Rummy is a fascinating game with the right mix of strategy and intrigue. To be successful in rummy, players need to have a well-rounded skill set. Some of the most crucial skills include planning, strategic thinking, observation and memory. However, quite often, games are won or lost just because of a player who got confused about how to calculate points and ended up paying heavily for his error.
So, we are here to help you avoid that fate. This short article will help you understand how points are calculated in the Online Rummy Game, no matter how many decks you are playing with or what variation of rummy is being played. Further, this system of calculating the points remains the same irrespective of the number of players playing the game.
Why scoring is important in Rummy
As we are already aware, rummy is won by the one who has the lowest points. In case you didn’t know, here is a quick explanation.
Unlike any other game where the top scorer wins, rummy is unique because here, it’s the one with the lowest overall score who wins. A game ends when one of the players is able to discard all the cards in his hand by making valid sets or sequences. At that stage, the cards remaining in the hands of the opponents are checked. All the cards have different points attributed to them. These points are totalled and the player with the lowest tally wins. This is what makes the game different and exciting.
Your Instant Rummy Points Calculation Guide
- Cards with a numerical face value carry points corresponding to that value. These are the cards from 2 to 10. For example, 5 of clubs will be worth 5 points. It is important to note that this system remains the same for all the four suits in the deck. For example, 5 of hearts will also be worth 5 points.
- The face cards (jacks, queens and kings) are all worth 10 points each. Some players wrongly think that a jack is worth 11 points since it is supposed to be the lowest face card and follows the number cards. Since the highest number card is 10, people wrongly think that this makes a jack worth 11 points. However, this is incorrect and it is to be noted that all the three face cards i.e jack, queen and king are equal in rummy and worth 10 points each.
- While some card games allow the ace card to be sequenced with the 2 and the 3 cards, as in A, 2, 3, the value of the ace cards in rummy is not 1 point but 10 points, just like the jacks, the queens and the kings.
- The printed joker cards are worth 0 points. If a wild card joker has been assigned, even that becomes worth 0 points.
- When a player calls for a show of hands, that player’s cards are checked first. If the show is valid, the cards of the other players are checked. At this stage, if it is found that the first player has declared a wrong hand, he is penalised 80 points. However, if the hand is valid and if the opponents’ cards total a higher number, then the first player wins the game and is rewarded 0 points. The opponents are given points equal to the value of the cards remaining unmelded in their hand.
- Drop points – If a player quits a game at any stage, he is said to have dropped the game and is penalised with points accordingly. If he drops in the beginning without picking any card, it is called first drop. If he drops after picking a card, it is called middle drop. He is penalised 20 points in rummy 101 and 25 points in rummy 201 for first drop and 40 points in rummy 101 and 50 points in rummy 201 for the middle drop.
Also Read : Personality Traits to Excel in Online Rummy
