German Rummy


German Rummy or Rommé is the most popular form of the worldwide game, Rummy, played in Austria and Germany. It is a game for 2 to 6 players and is played with two packs of French playing cards, each comprising 52 cards and 3 jokers. There are no partnerships, every player plays for him- or herself. In Germany, the Germany Rummy Association is the umbrella organisation for local rummy clubs and organises national competitions. The game is often just known as Rommé in Germany and Rummy in Austria.

Rules

The following rules largely follow Danyliuk and Grupp.

Aim

The aim of Rommé is to organise one's hand into sets or runs known as 'figures' and to meld them by placing them on the table. The player who is first to meld all his cards, wins the game.

Preparation

Before the first hand begins, the cards are shuffled and laid face down in a arc. Each player draws one card; the player with the highest card selects his place and is the first dealer. The other players sit to the left of the dealer in the order of the rank of the cards drawn.

Dealing

The deal changes clockwise after each hand. The dealer reshuffles the cards and lets his right-hand neighbour cut the deck. The cards are dealt face down clockwise, each player is dealt thirteen cards in 3 packets of three and 1 packet of four. The remaining cards are placed face down in the middle of the table as a Stoß and the top card is turned and placed beside the stock to form the waste pile.
Variations: In many cases, the rule is that if a player finds a joker when cutting, he may keep it. This is known as robbing or plundering, not to be confused with the rule allowing a joker to be exchanged. In some rules, the top card is not turned but the dealer receives a fourteenth card and is first to play. In this case they do not draw a card, but simply make their first meld if they can and discard a card to start the waste pile.

Figures

Figures are combinations of at least three cards as follows:
Figures may be built with the aid of Jokers. Jokers are wild cards which may be used to represent any other card; for example ♣B–♣D–J–♣A or ♠6–♥6–J.
A figure may not be built with just one natural card and two Jokers; in a run of at least four cards, however, two Jokers may follow one another so, for example ♠3–J–J–♠6 is an allowed combination.

Card values

The card values are as follows:
The dealer is the first player to go. He may now meld figures, provided he meets the requirement for the first meld and ends his turn by placing a card face-up next to the pile. Then it is the turn of the player to his left.
Each following player begins his or her play by picking up either:
After that, a player may meld cards and finish his turn by placing a card face up on the discard pile.
Sometimes the game is played in such a way that a player may only pick up the top card of the discard pile if he plays it immediately in a meld, either by using the card for his first meld - in this case it counts towards the required 40 points - or by using it in another meld.

First meld

For the first meld by each player, the cards being melded must have a value of at least 40 points. Players may not 'lay off' cards onto existing melds when making their first meld.

Subsequent melds

Once a player has placed his first meld, he may, when it is his turn, play additional melds at any time; their point value is only relevant for the first meld, not subsequent ones.

Lay-offs

Once a player has made his first meld, he may at any time, when it is his turn, lay off individual cards to melds already made, regardless of whether the meld was made by the player or one of his opponents.
Example: On the table is ♥2-♥3-♥4. If a player holds ♥ A and ♥ 5 in his hand, he may lay off two cards to the melded sequence.
Once melded, cards may no longer be returned to the hand or discarded.

Swapping a Joker

If there a figure with a Joker on the table, for example ♠6-♥6-J, and if a player holds the card that is represented by the Joker, here the ♣6 or ♦6, he can swap the Joker for this card. The Joker must be immediately used in a new meld and not just added to the player's hand. A Joker may only be swapped out after the first meld has been made.
The rules of the German Skat Association are stricter on this point: according to their rules, a Joker may only be replaced in a set if the set is completed with four cards of the same rank.

Ending

The player who is first to get rid of all his cards by melding and/or laying off and, if need be, placing his last card face down on the discard pile, while announcing "Rommé" - to signify the end of the game - wins the game. All the remaining players receive as many minus points as they have card points in their hand.

Differences from Basic Rummy

The main differences between German Rummy and Basic Rummy are:
German Rummy is very similar in these respects to the Italian variant, :it:Scala Quaranta|Scala Quaranta.

Literature