This Rummy game, which is very popular in India, is called appropriately enough, Indian Rummy. It is also well known under the name Paplu. Both this game and the 21 card variant (described further below in the variants section) are very popular and widely played on many online Rummy card game sites.
Indian Rummy can accommodate a large range in the number of players
participating, allowing from 2 to 12 such players. The deck used for the game is dependent on the number of participants. For 2 or 3 players, one deck is usually used. For 4 to 6 players, two standard 52 card decks are used. And, for 7 or more players, three such decks are used. In addition, for each deck used, one specific Joker is added. The ranking of the cards in the deck are the same in most other forms of Rummy (from high to low); Ace (high), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace (low). As will be noticed, an Ace can be used as either high (above King) or low (below two) in this game. The Jokers are wild cards and can be used during the hand to represent any other card.
Determination of first dealer and seating positions is usually done using the following procedure. The deck is shuffled and each player draws one card from the face-down and shuffled deck. If any players draw a card of the same denomination, those players must discard that card and draw another. This continues until there are no tied cards. The player who draws the highest card has the first choice of seats at the table and will be the first player to receive cards in the deal. The player with the next highest gets second choice and this continues until all players are seated at the table. The player who ends up in the position to the immediate left of the player drawing the highest card becomes the dealer, thus ensuring the player to his right is the first to play during the hand. Thereafter, the deal rotates in a counter-clockwise rotation around the table.
Once seating positions and the first dealer are determined, the dealer shuffles and the player to his left cuts the deck. The dealer then distributes 13 card hands to each player in counter-clockwise rotation, one face-down card at a time. After dealing the hands, the dealer then takes the top card of the deck and places it face up next to the stock pile to start the discard pile. He then takes the next card from the stock and places it sideways and partially underneath the stock pile. All cards of the same denomination as this partially exposed card are considered wild along with the actual printed Jokers. If the card exposed is an actual printed Joker, then only the other printed Jokers remaining the deck are considered wild for this hand. The actual card itself that is exposed is not used further in the actual hand and is left partially covered by the stock pile.
The player to the immediate right of the current dealer takes the first turn. On a player's turn, he first draws a card. He may draw either the top face-up card of the discard pile or the top face-down card from the stock pile. He may then meld if able and willing and then completes his turn by discarding one card from his hand face up onto the discard pile. The turn rotates in counter-clockwise rotation around the table. A player drawing the top, face-up card of the discard pile may never discard that same card on the same turn. At the completion of his turn a player may declare "Rummy" if able.
The allowable melds in Indian Rummy are as follows:
- Sequence Meld:
A sequence meld is three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive sequence. An Ace can be considered either high or low and therefore could be played at the top of a sequence above a King or at the bottom of a sequence below a two. An Ace can never be in the middle of a sequence meld. A sequence meld may contain one or more wild cards.
- Straight Meld:
This is the same as a Sequence Meld, however it may contain no wild cards.
- Group Meld:
A group meld consists of three or four cards of identical rank. Each card in the group must be of a different suit.
- Tanala:
A Tanala is a meld of three cards of the same rank and same suit. This meld is only possible when three decks are used when playing this game.
The turns continue until a player, during his turn, can go Rummy. Players keep their melds in their hand and do not play any to the table. In order to go Rummy, as in most other games of the Rummy family, a player must be able to legally meld all 13 of his cards at one time. Every turn must terminate with a discard including the last one, so a player declaring Rummy must first discard before doing so. In addition, before being able to declare Rummy and win the hand, a player must hold at least two sequences in his hand, one of which must be a Straight Meld. If Tanalas are used in the game (when playing with three decks), a Tanala can also be substituted for a Straight meld. When declaring Rummy, the player doing so must place his entire hand face up on the table such that the remaining players can verify his Rummy hand.
Once a player does go Rummy, winning the hand, the opponents are then charged a penalty score (which will be accumulated for the winner of the hand) based on the cards remaining in their own hands. The sum total of all the other players' penalty scores are then added to the hand winners current score. The following chart shows the values of cards found in a player's hand:
| Card Rank | Card Value |
|---|
| Joker | 0 |
| 2 - 10 | Value marked on card face |
| Ace, King, Queen, Jack | 10 |
Not only do printed Jokers not add any to the score, neither do any of the cards that were designated as the Joker for the hand.
When adding up the point count totals for the other players, all cards in their hand must be counted, including those in legal melds. However, in a few circumstances, certain or all cards may not be counted as follows:
- All cards that compromise Straight Runs in the player's hand are not counted
- If a hand contains a Straight Run (or a Tanala) and at least one other sequence or Tanala, all meldable cards in that players hand are not counted
The point totals for all the other players are then added to the player who declared Rummy. If a player manages to declare Rummy on their very first turn, after drawing their first card, that player only collects half the penalty for any players who have not yet had their first turn. In addition, these players do not receive a penalty for meldable cards. If a player is able to declare Rummy on their first turn before drawing a card, he collects double points from any remaining players who have not yet had a turn during the current hand.
A player may, at his turn, before drawing a card may elect to drop out of the current hand (this is called packing). If a player does this on his first turn of the game, the winner of the current hand will earn 10 additional points for each player who so dropped. If a player does this on any subsequent turn, the winner of the hand will earn 40 points for each player that drops. If all but one player drops in this way, that last remaining player wins the hand and any applicable points for the players who dropped. The hands for players who drop are set aside, not to be used or viewed for the remainder of the hand.
If at the beginning of any player's turn there is no remaining stock pile to draw from, the game ends with no score being awarded during this hand (including any points potentially earned for dropping). This is called a void game.
The game should continue until each player has had the opportunity to deal a set number of times. At the completion of this set number, the scores should be totaled and the player who has the highest total is declared the game winner.
Double Score on Printed Jokers: One variant of this game doubles all scoring during the current hand if the card exposed to determine the Jokers is an actual printed Joker. Only the remaining printed Jokers are considered wild during the hand.
Ace Jokers: Another variant is played in which all Aces are considered wild if a printed Joker is turned when determining the wild cards to be used for the hand.
No Additional Jokers: In some games, only the printed Jokers are considered wild during the game. Thus, no card is exposed to determine extra wild cards for the hand.
No Jokers: In this variant, the printed Jokers are not used and neither is any card exposed. Thus, in this version, there are no wild cards in play.
At the Block: In standard Indian Rummy, if the stock is exhausted and no player is able to go Rummy the hand ends with no score. However, sometimes a variation is played in which, if the last card from the stock pile is drawn, all but the top card of the discard pile is turned over, shuffled and used to start a new stock pile.
21 Card Indian Rummy:
Twenty one card Indian Rummy is a variant of Indian Rummy which is also widely played both online and at physical tables. It uses three standard 52 card decks plus three printed Jokers and is usually played by from 2 to 6 players. The ranking of the cards in this deck is the same as in the standard version of the game. Selection of seats and dealer are the same as in the standard Indian Rummy game as is the shuffle and cut. The deal is similar, however in the 21 card variant, each player receives a total of 21 face down cards to form their hand. Also similar to the standard version, after the players hands are dealt an additional card is exposed from the top of the stock and laid
face-up, partially under the stock. This card will be used to determine which cards will be wild during the hand (see
the Jokers and Wild Cards section below). After this card is exposed the top card of the stock is turned face up beside the stock pile to start the discard pile.
The following are the allowable melds in this 21 card variant:
- Sequence:
A sequence is three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive, numerical sequence. As Aces can be considered either high or low, an Ace can be played at the top of a Sequence after a King or at the bottom of a sequence before a two. However, Aces are never permitted to be in the middle of a sequence. A standard Sequence meld may also contain wild cards substituting for specific cards in the sequence.
- Pure Sequence:
This is the same as a Sequence meld, however it may contain no wild cards.
- Set:
A set consists of three or four cards of the same specific rank. Each card in the set must be of a different suit. A set may contain wild cards.
- Tunnela:
A Tunnela is three cards of the same rank and same suit. A Tunnela may never include wild cards with the one exception that a meld consisting of three printed Jokers may be grouped together to form a valid Tunnela. A Tunnela is often also called a London or sometimes a Trinala.
Dublee: Although not usually a meldable combination of cards, 21 card Indian Rummy also includes the concept of a Dublee (which can earn various bonuses for a player at the end of a hand). A Dublee is two cards of the same rank and same suit. A wild card may not be used to form a Dublee, unless the Joker is being used as it's actual original printed value. In addition, two printed Jokers could be used to form a Dublee.
Jokers and Wild Cards: Similarly to standard Indian Rummy the printed Jokers are considered as wild and can be used to represent a card of any other rank. Also similar to the standard variant, a card is exposed from the deck to help determine additional wild cards for the hand. In the 21 card variant all cards that match this card in rank and suit are considered wild cards. However, in addition to these cards, all cards one numerical rank higher (called the High or Upper Jokers) and one rank lower (called the Low or Lower Jokers) of the same suit as the exposed card are also considered wild.
Special Cases: There are several special cases for specific cards that might be exposed as the Joker. If an Ace were the exposed card, all printed Jokers, Aces of the same suit as the exposed Joker, Kings of that same suit and twos of the same suit would be considered wild cards during the hand. Similarly, if a two were exposed, all printed Jokers, twos of the same suit as the card exposed, Aces of that same suit and threes of that suit would be considered wild during the current hand. If an actual printed Joker is the exposed card, then all printed Jokers, the Aces of all suits, Twos of Spades (♠) and Kings of Spades (♠) are wild cards for the hand. However, in determining bonus points for Jokers (described below), only the Ace of Spades is considered a Value card and earns bonus points for those combinations.
As in standard Indian Rummy, a player draws and discards during his turn. He may draw either the top card of the stock or the top, exposed card of the discard pile. However, if a Joker is discarded by any player, it may not be picked from the discard pile. Thus, at any time the event the top card of the discard pile is any Joker the player must pick the top of the stock unless the Joker was the first card turned to start the discard pile.
Dropping: A player may also elect to drop on any turn during the game. If a player elects to drop on his first turn he earns a penalty of 30 points. If a player drops during any other turn of the game, he earns a 70 point penalty. A player who drops discards his cards to the side and takes no further action in the current hand.
The Show: On a player's turn he may declare a Show. He does this immediately after discarding at the end of his turn. When doing so the player would then arrange his hand into valid melds face up on the table in front of himself. In order to declare a Show, a player must be able to meld their hands in one of the following combinations:
- Eight Jokers:
If the player has a total of any eight Jokers that are not part of melds with any other cards, that player may make a valid Show. The remaining cards in the hand need not be in matched sequences or sets.
- Eight Dublees:
If a player has a total of eight or more Dublees in hand, they may also declare a valid Show. The player's remaining cards do not need to be part of matched sets or sequences.
- Three Tunnelas:
If a player has three or more Tunnelas in their hand, they may also declare a Show. The remaining cards in the players hand do not need to be part of matched sequences or sets.
- Complete Hand Meld:
If a player is able to meld all 21 cards into legal melds he may also declare a Show. However, he must have at least three Pure Sequence melds in his hand in order to do so.
Once a player declares a Show and displays his melds, the remaining players then also show their valid melds of three cards or more. The hand is then scored.
Scoring: If a player has no meldable pure sequences in their hand at the end of the hand, that player would earn penalty points for all cards in his hand (including his meldable ones). If a player has one or two meldable pure sequences in their hand, all other cards except the cards contained in these sequences will be counted as penalty points. If a player has three or more meldable pure sequences in their hand, only deadwood (unmatched cards) would be counted. If all of a player's cards can be melded in valid sequences and sets, that player earns only 2 penalty points for the hand. If the player has 6 or more separate Dublees they would also earns only 2 penalty points for the hand. If the player has 7 or more Jokers which are not being used as part of another meld in the hand, only 2 penalty points are earned. In all cases, the maximum penalty points a player can earn on any hand in this way is 120. If the player has more than 120 points in cards in their hand, they only earn 120 such penalty points. The winner of the actual hand wins an equal sum to all such penalty points accrued by all other players during the hand.
The value of the individual cards found in the players hand as per these rules is as follows:
| Card | Scoring Value |
|---|
| Ace, King, Queen, Jack | 10 |
| 2 to 10 | Point value marked on card |
| Any Joker | 0 |
In addition the winner of the hand earns the points from each player who dropped during the hand; 30 points for each player who dropped on their first turn and 70 from each who dropped on a subsequent turn.
Bonus Points: In addition to the points the winner earns, all players during the hand can also earn bonus points for having combinations of Jokers in their hand (called Value cards).
- Same Suit Jokers:
A player can earn bonus points for holding identical Jokers of the original turned up rank. Having one such Joker earns the player 10 points, having 2 earns 30 and having all 3 earns the player 50. Note that having all three same suit Jokers can only occur if the original card selected as the Joker for the hand was a printed Joker in which case the three Aces of Spades would be considered the same suit Jokers.
- Upper Jokers:
Having the Upper Jokers in a player's hand can also earn bonus points. Having one earns a player 10 points, two earns 30 and having all three earns the player 50 bonus points.
- Lower Jokers:
Similarly, having Lower Jokers earns a player bonus points. Having one earns 10, two 30 and all three earns 50.
In addition, special combinations of such Jokers can earn a player positive bonus points. These combinations (called Marriages or Jackpots) are as follows:
- One Upper Joker, one Lower Joker and one Same Suit Joker: This combination earns the player 100 points
- Two Upper Jokers, two Lower Jokers, and two Same Suit Jokers: This combination earns the player 300 points
- Three Upper Jokers, Three Lower Jokers and three Same Suit Jokers: This combination earns the player 500 bonus points.
Each Joker generally only earns points from one of the scoring categories. Thus a Joker used in a Marriage does not also earn points as an individual or group of Jokers. For each bonus positive point a player earns, each other player must subtract an equal amount from their own score. Players who have dropped, of course, do not subtract or add any additional points for the hand once they have dropped.
There are also several special cases regarding the scoring during a Show. If a player shows before some or all of the players have had a turn in current hand, all players who have not yet had a turn need only earn half the normal bonus points (the winner thus only earns half the bonus points from these players). The maximum penalty points a player could accumulate in that circumstance would be 60.
The game should continue for a set number of hands, after which time the player who has accumulated the highest total positive score is declared the game winner.
27 Card Rummy: For
even larger hands of cards, in addition to 21 card Rummy there is also
an Indian Rummy variant featuring a total of 27 cards dealt out to each
player and which includes even more wild cards in the pack. 27 Card Rummy is played similarly to 21 card Rummy, and is
designed for 2 to 5 players using three standard 52 card decks, with the
addition of three total printed Jokers. 27 Card Rummy is very popular in many areas of India, often the same areas in which 21 Card Indian Rummy is also popular.
The sequential ranking of the cards in 27 Card Rummy is as follows, from
highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
27 Card Rummy is played identically to 21 Card Indian Rummy, with the following differences:
- As noted by the name of the game, each player is dealt a total of 27 cards.
- As in 21 Card Indian Rummy, after the cards have been dealt to the players, an additional card is dealt
from the top of the remaining deck to identify the wild cards that will be
used during the hand, in addition to the printed Jokers. This card is dealt
face-up to the table and the deck is placed over this card, partially
covering it. In 27 Card Rummy, there are even more wild cards than in
most of the other variants. All cards of exactly one rank higher than the exposed card,
of the same suit, are considered wild cards (called the "1 Up Jokers"), as are all cards that are exactly two ranks higher than the exposed card
and of the same suit (called the "2 Up Jokers"). Similarly, all cards that are exactly one rank lower than the exposed card
and of the same are considered wild cards ("1 Down Jokers") as are all cards that are exactly two ranks lower than the exposed card
of that same suit ("2 Down Jokers"). Additionally all cards of the same rank and suit as the exposed card are considered wild cards, and the actual printed Jokers are always considered a wild card. Note that any wild card (except a printed Joker) can also be used as the actual natural card
of the rank actually printed on that card, and in that case is not considered a Joker but rather a natural card. If an Ace is the card exposed, this would cause the King
of that suit to be the
One Down Joker and the Queen of that suit the Two Down Joker, while the two
of that suit set as the One Up Joker and the three of the suit is set is the Two Up Joker. It should also be noted that, if the Ace is the exposed card, while all Aces of that same suit are considered wild cards, a sequence of King, Ace, 2, is
still not considered a legal sequence meld (either Pure or Normal). If a printed Joker is the card exposed, all Aces (of any suit) are considered the Wild Card Jokers, the Kings in the suit of Spades the 1 Down Jokers, the Queens of Spades the 2 Down Jokers, the 2s of Spades the 1 Up Jokers, and the 3s of Spades the 2 Up Jokers.
- There are several legal meld types in 27 Card Rummy, as follows:
- Tunnela:
A tunnela (also called a London), is three cards of the exact same rank and suit. Although a tunnela must be pure (and thus not include a mix of wild and natural cards), a tunnela consisting of three printed Jokers is considered valid. The remaining cards in the hand must also be formed into normal sequences and sets.
- Dublee:
A dublee is exactly two cards of the same rank and suit. Although a Dublee may not consist of one other card and any Joker, a valid Dublee may be formed from two printed Jokers. Note that Dublees are only considered valid melds in certain circumstances.
- Set:
A set is three or more cards of the same rank, but not all of the same suit. A set may also contain one or more wild cards, but may never include more wild cards than natural cards.
- Pure Sequence:
This is a direct sequence of three or more cards all in the same suit. A pure sequence is any sequence which consists of all natural cards (no jokers or wild cards which are representing a wild card).
- Normal Sequence:
A normal sequence is a group of three or more cards which are in direct sequence and all of the same suit. A normal sequence is permitted to contain one or more Jokers or other wild cards which are not standing in for a card of the rank actually printed on that card.
- In order for a player to legally declare a "Show", he must be able to arrange all the cards into his hand into one of the following combinations:
- Three Tunnelas:
A hand which contains at least three tunnelas. The remaining cards in the hand must also be melded into valid set and sequence melds.
- Ten Dublees:
A hand consisting of 10 Dublees is also considered a valid hand. The remainder of the cards must also be formed into
valid sequences and sets.
- Ten Jokers:
A hand consisting of 10, independent (not part of another meld in that same hand) is also a valid hand which can be considered for a player to call a Show. The remaining 17 cards in the hand must still be formed into valid set and sequence melds.
- Also similar to 21 Card Indian Rummy, having Jokers in the hand earns bonus points for the player having these cards.
- Same Suit Jokers:
A player can earn bonus points for holding identical Jokers of the original turned up rank in the hand. Having one such Joker earns the player 20 points, having 2 earns 60 and having all 3 earns the player 120. Note that having all three same suit Jokers can only occur if the original card selected as the Joker for the hand was a printed Joker in which case the Aces of Spades would be considered the same suit Jokers.
- One Up Jokers:
Having the One Up Jokers in a player's hand can also earn bonus points. Having one earns a player 10 points, two earns 30 and having all three earns the player 60 bonus points.
- Two Up Jokers:
Having the Two Up Jokers in a player's hand earns bonus points, similar to the One Up Jokers. Having one such One Up Joker earns the player 10 points, having 2 earns 30 points and having all three earns that player 60 bonus points.
- One Down Jokers:
Having one or more of the One Down Jokers also earns a player bonus points. Having one earns 10, two 30 and all three earns that player 60.
- Two Down Jokers:
Having any Two Down Jokers in a player's hand earns that player some number of bonus points. One such Two Down Joker earns a player 25 bonus points, having two earns the player 75, and having all three Two Down Jokers earns the player 150 bonus points.
Other than these few differences, 27 Card Rummy is played identically to 21 card Indian Rummy.
Indian Marriage: Indian Marriage is another fun Rummy type game which is played in
certain areas in India and, most popularly, in Nepal, particularly in the Kathmandu area. The game uses three standard 52 card decks all shuffled together. No actual printed Jokers are added to the deck
as used for this game, but some players call some of the designated wild cards,
randomly determined in each hand, collectively, as "Jokers". The normal ranking of the cards used in this game are as follows (from high to low): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The game is designed for play by 2 to 5 participants.
Selection of seating positions and first dealer can be performed using a variety of methods, with draw for high cards a common method. Once the players are seated and the first dealer determined, this player should thoroughly shuffle the deck and offer it to the player at his right for the cut. After the cut, the dealer begins distribution of the cards. This deal is in a clockwise direction around the table, one-by-one, and face down, starting with the player to his immediate left. He continues dealing until each player has exactly 21 cards to form the hand. After each player has the requisite number of cards, the dealer places the remainder of the deck face-down in the center of the table as the stock pile and turns over the top card from this stock, placing the turned over card face-up next to the stock pile to start the draw pile.
Before play begins every player has the opportunity to declare any tunnela (three cards of the same rank and suit) melds they may have in the hand. A player is not obligated to so declare these melds, but these melds, if declared at this time may earn that player bonus points at the end of the hand.
Once the cards have been dealt, play of the hand begins, starting with the player to the immediate left of the dealer. Play continues in a clockwise rotation around the table. Each turn consists of three parts. To begin his turn, each player first draws one card. He may either draw the top, exposed card of the discard pile or may take the top, face-down card from the stock pile. After drawing a card and adding this card to the hand, the player may then make specific melds if able (see below) and to end his turn he discards one card from the his hand to the discard pile. The cards should be discard in such a way as to allow a portion of each discard currently found in the discard pile to be visible by all players.
As in most other Rummy type games, the object of the game is to form the hand into a number of special combinations or melds. All melds in Indian Marriage consist of exactly three cards, with the following list showing all allowable melds in this game:
- Tunnela:
A tunnela (also sometimes called a Tanella) is three cards of the exact same rank and suit.
- Pure Sequence:
A Pure Sequence is a sequence of exactly three cards in direct sequence, all of the same suit
and containing no wild cards.
- Dirty Sequence:
A Dirty Sequence is a three card combination of cards which form a sequence of cards, all of the same suit, but which includes one
or two wild cards.
- Triplet:
A Triplet is a combination consisting of three cards all of the same rank but each of a different suit.
- Dirty Triplet:
A Dirty Triplet is a combination of three cards
which form three of the same rank, in which one or two of the cards
are wild cards. Note that none of the natural cards (non wild cards)
can be of the same suit in this combination.
- Dublee:
A Dublee is a special combination consisting of only two cards, both of which are of the exact same rank and suit. Wild cards are never allowed in a Dublee.
Normally, melds are retained in a player's hand and not displayed or played to the table until the end of the hand. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule, which are a key component to the game Indian Marriage:
- As mentioned above, if a player after the initial deal has any Tunnela melds in hand, before play of the hand begins, he may play these cards to the table, directly in front of himself. Although this is not required, these melds may earn points for the player at the end of the hand so it is usually advantageous for the player to thus play them.
- Another situation in which a player may opt to play melds to the table is to allow them to set or view the current wild card designator for the hand. A player who has three melds in hand which are either Tunnelas or Pure Sequences may lay them down on the table. This requirement of three such combinations may also include any tunnelas that were originally laid down at the start of play. Additionally, a player who has seven Dublee melds in hand may do the same. The first player, if any, to so make such a meld then draws one card, randomly, without first looking at it, from the middle of the deck. That player then looks at the card drawn, careful not to show the card to any other player, and then places it, at a right angle, under the stock pile. This card, and the other two cards of the exact same rank and suit are called tiplu. Subsequent players who then make one of these special melds, are then allowed to view this tiplu themselves, once they make the required meld. The tiplu determines the wild card to be used during the hand.
Wild Cards: As mentioned, the specially drawn tiplu is the wild card designator for the hand. All cards of the same rank (of any suit) as the tiplu are thus considered wild cards (called ordinary jokers). In addition all cards of the same suit, which are exactly one rank higher (called poplu) and one rank lower (called jhiplu) are also considered wild cards. Thus, there will be a total of 17 possible wild cards in play (not counting the actual wild card
designator which is not part of play). If the tiplu drawn is an Ace, the two (of the same suit) would be considered the poplu and the King (also of the same suit) would be the jhiplu. Likewise, if a King were drawn as the tiplu, the Ace (of the same suit) would be the poplu and the Queen (also of the same suit) the jhiplu. A wild card can be used to represent any other card in certain, dirty melds as described above. These dirty melds may contain one
or two such wild cards. Once a player has the opportunity to see the tiplu, and is thus aware of what the wild cards set for the hand are, he may never draw the top card from the discard pile if this is any wild card, but must instead draw the top card from the stock.
Ending and Winning the Hand: A player can win (and thus end) the hand in two situations:
- If any player manages to form his hand into eight Dublees (after making his draw at the start of the turn), the player may lay these cards down, discarding the remaining six cards from his hand to the discard pile. This player has thus won this hand. The player may do this on any turn in which he finds he has eight dublees in his hand.
- If any player manages, after the draw, on any of his turns, is able to form the 21 cards of his hand into legal Tunnela's, Sequences and Triplets (this may not include any Dublees). However, he must include, either previously played to the table, or still in hand, as part of his meld, three melds which are Tunnelas or Pure Sequence or some combination of both.
Once a player is able to win in either of these manners, the hand immediately ends and scoring for the hand occurs. The winner earns a number of points based on whether other players were able to play the initial meld of three Tunnelas or Pure Sequences. For each other participant in the game who did not yet lay down their requisite three Tunnelas or Sequences, the winning player for the hand earns 10 points, and for each player who did manage to make that initial meld, the winner collects 3 such points. If a player managed to win the hand by playing 8 Dublees, he earns an addition score of five points for each opponent. In addition to points scored for being the player to end the hand, all players earn a number of points based on tunnelas initially played as well as the wild cards those players had in hand (or in melds on the table). The following chart shows these additional points awarded to each player during the hand. It should be remembered that this score value is calculated per opponent, thus, if a player was entitled to earn one of these bonuses, and there were three other players in the game, the score listed would be multiplied by 3.
| Scoring Situation | Score |
|---|
| Each Tunnela laid down before play consisting of all regular cards (not Jokers) | 5 Points Each |
| Each Tunnela laid down before play consisting of all ordinary Jokers | 10 Points Each |
| Each Tunnela laid down before play consisting of all poplu cards or jhiplu cards | 20 Points Each |
| Having one poplu card in the hand | 2 Points |
| Having two poplu cards in the hand | 5 Points |
| Having three poplu cards in the hand (and not part of a tunnela initially laid down before play begins for the hand) | 10 Points |
| Having one jhiplu card in the hand | 2 Points |
| Having two jhiplu cards in the hand | 5 Points |
| Having three jhiplu cards in the hand (and not part of a tunnela initially laid down before play begins for the hand) | 10 Points |
| Having one tiplu card in the hand | 3 Points |
| Having two tiplu cards in the hand | 7 Points |
| Having one Marriage in the hand (this is having one each of the tiplu, poplu and jhiplu) | 10 Points |
| Double Marriage (having exactly two tiplus, two poplus and two jhiplus | 20 Points |
Each card can only be used to contribute to one point scoring category, thus a specific tiplu could be used to score points for itself, or towards a Marriage, but not both.
After a predetermined number of hands (or preset amount of time) the game ends, and whichever player has the highest accumulated total score over the entire game session is declared the game winner.
Vazhushal: Vazhusal is a variant of Indian Rummy which is commonly played in southern India. It is also sometimes known under the name Vazhishal or it's English translation, Wipe.
Vazhusal is designed for play by 2 to 6 players. The two or three player game would use one standard 52 card deck with two Jokers added and for 4, 5, or 6 players the game would be played using two standard 52 card decks shuffled together and the addition of four total Jokers. The ranking of the cards as used in this game are as follows (from highest to lowest): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. As will be noticed, an Ace is considered both High and Low, however sequence melds cannot contain an Ace as a middle card (in other words these melds cannot "go around the corner".)
Determination of seating positions and first dealer can be performed in a variety of ways, with draw for high cards a common method. The player drawing the highest card of all is set as the first dealer and players seating themselves at the table in the order of cards drawn form high to low. The role of dealer rotates in a clockwise direction around the table after each hand.
Once the players are seated and the first dealer selected, this player thoroughly shuffled the deck and offers it to the player at his right to cut. After the cut, the dealer then begins dealing the cards around the table in a clockwise direction. These cards are dealt one at a time and face-down, starting with the player at his immediate left. He continues dealing until each player has a total of 13 such cards. The dealer then offers the remainder of the deck to the player at his immediate right for another cut. The top card from the lower section of the deck is removed and placed face-down on the table. The deck is then reassembled the card removed is placed face down on top of the removed card, at a right angle to that card. It should be assured that no player has yet seen the face of that card.
After this, each player then examines his hand. If any player has three (or more) pairs of cards of the same rank, that player is required to declare this, show the cards, and all the cards are thrown in, shuffled and the same dealer deals again. This rule is not enforced in the two player game, but is a strict requirement with 3 or more players.
Providing no player has three pairs, the dealer next exposes the previously cut, but yet unseen card, and places the remainder of the stock back on top of that card, still at a right angle. This card is called the "negative joker". All cards in the deck, which are of the same rank, but of opposite color are considered wild cards during the hand. In addition, the marked Jokers are also wild cards. All wild cards can be used to represent any other card in the creation and playing to of melds.
Finally, the dealer places the top card from the stock, face-up beside the stock pile to start the discard pile. The player to the immediate left of the dealer has the first turn, and the turn to play rotates in a clockwise direction around the table from player to player.
Each turn starts with a player making a draw. The player may draw from either the draw pile or the discard pile (called the discard line). If a player opts to draw from the draw pile, he simply takes the top face-down card from this pile adding it to his hand. If the player opts to draw from the discard pile, he may take any card from the discard pile. However, if the player takes such a card, he must also take into his hand all cards above that card in the discard pile as well. In addition, the bottom most card from the discard pile taken must immediately be used, on that same turn, in a new meld made by that player. Thus, a player can only take one or more cards from the discard pile in making a meld. Taking multiple cards from the discard pile is called wiping, and thus leads to the game's name.
If the first card as exposed by the dealer at the start of the hand is a wild card, there are certain rules that apply to allowance of a player to take this card. This card can only be taken (on any turn) in two circumstances:
- If the wild card is not a printed Joker and the card can be taken by a player and thus used in a pure meld to represent itself in that meld.
or,
- The player taking the wild card already has made at least one pure meld on the table, he may then take the Joker, into this hand (and is not required to meld the Joker on that turn).
After the draw, a player may then optionally make one or more melds if able and willing. The following are the valid and legal meld types a player may make during his turn:
- Set:
A set is a meld of 3 or 4 cards all of the exact same denomination. However, each card in the set must be of a different suit.
- Run:
A run is a meld consisting of 3 or more cards, all of the same suit and in direct sequential order. If he meld includes an Ace, the Ace can never be in the middle of the meld, but must be found at either extreme end (or both for a very long meld).
A meld may contain as many wild cards as wanted, however a meld exclusively of Jokers is prohibited. A meld containing all natural cards is called a "Pure" meld. It should also be noticed that if one of the cards in the meld is a wild card (not an
actual printed Joker) that is used to represent itself (its own suit and
denomination), that card is considered a natural card and not a wild card.
The first meld a player must make, before any other melds by that same player, is a pure sequence meld (containing no wild cards). After making this meld, the player may make any new melds or lay off on his own existing melds as able. The same player may never have two exactly identical melds on the table (both melds containing the same number of cards and in the same ranks and suits).
In addition to creating new melds, a player may also add to existing melds he has already made on the table. He may never add to the melds of other players. A player is also allowed to rearrange his existing melds on the table to allow melding of additional cards. However, all previously melded cards must remain on the table and still form valid and legal melds (and the player must retain at least one pure meld on the table).
A player's turn then ends by discarding one card of his choice from his hand to the discard line. The cards should be placed on the discard pile in an overlapping but slightly offset pattern such that each card in the discard pile can be seen by every player.
The hand continues in this manner until a player manages to go out. This is done by melding all but the last card in that player's hand and then discarding that hand. This immediately ends the hand, and the player is the designated winner (and earns one game point). Alternatively, it may sometimes come about that the stock will be exhausted and no player has yet managed to go out. After the last card is drawn from the stock (which will be the negative Joker indicator card), that player then completes his turn as normal. However, if that player does not go out on the turn, the players must then calculate a score for the hand to determine the winner. First, each player is entitled to make any new melds or lay off to existing melds on the table using the cards in his hand. After this each player then calculates his total score for the hand. This score is calculated by adding up the total value of cards melded and subtracting from this total the total amount of cards as remaining in the hand. For this calculation, each card has a point scoring total as per the following chart:
| Card | Point Scoring Value |
|---|
| Wild Card | As part of a meld: point value of card replaced. Found left in a player's hand: 20 points |
| Ace | 10 Points each |
| King, Queen, Jack | 10 Points each |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | Point value as marked on card |
After each player has thus calculated his score, whichever player then has the highest score is declared the game winner (also earning one Game Point).
Each hand is generally played as a complete game (with a player generally credited with one Game Point for each game won). Thus, the game is often played for a set amount of time, and whichever player has the most total games won during that time (Game Points) is considered the overall session winner.
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