Rummy Zone Weblog

The Rummy Zone Weblog

Our mission is to provide a venue for the worldwide community of rummy players, a platform to express their thoughts about the game, contribute and inform one another and enjoy the company of those who share the same appreciation of the rummy family of games. We welcome your participation and hope that the Rummy Zone Weblog will become your point of contact with other rummy enthusiast.

Rummy Games

Rummy is a generic term for the rummy family of games. The many variants make it on of the best known and most widely played card game in the world. The game of rummy is best described as a matching card game such as Gin Rummy, Oklahoma Gin, Contract Rummy, Michigan Rummy, Rummy 500, Bolivia, Pennies from Heaven, Samba, Canasta and many more. The Mexican game of Conquian is thought to be the ancestral beginning of all rummy games, but no one really knows for sure.

Rummy family of games

There are literally hundreds of different types of rummy games. The rummy family of card games can be divided into positive and negative types. In negative games, the player score negative points for deadwood. Melds have no value and players try to go out as soon as possible. In positive games, melds carry a value, so the players tries to meld as much as possible and delay going out until it is most profitable. Sub categories of the rummy family of games are as follows:

Knock-out games like Gin Rummy
No melds are revealed until a player ends the game by knocking (i.e., knocking on the table or verbally stating his intention to end the hand).

Flat-out games like Conquian
No melds are revealed until a player goes out by laying his entire hand on the table at one time.

Contract-games like Contract Rummy
The first meld made by each player in each deal must conform to a fixed pattern (contract), and with each ensuing deal, the requirements of the contract become more difficult.

Drift-out games like Rummy
Melds are revealed as play goes on and the game ends when a player runs out of cards.

Positive scoring games like Canasta
Melds are positive not deadwood and players strive to lay down large melds to gain more points.

Rearrangement games like Rummikub
Melds are common property of all players. The players may extend or rearrange the cards or tiles to form different melds.

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