Rummikub (also known as Rummy-O, Rummycube, Rummyking Tile rummy and Rummy Tile) is a tile-based game for two to four players.
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Rummikub was invented by Ephraim Hertzano, a Romanian-born Jew, who immigrated to Mandate Palestine in the early 1930s.[1] He hand-made the first sets with his family in the backyard of his home. The game combines elements of rummy, dominoes, mah-jongg and chess.[1] Hertzano sold the first sets door-to-door and on a consignment basis at small shops. Over the years, the family licensed it to other countries and it became Israel’s #1 export game.[1] In 1977, it became a bestselling game in the United States.[2]
Hertzano's 'Official Rummikub Book', published in 1978, describes three different versions of the game: American, Sabra and International. Modern Rummikub sets include only the Sabra version rules, with no mention of the others, and there are variations in the rules between publishers.
The game was first made by Lemada Light Industries Ltd, founded by Hertzano. "Six handed" (a game with 6 colors) is available in Germany. It tends to be more fun for larger parties, but less challenging, as it is much easier to make a set of 3 different colors when there are 6 available.
Rummikub's main component is a pool of tiles, consisting of 104 number tiles and two or more joker tiles. The number tiles range in value from one to thirteen, in four colors ( black, yellow, blue and red, or other). Each combination of color and number is represented twice. Players each have a rack (container) to store tiles, without revealing the face of the tiles to the other players.
Different versions of Rummikub are played, and house rules are often used. For example, one version uses two decks of 52 tiles, plus one joker per person. Cards could have their face value, with ace counting for 1, jack for 11, queen for 12 and king for 13. It is advisable to use small cards, because space on the playing table is limited, and to deal the cards (rather than taking them from a pool) unless the backs of both decks have the same color and motif. Cards are less likely than tiles to read as upside down for any given player; however, large hands may prove slightly difficult to hold, especially for children.
Tiles are shuffled together and either placed into a bag, or spread out face down across the table. Each player draws and reveals one tile. The player whose tile has the highest number value will start the game. Tiles are returned to the pool, and players in turn collect 14 random tiles and arrange them on their racks. Play then begins with the starting player, and proceeds in a clockwise direction.
The following explanation is based on the rules in the 1998 Pressman American edition; other editions of the rules may have significant differences.[3]
For a player's first move, he must play a set with a value of at least 30 points. Point values are taken from the face value of each tile played, with the joker (if played) assuming the value of the tile it is being used in place of. The player may not use other players' tiles to make the initial 30 or more. A player's first move is known as the "initial meld". The initial meld cannot build on previously played tiles (for example, a joker on the table cannot be retrieved before the initial meld). If a player cannot make an initial meld, he must pick up a single tile from the pool and add it to his rack. Play then proceeds to the next player.
Once a player has made his initial meld, he can, on each turn, play one or more tiles from his rack, making or adding to groups and/or runs. If the player cannot (or chooses not to) play any tiles, he must pick one random tile from the pool and add it to his rack.
All tiles in play must be arranged in sets with at least three tiles. The two valid set types are called runs and groups.
Runs are composed of three or more, same-colored tiles, in consecutive number order. For example- red 6, 7, 8 and 9. A 1 may not follow a 13.
Groups are three or four same-value tiles in distinct colors. For example- red 3, blue 3, black 3 and orange 3.
| Runs: | 9 10 11 12 |
| Groups: | 7 7 7 |
Examples of valid sets
| A valid run: | 1 2 3 4 |
| A valid group: | 1 1 1 |
Examples of invalid sets
| Numbers in a run must be consecutive: | 1 2 4 |
| Numbers in a run must all be the same color: | 1 2 3 |
| Colors may not repeat in a group: | 1 1 1 |
Players may play tiles by amending sets already in play. The only limit to the length of a run is the extremes of the tile values. Groups are limited to four because colors may not repeat within a group. If player has a play in hand it must be played or seven tiles must be drawn.
Example
| Tiles already out-played: | 3 4 5 |
| Own tiles: | 2 5 5 |
| Recombined result: | 2 3 4 and 5 5 5 |
During a player's turn, sets of tiles that have already been played may be manipulated to allow more tiles to be played. At the end of the turn, all played tiles must be in valid sets.
At the end of each turn, all sets on the table must be valid, but during the course of a turn, utterly arbitrary temporary re-arrangements are allowed. These can get very involved, requiring several steps. Sometimes, what had been imagined in the mind to be possible turns out not to be, leaving the table in an illegal state. When this happens (and the choice of when to invoke this rule depends on how formal or "friendly" the game is), the offending player must return all sets on the table to their original state, and pick up three tiles as a penalty.
Combining rows and columns All rows and columns can be combined in any format. Just make sure each row and column are in sets of three. You may not open or end with a joker.
Once a winner has been declared, the losing players must add up the values of the tiles remaining in their racks (their score for the game). The joker has a penalty value of 30. A player's score for the game is subtracted from his current cumulative score. Once calculated, each of the losing players' scores for the game is added to the winners current cumulative score.
For example- suppose in a game player A wins, player B has a score of 5, player C has a score of 10 and player D a score of 3. Player A will now have a cumulative score of 18, player B will be -5, player C will be -10 and player D will be -3.
Should the game result in no winner, the player with the least number of tiles in their rack is the winner. Scoring is then carried out in the normal manner.
Game play continues until a player has used all of the tiles in the rack, at which point they should call out "Rummikub", and are declared the winner. If the pool runs out of tiles, play continues until there is a winner or no player can make a valid play.
Rummikub won the 1980 Spiel des Jahres award (German Game of the Year) and the Spel van het Jaar award (the Dutch Game of the Year) in 1983.
| Preceded by Hare and Tortoise |
Spiel des Jahres German "Game of the Year" Award 1980 |
Succeeded by Focus |