaining in each player’s hand are calculated to give the individual players a total. If this total exceeds the limit set at the start of the game, the player must sit out the remaining rounds. This sequence continues until only one player remains – the winner.
Points
During the game the cards have the following values:
- Picture cards are worth 10 points
- Aces are worth 1 or 11 points depending on where they are used in a sequence
- All remaining cards are worth their face value
- Jokers assume the value of the card that they are replacing
At the end of the game, the points for each player are determined as follows:
- Picture cards count as 10 points
- Aces count as 15 points
- Jokers count as 30 points
- All remaining cards are worth their face value.
If a player manages to lay all of his/her cards at once, the negative points of the opponent's cards are doubled. This is referred to as playing 'straight from the hand'.
