Rummy Q

Object: Be the first player to eliminate all the tiles from your rack by forming them into sets of runs and groups. Try to keep as few points in your rack as possible. At the start of the game, you decide how many points to reach to end the game.

Contents: 106 tiles (2 sets of tiles numbered 1 to 13 in four colors: black, red, blue, orange; 2 Jokers); 4 playing racks, pouch.

Set Up: Place the tiles into the pouch and mix them thoroughly. Each player picks a tile; the one who selects the highest number goes first and play proceeds in a clockwise direction. Return the tiles to the pouch and mix them. Each player takes 14 tiles and places them on his rack.

Playing: There are two kinds of sets:

A group is a set of either three or four tiles of the same number in different colors.

A run is a set of three or more consecutive numbers, all in the same color. The number 1 is always played as the lowest number; it cannot follow the number 13.

In order to place tiles on the table, each player must make an initial play of at least 30 points in one or more sets.

These points must come from the tiles on the player’s rack and not from tiles already played on the table. A tile is worth its face value. A Joker may be used for any tile and its point value is that of the tile it represents.  If you wish to use the joker from the board you must replace the joker with the correct tile from your rack and use it with 2 tiles from your rack, you cannot save the joker. If you have the joker in your hand you must have 2 other tiles to use with it.

The penalty for holding a Joker if another player wins the round is 30 points. If a player cannot enter the round, or purposely chooses not to, the player must take a tile from the pouch and the turn ends.

After players have made their initial plays, they can also build on other sets on the table with tiles from their racks. If a player cannot add onto the other sets, the player picks a tile from the pouch and the turn ends. A player cannot lay down a tile he has just picked; he must wait until his next turn. Play continues until one player empties his rack and calls, “Rummikub®”. That ends the round and players tally their points.

When the pouch is empty, play continues until no more plays can be made; that ends the round.

For a printable copy click on: Rummy Q