Pools Rummy

The choice of the most skilled Rummy Players, Pools Rummy is regarded as the most basic, or in some circles, even the easiest variant of Indian Rummy. When played in the online sphere, as X1 Games makes possible for you, the pool of players you play with will be a virtual one, who could join you at the table from various locations across the world. So now, you can test your wits against players from Lucknow, Los Angeles, or indeed London!

So, let’s find out what Pools Rummy is all about!

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

• Number of players: Pools Rummy is also known as ‘Syndicate’, and can be played between anywhere from two and six players at a time.
• Number of deals: There are no fixed number of deals in this Rummy variant, so strap in for a long-ish, and thrill-infused ride!
• Number of Cards: Each player in the game is dealt 13 cards
• Joker: A card is chosen at random from the Closed Deck to be the Joker for the game. In the event that the random card that is chosen is the Printed Joker, then all the Aces in the
game will be treated as Jokers.
• Toss: The player who makes the first move is decided by a toss.
• 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!
• Elimination: Players who amass a certain number of points, get eliminated from the game. This number of points is 101 or 201 points. As such, all the players have to try to amass as few points as possible, so as to be the last person at the table, and therefore be declared the winner.
• Entry fee/Prize Pool: Players are required to pay a fixed entry fee to begin playing Pools 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.
• Points Calculation: The player who makes a successful Declaration will get a zero points penalty. The points total for the rest of the players will be arrived at by totalling the value of the ungrouped cards (Cards that haven’t been placed in valid Sequences and Sets) in their hands.
• Trick to winning: The trick to win this game is to win as many rounds as possible. This in turn will ensure you stay at the table longer, and therefore stand a much better chance of being the last person remaining at the table, and thereby winning.
• The Draw and Discard Method: All Pools 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.

The Draw and Discard Method:

• There are patently two variants of Pools Rummy. They are: 101 Pool & 201 Pool Rummy.
• The player with the lowest points total at the end of the game is declared the winner
• In case of 101 Pool, the Drop points are as follows:
  1. First Drop: 20 points
  2. Middle Drop: 40 points
  3. Full Count: 80 points, this is the maximum number of points that can be awarded to a player
• In case of 201 Pool, the Drop points are: as follows:
  • First Drop: 25 points
  • Middle Drop: 50 points
  • Full Count: 80 points, this is the maximum number of points that can be awarded to a player
• In order to make a Valid Declaration, a player will need:
  • One Pure Sequence (A Valid Sequence without Joker)
  • A Second Sequence (This Sequence can be formed with or without a Joker)
  • The remaining cards in the player’s hand should be grouped into Valid Sets or Sequences of a minimum of 3 cards each
• The player who makes a Valid Declaration gets 0 points, while the points total of the other players are arrived at by totalling the value of their ungrouped cards (Ungrouped cards are those which are not grouped into Valid Sets and Sequences)
• The points are calculated at the end of every round, and players are eliminated from the game once they reach 101/ 201 points.
• Players have an option to rejoin the game, if all the other players at the table have a points total of less than 79 in a 101 game, and less than 174 in a 201 game.

Pools Rummy Gameplay: Explained

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

• 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 should not under any circumstances pick up a Joker from the Open Deck.
  • The only exception to this rule is if the Joker is the first open card in the deck
• When a Joker is discarded, other players cannot draw or pick it up
• 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 point 5 of the ‘Other Considerations’ section immediately preceding this one, on this page.
• A player will be dropped from the game if they fail to show or declare their cards in the prescribed time. Doing so will earn them a penalty of 80 points.
• On the off-chance that all cards in the Closed Deck have been used up or duly exhausted, the Open Deck will serve as the new Closed Deck.
  • In such a case, the Open Deck will be reshuffled
  • The top card in the Open Deck will not be part of this new ‘Closed Deck’

Read on to find out the specific rules for:

• 101 Pools Rummy
• 201 Pools Rummy

Rules of 101 Pools Rummy

Here are the rules that specifically apply to the 101 version of Pools Rummy. For the 201 version, skip to the next section.

• In order to win the game, a player will have to make a Valid Declaration
• For 101 Pools Rummy, a Valid Declaration must include:
  • All 13 cards in the player’s hand formed into Valid Sequences and Sets.
  • There should be a minimum of two Sequences. At least one of these Sequences must be a Pure Sequence (A Pure Sequence is one that does not use a Joker)
  • The remaining cards must be duly formed into Sequences or Sets
• A Valid Declaration will earn a player no penalty points (or Zero points)
• To determine the scores of all the other players, the values of each of their individual cards which have not been placed in Valid Sequences or Valid Sets will have to be totalled up. This total will be their respective individual scores
• Please note that every player's score is duly calculated when every deal ends
• Penalty points for Drops will be as follows:
  • A First Drop: 20 points
  • A Middle Drop: 40 points
• A Full Count in 101 Pools Rummy is capped at 80 points
• Once a player’s score totals up to 101 or more, they will have to duly drop out or exit from the game. Hence the variant is called 101 Pools Rummy
• Winner: After all the games, the scores of all the remaining players are compared, and the player who has the lowest score is declared the winner of the game.
• Jokers: For 101 Pools Rummy, in addition to the two Printed Jokers in the pack, a card will be selected at random and will be deemed to be the Wild Joker for that game.
• Rejoining: If no player at the table has more than 79 points, a player can rejoin the game.

Rules of 201 Pools Rummy

Here are the rules that specifically apply to the 201 version of Pools Rummy. For the 101 version, skip to the previous section.

• In order to win the game, a player will have to make a Valid Declaration
• For 201 Pools Rummy, a Valid Declaration must include:
  • All 13 cards in the player’s hand formed into Valid Sequences and Sets.
  • There should be a minimum of two Sequences. At least one of these Sequences must be a Pure Sequence (A Pure Sequence is one that does not use a Joker)
  • The remaining cards must be duly formed into Sequences or Sets
• A Valid Declaration will earn a player no penalty points (or Zero points)
• To determine the scores of all the other players, the values of each of their individual cards which have not been placed in Valid Sequences or Valid Sets will have to be totalled
up. This total will be their respective individual scores
• Please note that every player's score is duly calculated when every deal ends
• Penalty points for Drops will be as follows:
  • A First Drop: 25 points
  • A Middle Drop: 50 points
• A Full Count in 101 Pools Rummy is capped at 80 points
• Once a player’s score totals up to 201 or more, they will have to duly drop out or exit from the game. Hence the variant is called 201 Pools Rummy
• Winner: After all the games, the scores of all the remaining players are compared, and the player who has the lowest score is declared the winner of the game.
• Jokers: For 201 Pools Rummy, in addition to the two Printed Jokers in the pack, a card will be selected at random and will be deemed to be the Wild Joker for that game.
• Rejoining: If no player at the table has more than 174 points, a player can rejoin the game.