Points Rummy is India’s traditional way of playing rummy. In Points Rummy players play for points having a pre-decided rupee value. Points rummy is a multi-player game with upto 6 players on a single rummy table.
Method of Playing Points Rummy
Points Rummy is a game involving multiple players- generally 2 to 6. To play points rummy, two or more decks of cards comprising of 53 cards each (including one printed joker per pack) are used. In points rummy, each player brings a minimum amount of money to the rummy table.
13 cards are dealt to each player and the player who makes the first move is decided by a toss. Arranging all 13 cards in-hand in sequences and/or sets is the objective of the game in points rummy.
A joker card is randomly selected at the beginning of each points rummy game. However, a printed joker can also be selected as the joker card for the game in points rummy. In case a printed jo ker is selected, players are allowed to use Ace card of any suit as a joker to complete their sets and/or sequences. In order to finish a game of points rummy, a player must declare at least two sequences, with one of them being a pure sequence i.e a sequence which has no joker.
Scoring in Points Rummy
As in other games, the first player who finishes after meeting the game objective wins the points rummy game. Players also get the option to drop out of the game if they feel their cards are not good. A player(s) who drops in his/her first move, gets 20 points and the one who drops out after the first move is played gets 40 points. In both cases, the game continues till a single winner emerges. In points rummy, the score obtained by the losing player depends on the sum of points of all ungrouped cards in his/her hand. 10 points each are carried by J, Q, K, A cards of any suit. The same points as face value are carried by all other numbered cards e.g. 6 carries 6 points.
Zero points are carried by Joker cards. In case, there is no pure sequence with the the losing player(s), the sum of points of all cards in hand are counted as his/her score. A maximum of 80 points can be awarded to a player in points rummy. In points rummy , the winning amount is calculated by adding the sum of all points obtained by all opponents and multiplying the same by the Rupee-value of the point. The rummy rules are the same for points rummy as well as two player rummy tournaments that are played in a knock-out format.
Merits of Points Rummy
The points rummy format involves more players, hence it is ideal when playing amongst a large gathering of friends or at parties and family functions. The most thrilling part about points rummy is that till the end,no player knows how much he/she would win or lose and this is what keeps everyone on the edge. Also, with more players, there is more cash to be won as a minimum amount is brought to the rummy table by each player. To sum it all up- points rummy is synonymous with more thrill, more players, more cash.
