International Rummy: The Big Rummy Challenge
International
Rummy is one of the most challenging Rummy
games. Several aspects of it have been taken from many different versions
of Rummy and combined to form one of the best and the most exciting Rummy
games around. International Rummy has aspects taken from the original
Rummy game, from Contract Rummy, and many others. One unique feature of
this game, however, is that it does not involve knocking or undercutting,
two key moves in the classic Rummy and the focus of
Gin Rummy. In this
game, however, the game objectives are different, and only the general
concept of card melding and the draw and discard pattern is followed. If
you want to play something different but aren’t ready to let go of Rummy,
this is one game you should try.
Overview of International Rummy
International Rummy is a game especially for four players,
but it can be played with three up to eight players. But the game gets
more challenging as the number of players increase. The game also requires
two decks of cards unless there are more than six players in the game,
which would require three decks already. The game is one of the versions
of Rummy that uses the Jokers, though some variants of the game also get
rid of the Jokers. The most important thing to know about this game,
however, is that one game has eight different hands, also sometimes
referred to as deals. The main challenge in the game is the set of
objectives that are predetermined for each hand. In every hand, the
players need to meet these objectives, which are basically preset
combinations of melds. After meeting these objectives, they have to lay
down the melded cards on the table for them or their opponents to add
cards to.
Who Wins in International Rummy?
In International Rummy, the overall objective of the game is
to get rid of all the cards in your hand. The first player who gets rid of
all his cards will win that specific hand. Once this happens, the other
players receive points as penalty. Then, at the very end of the entire
game, which spans eight hands, the players’ cumulative scores will be
computed. The one with the lowest number of points will win the entire
game. To win in the game, therefore, you need to first meet the objective
then try to get rid of the cards in your hand as soon as possible. Melding
follows the same concept as in other Rummy games, which means you can meld
cards with similar values into a set, and cards with consecutive values
and of different suits into a run. All melds laid on the table can be
further extended.
Three Ways to Get Rid of Cards in International Rummy
There are three main ways to get rid of your cards in a game
of International Rummy. First, you can meld your cards, which is a
compulsory move because you cannot play this game fully without being able
to form a meld. If you are missing one last card from a meld but happens
to have a Joker or a number two unmatched card in your hand, you can use
either of those cards to substitute for the missing card. Aside from
melding, you can also lay off cards to lessen the number of cards in your
hand. This is an optional move and can only be done if you have cards that
can fit right in with the existing melds. A player who has not met the
objective and melded his own cards will not be allowed to lay off cards.
Laying off means taking a card from your hand and adding it to any of the
melds on the table. Take note that you can lay off cards onto melds laid
down by your opponent and vice versa. The last move you can use to get rid
of your cards is another compulsory move: discarding. This is a classic
Rummy move, which means to take a card from your hand that you think would
be useless for you then place it on the discard pile face up. Your discard
can be taken by any player provided that any of the players who take turns
before him does not take the card. This move is called card buying because
if you decide to take a discard, you need to take another face down card
from the stock pile. If a player chooses to do this, however, he cannot
discard a card from his hand.
|
