Rummy Games

Rummy is considered to be a game of skill and strategy rather than a game of gambling such as blackjack or poker. It is played between 2-4 players and the goal of the game is to get rid of all your cards by making sets (e.g. 7-7-7) or runs (7-8-9; all being diamonds or hearts etc..). Players are dealt cards at the beginning and during the game cards are moved all around from the deck to players and from players to other player. The game is finished when someone matches all his cards into sets and runs, and “lays them down” in the middle.

Traditional Rummy

This game is played with two decks of cards. Players can lay down their sets and runs at any point during the game and other players can add cards to other player’s sets and runs which have already been laid down. The winner is the player who lays all his cards down first.

Gin Rummy

This game is played with one deck of cards. Unlike with Traditional Rummy, cards can only be laid down once in the game. At the lay down, his cards do not all have to be laid, but some can remain in his hand as long as they add up to 10 or less. After the first player lays down his cards others then can lay down their cards and the winner is the player who cards left ads up to the least.

Oklahoma Gin

This is the same as Gin with one subtle change. In Oklahoma the difference is that the value of cards that a player can keep in his hand after laying down it not 10. Instead, this value varies in each game depending on the first cards in the deck.

Kalooki 51

Kalooki is played with two decks of cards and importantly plus two jokers. Kalooki is like Traditional Rummy as players can lay down some cards during the middle of the game but the value of the cards must add up to 51 on his first lay down.

Kalooki 40

The number 40 means that when a player lays down for the first time, the cards must add up to 40. In addition a crucial difference with Kalooki 51 is that if a player takes a card from his opponent he must use it straight away by laying it down.