Robbers' rummy is a

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ga ...

for two or more players. It is a variant of

German Rummy German Rummy or Rommé (german: Deutsches Rommé or ''Rommé mit Auslegen'') is the most popular form of the worldwide game, Rummy, played in Austria and Germany. It is a game for 2 to 6 players and is played with two packs of French playing cards ...

dating to the early 20th century.Carlisle, Rodney P (editor). ''Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society, Volume 1'' Thousand Oaks: Sage (2009), p. 615. Being derived from normal

rummy Rummy is a group of matching-card games notable for similar gameplay based on matching cards of the same rank or sequence and same suit. The basic goal in any form of rummy is to build '' melds'' which can be either sets (three or four of a k ...

, it emphasises arrangement of cards based on card matching rules (generally simplified, but thereby no less challenging), while abandoning the notions of card discards and scoring entirely.

Description

In Robbers' Rummy, not only are players allowed to lay off to existing melds as in basic

Rummy Rummy is a group of matching-card games notable for similar gameplay based on matching cards of the same rank or sequence and same suit. The basic goal in any form of rummy is to build '' melds'' which can be either sets (three or four of a k ...

, but they may also completely recombine the cards contained in the melds. In other words, players may 'rob' cards from already-made melds to make new ones. This makes it "much more exciting and engaging than any other ummyvariant...".''How to Play Robbers Rummy?''
at www.rummymania.com. Retrieved 2 Jul 2018. Danyliuk describes it as "a fun, but difficult, variant of Rummy."

Object

The aim of Robber's Rummy is to be the first player to discard all the cards in hand by forming melds and placing them on table.

Cards

Robbers' rummy is played using two standard 52-card French packs, and 2 to 6 jokers.

Play

Initially, each player is dealt 11 to 13''Rommé''
at www.ludomax.de. Retrieved on 2 Jul 2018. cards from the shuffled pack, whose remainder, called the ''stock'' is placed face-down on the table. The goal of each player is to reduce the number of cards held in hand by placing them on the table, face-up, forming melds. A ''meld'' is: *Either any sequence by

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

of three or more cards of the same suit (where the ''King'' may be followed by ''Ace'', and ''2'', and so on), *Any three or four cards of equal rank, but of distinct suits. Any one ''Joker'' card used within a meld must be identified as one card of appropriate rank and suit. At each turn, a player may place one or more cards from their own hand on the table, such that melds are formed (or extended). For this purpose, each player may rearrange any or all melds on the table, including, if necessary, by reassigning the identification of ''Joker'' cards; provided all cards on the table form melds eventually, in completion of the placement. All cards which were on the table, before the placement of the own cards from hand, must remain on the table. An essential point to recognize is that any meld consisting of four cards may be reduced to an equally regular three-card meld by removing or ''robbing'' one card, which in turn may be used to form other melds. The name ''Robbers' rummy'' reflects the characterization, by proponents of normal

, of such liberty in playing this game as excessive, or even "offensive."''Robbers’ Rummy Online''
at www.jungleerummy.com. Retrieved 2 Jul 2018. Examples of valid melds: * On the table are ; Ann holds the second in her hand. She can now take the and the from the table and make a new meld with her . * On the table lie the and ; Ben holds , and in his hand. He can now combine these cards together with the table cards to form new melds as follows: , and . Any jokers on the table may be re-used to represent a different card without having to be exchanged as in

, for example. A player who was unable or disinclined to place at least one card from their own hand on the table accordingly, must draw one card from the stock into the hand. Alternatively, a player who did place one or more own cards on the table may draw one card from the stock, or must otherwise yield to the next player right away. After having drawn one card, the player at turn may still place any one or more cards on the table, and must then yield to the next player without drawing another card. Danyliuk includes 2 additional rules: * The top card of the discard pile may only be used if it is immediately laid off or melded; it must not be added to the hand. * The player's first meld must score 40 points; cards may be laid off to existing melds in order to reach this total. To do this card values are assigned as follows: A = 1 or 11 depending on position, KQJ = 10 each, pips = 2-9 depending on face value.

Ending

The first player to meld or lay off all held cards is the winner.

Description

Object

Cards

Play

Ending

References

See also