Points Rummy

Also known as Points Rummy, this amazing form of 13 card Rummy is famous for its electrifying pace, and the sheer exhilaration that often accompanies it! In this variant of the game, players compete to score as few points as possible, or at least fewer than all of their opponents.

This form of the game is also characterized by a ‘winner takes all’ approach, and this only adds to the overall allure of the game. So come on over to X1 Games today, and enjoy this wonderful form of the game in all its brilliance!

Now, let’s delve in deeper to find out what Points Rummy or Points Rummy is all about!

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

• One deal!: This quick form of the game involves only one deal or turn
• First go: A toss decides which player gets to play first
• Number of cards: In this variant of the game, 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
• Points:
  • The players pre-determine a cash value for each point before the game begins
  • The first player who makes a Valid Declaration will get a 0 points penalty (or will receive no 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.
  • Full Count: The maximum number of penalty points that can be awarded to any one player is capped at 80 points, this is also known as ‘Full Count’.
  • First Drop Penalty: 10 Points
  • Middle Drop Penalty: 40 Points
• Winning Formula: A winning Declaration (also known as a ‘Show’) must include the following:
  • One Pure Sequence (A Sequence without a Joker)
  • Second Sequence (A Sequence with or without a Joker)
  • The remaining cards should also be grouped into Sets or Sequences, of a minimum of three cards each
• Winning Strategy: The trick to winning at Points Rummy is to form valid Sequences and Sets at a lightning pace, and faster than all your opponents, and to make a Valid Declaration faster than all of the players at the table.
  • To do this, you must ‘drop’, or get rid of cards which do not fit into any Sequences or Sets. This is because ungrouped cards will add to your points total.
• Prize money: The winner of the game will receive the total prize money, minus the rake. The total prize money is arrived at by multiplying the total points earned by all the losing players, with the cash value per point predetermined by the players.
• 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.
• Declarations: 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

Points or Points 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 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 point entitled ‘Declarations’ in the 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 40 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’