Play Online Rummy in India

Many people in India still play rummy in their traditional offline format, but the online version is catching on very quickly. There are quite a few casinos that offer the game in one variant or the other.

It does not have the heavy online presence of blackjack or roulette, but it is slowly carving out its own niche in Indian casinos. The great news is that you do not have to worry about browsing through all the casinos in your search for online rummy, we have done all the hard work for you!

All you need to do is to sign up with any of the sites we are recommending and start enjoying the game.

The following online casinos will let you play online rummy:

Aside from the international online casinos, you can see above, there is also a ton of Indian rummy sites where you can play rummy and nothing else.

We haven't included any of those in our review, because we prefer online casinos that let you play a large variety of games, from rummy to roulette.

In our opinion, one of the best international online casinos where you can play rummy is 1xBet Casino. We will now explain why.

How to play online rummy

New to rummy? Fascinated by the game? Want to learn how to play online? Well, you have come to the right place.

Rummy comes in many variants, each with its own specific rules, but there are certain guidelines and terminologies that are common across the board. The overall objective of the game is to match your cards so that you build melds. Melds can be sets or runs.

A set comprises three or four cards of the same rank (number), but different suits; while a run is a collection of at least three cards of the same suit, and in consecutive numerical order. To illustrate these definitions, let us consider the following examples.

The suits in a typical card game are hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds; while the ranks, arranged in sequential order, are A,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,J,K,Q. Note that in some rummy variants, the ace card (A) can be taken as the card with either the lowest rank or highest rank, depending on the option that favors the player.

Rummy is a great game for the mind, as it challenges our concentration, and ability to come up with solutions under pressure.

From the definitions of sets and runs above, an example of a set is a group of cards that includes a heart, spade, and diamond, all with a rank of 8; while a run maybe four diamonds with ranks of 5,6,7 and 8.

After the players have been dealt their cards, another card is placed face up at the center of the table, starting off the discard pile, while the remaining cards are placed face down. The cards that are placed face down form the stockpile.

The basic principle is to draw and discard cards from either the stock or discard pile, with the aim of forming as many melds as possible. Usually, the first player to meld all his cards wins the game. Unmatched cards are called deadwood. The scoring system is dependent on the variant, as we will see later in this article.

Having gone through the general principles of online rummy, let us now go deeper and examine some of the most popular variants in more detail. We are starting off with Indian Rummy.

Indian Rummy

Indian Rummy is the most popular form of rummy in India (surprise, surprise!), usually played between 2 - 6 players. Like most other variants of the game, it tests the players' focus and concentration, and ability to make quick decisions under pressure.

Two 52-deck cards are used if the players are not more than three, while three decks are used when the game involves four or more players. Each player is initially dealt 13 cards.

Indian Rummy also allows the use of jokers, which can stand in for any card in the formation of melds. Some card decks come with printed jokers, while others don't.

In the case of the latter, the joker is selected from the cards in the stock pile. This card is then placed under the pile so that it is visible to everyone playing the game. Any card of the same rank as the makeshift joker, regardless of the suit, becomes an additional joker.

Indian Rummy variations

Indian Rummy comes in different variants. It can be points rummy, deals rummy or pool rummy. In points rummy, the player who declares first wins the game. When cash reward is involved, the points of the other players are calculated and then multiplied by the monetary value of each point to determine how much the winner gets.

In deals rummy, the winner emerges after the game has been played for an agreed number of rounds (usually two or three rounds). The points for each round are calculated, with the player with the lowest points tally winning the game.

Pools rummy involves the setting of a points limit, (usually above 100). Players are eliminated as they cross the limit, while the last player standing is declared the winner. This is the longest form of Indian Rummy and can go on for many rounds.

Rummy 500

Apart from Indian Rummy, there are many other variants of the game, one of which is Rummy 500. This version is usually played between 6-8 players. The main difference between Rummy 500 and Indian Rummy is that players are scored according to the value of the cards they meld, and not the value of their deadwood.

The more cards you meld, the higher your score; and the better for you. The first player to reach 500 points wins the game. If two or more players reach 500 after the same round, the player with the higher score is declared the winner. Hence, Rummy 500 can go on for as many rounds as possible until at least one of the players reaches 500 points.

The values of the cards in Rummy 500 also differ from Indian Rummy. Numbered cards (2-9) are worth 5 points, while face cards (and the 10 card) are worth 10 points. The ace card is usually counted as 5 or 15 depending on whether it is used as the lower or higher part of a meld.

To determine a player's score, the value of the unmatched cards (deadwood) is deducted from the value of the melded cards at the end of each round. It is possible that a player scores negative points.

Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy is played between two players with a standard 52-card deck. The objective is to score as many points as possible by forming melds and eliminating deadwood. The game goes on until one of the players reaches an agreed point’s limit, usually 100. Aces are counted as 1, number cards retain their face values, while face cards are worth 10 points.

At the start of each round, each player receives 10 cards, while the other cards form the stock pile and the discard pile. A round continues until one of the players "knocks". A player can knock when he has 10 or lower deadwood points in his hand. If he has 0 deadwood points (all of his cards are melded), this is called "going gin".

The best possible outcome in gin rummy is to go gin!

If a player goes gin, he is awarded a gin bonus, as well as the value of his opponent’s deadwood points. If neither player goes gin before the stock pile reduces to two cards, the round is ended and declared a draw.

There is danger in knocking without going gin. This is because the other player (called the defending player) has the option of adding some of his deadwood to his opponent's melds if they all fit. This is called laying off, and each lay off reduces the defending player’s deadwood points by 10.

For example, let's assume the knocking player has a set of three diamonds; and the defending player has a spare diamond of the same rank. The defending player can then lay off his extra diamond into his opponent's meld, and reduce his deadwood points by 10. This is only possible if the knocking player hasn't gone gin.

Ideally, the player that knocks should have less deadwood points and win the round, but this is not always the case, because of the laying off scenario explained above.

If the defending player's deadwood points are equal or lower than his opponent's, this is called an undercut. The player gets an undercut bonus of 25 points, plus the differential between the deadwood points.

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