Rummy is a well known series of matching-card game, probably most famous for its very similar gameplay to that of Spades: the game of professional chess. The rules in both games are quite similar. However, in rummy, instead of playing against other players, you play against the card they’re currently occupying. The object in any kind of rummy is to develop melds that will either be runs or alliances. There are four suits in this match, each consisting of a different number of cards.

At the beginning of every rummy game, each player receives a starting hand consisting of seven cards. Players may alternately go with a single, two or three-card starting hand. When going with a single starting hand, the player may alternately use the five, four or three cards from their four available hands. Once all players have used their starting hands, the dealer then places the cards in the center of the table in the following manner:

Cards dealt face down. Cards dealt clockwise. Players may place any card in any vacant spot in the table. The objective is for all players to earn the most score possible by making the most number of valid sets, i.e., combinations with at least ten cards. A valid combination is defined as coming with at least seven cards of one suit and any number of cards of any other suit, irrespective of the total number of cards in the whole deck.

When a player has already made a valid set, the dealer will pick a random card from among the cards in the middle. Then another rummy move follows. In case of two players, the dealer will then deal three cards to each player, followed by a joker. The objective is still the same, i.e. for all players to earn the highest possible score.

The “army” card game is quite popular and regarded as the classic rummy game. In this move, a player will raise his hand and make a request either to draw two cards or to discard two cards. If that player’s request is successful, the second player must immediately deal out a single card to the other side of the table. A “joker” is then raised and if the request is successful again, another rummy move occurs.

Among all the card games, rummy has some interesting features like it is a solitaire type game and there is always an element of chance involved, even though it is considered a game of skill. This is one of those card games where you do not have to memorize a lot of cards, nor have to concentrate on your hand skills, nor need to be concerned about any other aspects. All you need to do is simply get the “rummy” word and then use it to produce the right number of cards by making the appropriate dummies. The rules of the game can actually be learned quite quickly with a bit of practice.