Deals Rummy

Gloriously celebrated and toasted as one of the most exciting variants of the game, Deals Rummy is a truly thrilling form of Indian Rummy. Named for the fixed number of deals that each game involves, the winner of the game takes home the total prize pool with them, and the winner is determined by the player who has the least points at the end of the pre-decided number of deals. At X1 Games, we give you the opportunity to play and truly experience the Best of 2 Rummy and Best of 3 Deal Rummy games.

So, let’s find out what 13 Card Deals Rummy is all about!

Here are the basic things to keep in mind about Deals Rummy:

• Types: Usually, there are two variants of Deals Rummy, they are:
  • Best of 2 Deals Rummy: This involves the ‘best of two deals’ played between anywhere from two to six players
  • Best of 3 Deals Rummy: This involves the ‘best of three deals’ played between anywhere from two to six players
• Number of cards: In this variant of the game, one or two decks of cards are used (53 cards per Deck, including the Printed Joker)
• Cards Dealt: Every player is dealt 13 cards each at the start of the game
• Entry Fee: All players are required to pay an entry fee in order to play the game
• No Drop option: This version does not allow players to drop out, or opt out of the game
• Winning formula: A winning Declaration (also known as a ‘Show’) must include the following:
  • One Pure Sequence (A Sequence without a Joker)
  • A Second Sequence (A Sequence with or without a Joker)
  • The remaining cards should be grouped into Sets or Sequences, of a minimum of three cards each
• Point Calculations:
  • The player who makes a Valid Declaration will get no penalty points (or Zero points).
  • The score of the other players will be arrived at by totalling up the values of the cards they have failed to group. These ungrouped cards are those which have not been grouped into valid Sets and Sequences.
  • In the case of a Full Count, a player can only be penalised with a maximum penalty of 80 points.
  • First Drop points: 20 penalty points
  • Middle Drop: 40 penalty points
• Tied Games: In case of tied games, an extra game will be played to determine a clear winner.
• Wild Joker: A card randomly chosen from the Closed Deck serves as the Wild Joker for the game. If this card chosen at random is a Printed Joker, then for the purposes of this game, all Aces can be used as Jokers.
• The Aim of the Game: The objective of this variant of Rummy is to score as few points as possible. As such, treat points as ‘penalty points’, as opposed to points in the usual sense. In order to score the fewest points as possible, you will have to make a Valid Declaration faster than all your opponents. For this in turn, you must make Valid Sequences and Sets from all 13 cards, this too faster than all your opponents. Doing so will ensure that you are the winner (for that ‘deal’).
• The Draw and Discard Method: All Deals Rummy players must use the ‘draw and discard method’. The ‘draw and discard method’ can be described as the method employed by all players in the game, where they draw or pick up a card from either the Closed or Open Deck, and then discard a card to the open deck. If the player draws a card, the player must discard or drop a card (from their hand) into the Open deck.
• Entry fee/Prize Pool: Players are required to pay a fixed entry fee to begin playing Deals Rummy, and the prize money for that game is the sum total of the entry fee of all the players at the table, minus the rake.

Deals Rummy Gameplay: Explained

In this section, we will explain how the gameplay develops in a game of Deals Rummy:

• A fixed number of rounds or deals are predetermined for the game
• A toss decides which player begins gameplay
• First, every player is dealt 13 cards each
• The cards that remain, are placed face down, and will serve as the Closed Deck for the game
• The player who is to begin the game, as decided by the toss, now proceeds to place a card in the open deck, and gameplay officially begins
• Now, each player follows the ‘draw and discard method’ (as described above) to form their Sequences and Sets, in the decided order of play
• All players must strictly follow the allotted time slots to draw and pick up cards, when their respective turn arrives
  • In case a player fails to draw and discard cards in the prescribed time, it will be regarded as a missed move, and the player will have to wait for their next turn to draw and discard
  • If three consecutive missed moves are made by a player, the player will have to drop out of the game with the Middle Drop points penalty added to their score. If, however, only two players remain at the table, and one of them drops out on account of three consecutive missed moves, then the opponent is automatically declared the winner
• Gameplay continues following the ‘draw and discard method’ until one player makes a Declaration. Once a Declaration is made, all the other players will be required to declare or show their cards as well. For more information about a Valid Declaration, please refer to the ‘Winning Formula’ section immediately preceding this one, on this page for more information.