Rummy Cube

Wooden Oval Rummy Cube Game Set, Wooden Rummikub Game Set, Gift for Father, Personalized Rummycube Game, Handmade oval rummy, fountainkingdom 4.5 out of 5 stars (13). Rummy Cube Game Set is customizable. The rummy game set is made of wood. Also known as Rummikub Game Set. Another name is the Turkish Okey game set.

Rummikub is a tile-based game for 2 to 4 players, combining elements of the card game rummy and mahjong. There are 106 tiles in the game, including 104 numbered tiles (valued 1 to 13 in four different colors, two copies of each) and two jokers. Players have 14 or 16 tiles initially and take turns putting down tiles from their racks into sets (groups or runs) of at least three, drawing a tile if they cannot play. In the Sabra version (the most common and popular), the first player to use all their tiles scores a positive score based on the total of the other players' hands, while the losers get negative scores. An important feature of the game is that players can work with the tiles that have already been played.

History[edit]

Rummikub was invented by Ephraim Hertzano, a Romanian-born Jew, who immigrated to pre-state Israel in the 1940s. He hand-made the first sets with his family in the backyard of his home. Hertzano sold these 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 best selling export game. In 1977, it became a bestselling game in the United States.^[1][2] The game was marketed as 'Rummikid' during part of the 1970s.^{[citation needed]}

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 in 1978.

Rummikub is similar to several central European card games which are played with two decks of playing cards, including Machiavelli and Vatikan. Vatikan is played with two decks of cards and one joker per player, thus making 106 cards for two players.^[3]

Game pieces[edit]

Rummikub Online

Rummikub's main component is a pool of tiles, consisting of 104 number tiles and two joker tiles. The number tiles range in value from one to thirteen in four colors (blue, red, orange,^[4] and black). Each combination of color and number is represented twice. Players each have a rack to store tiles without revealing the face of the tiles to the other players.

Rules[edit]

The following explanation is based on the rules in the 1998 Pressman American edition:

Setup[edit]

Rummy Cube Set

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 collect 14 random tiles and arrange them on their racks. Play begins with the starting player and proceeds in a clockwise (for modern variants) direction.

Play[edit]

For a player's first move, they must play a set (or sets in some versions) 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. A player may not use other players' tiles to make the 'initial meld'. If a player cannot make an initial meld, they must pick up a single tile from the pool and add it to their rack. Play then proceeds to the next player.

Once a player has made their initial meld, they can, on a separate turn, play one or more tiles from their rack, making or adding to groups and/or runs. If the player cannot (or chooses not to) play any tiles, they must pick a tile randomly from the pool and add it to their rack.

Players may not make their initial meld and along with that play on groups and runs during the same turn. You can play on runs and groups after the turn of making the initial meld.

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.

Sets[edit]

All tiles in play must be arranged in sets of at least three tiles. The two valid set types are called runs and groups.

A run is composed of three or more, same-colored tiles, in consecutive number order. (A 1 may not follow a 13.)

A group is made from three or four same-value tiles in distinct colors. For example: red 3, blue 3, black 3 and orange 3.

Examples of invalid sets[edit]

Example of play[edit]

Manipulating existing tiles[edit]

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.

Shifting a run

Players may add the appropriate tile to either end of a run and remove a tile from the other end for use elsewhere. If red 3, 4, and 5 have already been played, a player may add the red 6 to the end and remove the 3 for use elsewhere.

Splitting a run

Players may split long runs and insert the corresponding tiles in the middle. Thus, if blue 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are already a run, the player may insert his own 8 to make two runs: 6, 7, 8 and 8, 9, 10.

Substituting in a group

Players may replace any of the tiles in a three-tile group with a tile of the fourth color and the same value. If blue 6, red 6, and orange 6 are already a group, the player may add the black 6 and remove any one of the other three for use elsewhere.

Removing tiles

So long as the remaining tiles form a valid run, tiles can be removed from the ends of runs. Any one tile may be removed from a four-tile group.

Joker substitution

A joker may be retrieved before the initial meld. A joker can be retrieved from a set by replacing it with a tile of the same numerical value and colour it represents. The tile used to replace the joker can come from the player's rack or from the table. In the case of a group of 3, the joker can be replaced by the tile of either of the missing colours. A joker that has been replaced must be used in the player's same turn as part of a new set. A set containing a joker can have tiles added to it, be split apart or have tiles removed from it. The joker can be moved or replaced in any possible way as long as you maintain a set of at least three tiles. The joker has a penalty value of 30 points if it remains on a player's rack at the end of the game^[5]

Harvested tiles

In the course of a turn, a tile that is 'harvested' from an existing set must be played during the turn; it cannot be kept for later use. Example: if there is a 3, 4, 5 run on the table, the 3 can be harvested by putting down the appropriately colored 6, but the 3 must be used during that turn, not kept in the player's hand for later use.

Scoring[edit]

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 lowest number of tiles in their rack is the winner. Scoring is then carried out in the normal manner.

If one person never had the required points to make a meld and the game is over, their points are added to the score of each of the other players. The person with the least number of points is the winner.

Winning[edit]

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.

Awards[edit]

• 1980 Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year)^[6]
• 1983 Spel van het Jaar (Dutch Game of the Year)^{[citation needed]}.
• 1993 Gra Roku [pl] (Polish Game of the Year)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Rummikub: Old Memories'. www.skooldays.com. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
2. ^'Rules of the Games: Rummikub'.
3. ^McLeod, John. 'Manipulation Rummy, Machiavelli, Carousel, Vatikan, Shanghai'. Pagat. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
4. ^Official Game Rules
5. ^Official Rummikub Manual(2017), https://rummikub.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2600-English.pdf
6. ^'Spiel des Jahres 1980: Rummikub' (in German). Spiel des Jahres. Retrieved 9 June 2012.

External links[edit]

Definition

Rummikub is a tile-based game designed to be played by 2-4 players. Rummikub was designed by Ephraim Hertzano in 1940, and went on to become the best selling game in its country of origin, Israel. In the 1970s, Rummikub then went on to become a household name in the United States.

How to Play Rummikub?

Rummikub can be played with 2-4 players, and all you need is a boxed set of Rummikub tiles to play. In the box, you get a total of 104 tiles, and 4 racks. The racks are used to ensure that other players won’t be able to see your tiles. The Rummikub instructions are provided below.

Pieces

There are a total of 104 tiles in Rummikub. These pieces are differentiated based on their color and number. There are a total of 4 colors, which are blue, red, orange and black. Each color has 2 tiles of each number, and the numbers range from 1 to 13. This makes up 102 of the pieces in Rummikub.

The last 2 pieces are the wild tiles, also known as the Joker tiles. These tiles come in red and black variants, but they are both identical in terms of function. These tiles can be used to substitute any other tile in the combinations used in game-play.

Combinations

Rummikub is a game about making sets using the number tiles. Sets include runs and groups. Each set must be at least 3 tiles in length to be valid.

Runs are sequences of tiles of the same colour, in an increasing number order. Note that wrapping over is not allowed, so a 1 cannot follow a 13. An example of a valid run made using red tiles is shown below.

3–4–5–6–7

Groups are combinations of the same number with different colors. Note that since there are only 4 colors in the game, each group must consist of at least 3 tiles, and 4 tiles at the maximum. An example of a full group of four is shown below.

5–5–5-5

Invalid combinations are shown below.

3–4–5–6–7 (Invalid because the 6 is not of the same color)

5–5–4-5 (Invalid because the 4 is not the same number as the group)

5–5–5-5-5 (Invalid because there are two Yellow 5 tiles used)

There are specific methods of manipulating sets that will be discussed in the related section.

Setting Up

To begin the game, all tiles are placed face-down and shuffled. Each player then draws 1 tile to determine the turn order. The player drawing the highest number tile will go first.

Each player then draws 14 tiles, placing them on their respective racks such that other players cannot see them. The game then begins. The remaining tiles form the draw pile.

The First Move

Each player is not allowed to do tile manipulations until they make their first move. The first move is to play out a valid set (or sets) of tiles that exceed a value of at least 30 points. Before playing out this move, players cannot utilize the tiles already played by other players in their plays.

Examples of valid first moves is shown below:

• 11–12–13 (11+12+13=36 points > 30 points)
• 8-8–8–8 (8+8+8+8=32 points > 30 points)
• 4-5-6-7 and 3-3–3 ((4+5+6+7) + (3+3+3) =31 points > 30 points)

Note that you can play multiple sets in one turn if they are available. If players are unable to play their first move, they draw 1 tile from the draw pile and pass their turn. This repeats until the player is able to play out their first move.

Playing the Game

The main game-play of Rummikub begins once players make their first move. The basics are to make sets, as described above. Once the first move is made, the rest of the sets are not subject to the minimum of 30 points. For example, a set of 3–3–3 (9 points) is valid after the first move.

Apart from making sets, players can make manipulations on the existing sets.

Manipulations

There are a few manipulations that are allowed under the rules of Rummikub. These are discussed in detail in the Example Plays section of the guide.

Goal

The goal of the game is to win rounds by clearing all tiles from hand. If the round ends with all tiles being drawn from the draw pile, and no more valid plays are possible from every player, the player having the least amount of remaining tiles will be considered the winner.

The winner calls “Rummikub” when they use all their tiles.

Rummikub Rules

The original Rummikub rules still exist in the modern iteration.

Rummikub Joker Rules

Jokers that are played can be used as a substitute for any in any set. Once a Joker is played, it cannot be taken back into hand. Players can, however, substitute the Joker tiles to use them in other manipulations.

For example, if there is a group of 7–7–7–J, a player that has the black 7 tile can substitute the Red Joker in the run, and use it in any valid sets or manipulations.

Jokers that are substituted or liberated must be used on that turn, and cannot be returned to hand.

Errors

Since manipulations can result in elaborate multi-step moves that could result in an unrecoverable board state, players can invoke the error rule to penalize the player if all other players agree. The penalty for ‘ruining’ the board is to draw 3 tiles, and the board must be returned to the original state.

Summary of Rules

In summary, the Rummikub directions are:

• All tiles are placed face-down and shuffled.
• Each player draws 14 tiles.
• Players play the initial move consisting of tiles with a value of 30 points or more.
• Players draw tiles if they are unable to make a move.
• Play continues with each player making manipulations and playing at least one tile a turn.
• If no plays are available, a player must draw 1 tile from the draw pile and pass their turn.
• Play continues until a player clears all tiles from their hand.
• If no more tiles are in the draw pile, and no valid plays are possible, the player with the lowest number of remaining tiles wins the round.

Scoring

Rummikub scoring is based around the hands of the losing players. Each tile is worth a point value identical to its face value. For example, the 2, 2, 2 and 2 tiles are all worth 2 points each.

Joker tiles in hand are worth 30 points each.

For example, if there are 3 players in a round of Rummikub, and Player 1 wins the round. Assuming the hands of each player are as follows:

In this case, Player 2 has a sum of 16 points, and Player 3 has a sum of 37 points (Jokers are worth 30 points). Hence, when Player 1 ends the round as the winner, he/she is awarded the sum of all points, hence getting 53 points. Player 2 and 3 get the points deducted from their point total, getting -16 points and -37 points respectively.

At the end, the player reaching the desired point total wins the game.

Example Plays

Making manipulations in Rummikub is how to score. The possible manipulations and plays in Rummikub are explained below. Note that you can do combinations of two or more combinations per turn, and there is no limit to the number of tiles and manipulations you can make each turn.

Extensions

The most basic manipulation is adding tiles to existing sets. For example, one can amend a tile (or tiles) to existing sets. For example, if a run of 3–4–5–6–7–8 exists on the board, and a player has the 2 and 9 tiles. They can add the tiles to the run, making a run of 2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9.

The same principle can be used in groups. If a group of a certain color exists with a length of 3, such as 8–8–8, a player can add a black 8 tile to make a group of 8-8–8–8.

Note that wrapping around is not allowed, so a 1 cannot follow a 13. For example, the following sequence is invalid: 8–9–10–11–12–13–1

Splitting Runs

Long runs can be split into 2 or more runs, provided each of the runs are at least 3 tiles in length.

For example, given the run 2–3–4–5–6–7, and given a player has a blue 4 tile, the run can be split into the runs 2–3–4 and 4–5–6–7. Note that players can also extend the split runs on their same turn.

Substitutions

Players can replace tiles in groups by any valid replacements. For example, if there is a group of fives, 5-5–5, and a run of 2–3–4, if a player has a red 5 tile, they can substitute the yellow 5 tile in the group, and use it in the run. This results in the following sets: 5-5–5, 2–3–4–5.

Strategy

• Rummikub strategy is about visualizing plays. As the game goes on, more possible moves are possible, so look through your possibilities possible.
• Do not hesitate to draw even if you can make plays.
• Play out Jokers. Keeping them in hand will result in a penalty at the end of the game.
• Be aware of all possible manipulations, good players are masters at splitting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I play Rummikub Online?

Rummikub online can be played on simulators, and some even allow for multiplayer play.

What are the best Rummikub apps?

The best Rummikub app is the official Rummikub app available on Android and iOS.

Where do I buy a physical playing set?

The original game is produced and sold by the world famous Pressman Toy Corporation, who for example also sell the original version of the Triominos game and a board game edition of the popular Sudoku puzzle game.

How many tiles do you start with?

You begin each round of Rummikub with 14 tiles.

How to pronounce Rummikub?

Rummikub is pronounced as “Rummy-cube”, though some also use the pronunciations “Rummy Q” and “Rummy Que” in Israel, the country of origin.

Are there variations on the game?

The three main variations of Rummikub are American Rummikub, Sabra Rummikub and International Rummikub which takes influence from classic Mahjong rules.