Kalooki is a world wide spread Rummy variation. You will find many intelligent partners to the game all over the world. Because of its popularity Kalooki has some variations. Rules for all variations are simple, but playing to win requires your wit and skill. Therefore Kalooki is so much fun.

We will start Kalooki with ….

The European version known also as Kalooki 40

Number of players
3-6 (4 in torments)

The Kalooki Deck
• The European version

   Kalooki Is played with two standard 52 card packs , plus 2 Jokers. (Total of 106 cards).

• The North American Kalooki
   Kalooki is played with two standard 52-card packs plus 4 Jokers. (Total of 108 cards).

Aces are played as 11 points. the ranking from low-to-high is:

  2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 (-10-J-Q-K) Ace

Cards point value
The cards have values as follows:

Number cards 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 are worth their value, Face cards (K, Q, J) 10 points, Ace 11 point, Joker 15 points.

Notice:
During the Kalooki game the Joker can replaces any other card. In this case the joker receives the replaced card value.

Some definitions

(Better known before playing)

Sets (also known as melds)
All cards in play must be arranged in sets with at least three cards. The two valid set types are called runs and groups.

• Run (sequence), consisting of three or more consecutive numbers of the same color

Example  3, 4, 5 or J, Q, K, A

• Groups, consisting of three or four tiles of the same number and different shapes

Example 6, 6, 6.

Jokers can replace any card in a set

Initial meld.

The first meld put down by a player. The meld may consist of several sets and/or runs that have a total value of at least 40 points (51 points in North American games). If meld contains jokers, they take the point values of the cards they replaced. A player who has made an initial meld points can on later hand (round) lay down more melds of any value.

Building( Kalooki for melding).

After a player have lay down his initial meld, he can in the same or later hand change sets of cards that have already been played in the table, in order to lay off some of his cards.

At the end of the turn, all played cards must be in valid (larger) sets.

Example
Run on table : 3,   4,   5
Own hand :     2,   5,   5
result :           2,   3,  4 and 5,  5,  5

More Building examples
Building is the most fun part of the play. Here your wit is count. So, let's examine some more examples:

Shifting a run
Players may add the appropriate card to either end of a run or remove a tile from the other end for use elsewhere.
If 3, 4 5 have been played, a player may add the 6 to the end and remove the 3 for use elsewhere.

Splitting a run
Players may split long runs and insert appropriate card in the middle. example, if run

6,  7,  8 ,9,  10,  in the table, the player may insert his own 8 to make two runs: 6,  7,  8 and 8 ,9,  10.

Substituting in a group
Players may replace any of the cards in a three-card group with a card of the fourth shape and the same value.

If 6, 6, 6, already a group, the player may add the 6 and remove any one of the other three for use elsewhere.

Removing cards
So long as the remaining cards form a valid run, tiles can be removed from the ends of runs. Any one card may be removed from a four-tile group.

Joker substitution
A player with a card matching the color and value of a joker may replace the joker with that card. The joker must be played that same turn in a set with at least two other cards from the player's hand. example , if 3,   4, JOKER is an existing run, a player holding 5, 7and 7 may replace the joker with his 5 and place the joker with the two sevens as a new group.

Harvested cards
A card that is taken from an existing set must be played during the same turn. For Example: if there is a 3, 4, 5 run on the table, the 3 can be harvested by putting down 6, but the 3 must be used during that turn. (And not kept in the player's hand for later use)

.

Increasing a run
The player can also add cards to start or end of a run if it form a valid meld, but he cannot add more than two cards to the same end of a run in a single turn.
Thus, if there is a run of 4, 5,6 on the table, you may add 3 or you could add 2, 3or you could even add 2, 3 and7. You could not add 7, 8,9 to that existing meld but there is nothing to stop you placing it down as a new run rather than build.

Note: a build cannot be counted towards the 40 points youneed to make your initial meld.

Who to use a joker
Generally a joker can substitute any card in a set.
joker that is already in a set, can be released and reused. Joker that is released has to be used during the same turn in a new build or meld.

Exceptions where joker cannot be reused:
• If a joker is the forth card of a group
• If a joker is at one end of a run.

If there is a three card group that contains two jokers, a player can add any two of the three missing suits, releasing one of the jokers and forming a closed four-card set.
Therefore if a player puts down a three card combination consisting of two jokers, he must say whether it is a set or a run, and if it is a run he must say what two cards the jokers represent.

Hands
Kalooki game consist of several rounds known as hands

Eliminating a player
Any player accumulating more than 150 penalty points over a series of hands is eliminated from the game.
If the eliminated player wishes, He can buy in by adding a new stake to the pool (explained below). He can buy in only twice during a game, and only if there are at least two players in the game. His penalty point score reduced to the highest score of any of the non eliminated players.
If several players are and having their penalty point score reduced to the highest score of any of the players who have 150 or (over 150 penalty points), they can in turn buy in starting to the left of the player who won the hand that just ended, and going round the table clockwise.

Set up the game

Deciding Stakes
The players should decide in advance the stakes they are taking (real money or score)

1. Initial stake is the amount each player has to add to the pool at the beginning of the game.
2. Kalooki is the amount paid to the winner of the hand that meld all his cards in one lay down.
3. Call up is the amount that the other players
have to pay to the winner of the hand
4. Buy in stake is the amount that an eliminated player must pay to the pool in order re-enter the
game

The players have to decide the different relative size of the 4 stakes
The costume is

Score tracking
Rather than using cash a score sheet is updated during a game.
There are two records for each player plus one record of the poo. so the score sheet have raws

Penalty score is to decide who is to be eliminated, and who is the winner of the hand and of the overall game.

Players' payment is to check who many units each player have or gave at end of hand, and overall game.

Pool status keeps track of units in the pool .

The winner of the overall game collects the pool.
The easy way to explain is by following example of factious game:

Hand 1: player 3 wins by call. The other players paid him 1 unit
Hand 3: player 3 wins Kalooki. The other players paid him 2 units
Hand 4: player 2 eliminated, he bought in by adding 5 units to the pool
Hand 5: three of the players had a score of over 150 so the game ended. Player 3 won the overall game and took the pool.

Chose the dealer
Cards 2, 3, 4, 5, Ace are shuffled together. Each player draws one card. The Ace holder gets the first deal, and chose the seat. The rest of the players take seats clockwise (left) to the dealer in the order of their cards. Each play the deal will moves around the table clockwise

Dealing
The dealer shuffles the cards and offers them to the player to his right for the cut. After the cut, he deals out the cards one at a time around the table clockwise until each player has 13 cards. The remainder of the deck is placed face down in a stack in the center of the table, and the top card turned face up to the right of the deck to start the discard pile.

Dealing Cards in Britain
The 13 cards for each player are dealt in groups of 3's and 2's - in a clockwise direction (left). First the dealer deals 3 cards to each player. Then he deals 2 more cards to each player. The dealer repeats this procedure. Finally he deals the last 3 cards to each player.

The game

seulement une fois dedans de première main
The first player must pull either the top card on the faced up discard pile, or from the top of the faced down stock pile (he can't see the card).
If he have valid set and/or runs that value at list 40 points He can but not has to, lay down an Initial meld (set).

regular hand

consists of 3 phases that repeated themselves:

1. The Draw.

After the 1st round each player in is turn have to draw 1 card from the stock only, until he has made an initial meld. The single exception to this is if the player takes the top card of the discard pile and uses it immediately to make their initial meld.
A player that already made its initial meld also have to draw in its turn 1 card, but he can draw either the top card on the faced up discard pile, or from the top of the faced down stock pile.
If he chose to take from the stock face down pile, he add the card to its hand without showing the card to the other players.

2. The lay off cards

A player that did initial melding may if he chose to lay off cards in one or both ways:

• Melding a player lay off Cards by placing valid sets from its hand face up on the table before him.

• Building
In the same turn (or in later turn) the player may add cards to any melds that are already on the table. Thus lay off cards by forming larger valid melds.
The player can skip the lay off cards phase and keep the cards in his hand, if he thinks he can improve its score later or go Kalooki (winning by melding his entire card at once)

3. The Discard

The player must discard one card from its hand and placed it on top of the discard pile face up. If he took the top card from the discard pile, he cannot use it in the current round. Also taking the top discard and putting the same card back is not permitted.
If after discarding the player left with 1- 3 cards he must warn the other players how many cards he has left, else he will be expelled from next turn.

Object of the hand
The object of the hand is to lay off most or all of the cards by melding sets and runs or building into sets and runs so, the point value of the remaining unmatched cards, is as low as possible.

who to win hand (round)

Two ways to win an hand

1 Calling up
The first player to lay off his entire cards (except one that will be discarded) by building them to existing sets, wins the hand . This is called “ calling up". The hand stops immediately ( no lay off). All the other players score penalty points based on the cards values left in the hand at the end of hand.

2 Kalooki

A player that lay off all his 13 cards by melding on the same turn, and did not meld anything in previous turns, is called a Kalooki, and gets a larger amount when calling up (according to what was initially determined in the stakes).

A Kalooki can also be achieved by builds, if the player has at least one 40 point new meld in the same turn.

Re shuffle cards
If the cards in the stock run out, the discard pile is immediately shuffled, placed face-down, and turns into a new stock. A new discard pile is created on the same turn. If the stock runs out of cards twice in one game, the hand is restarted by the same dealer.

Winning the overall game
When there is only one non eliminator player left (has 150 or less penalty score), that player is the overall winner and takes the pool, which consists of all the initial stakes and buy-in payments that have accumulated during the game.

Variations

Being bery popular There are many variations to kalooki.

Some play that a player who wins by Kalooki does not need to meet

the 40 point minimum for laying down.
Some play that only two cards in total can be added to a run in any one turn.
Some allow a joker to be taken only from the interior of a run, not from the end.
Some allow aces to be used as either high or low, so that A-2-3 is a valid run. An ace used as low counts 1 point when laid down, but an ace remaining in a player's hand always counts 11 penalty points.
Some set the maximum score you can have as 151 rather than 150. some play to 301 or 501.
Some play that when a kalookie occurs, double penalties are charged for all cards remaining in players' hands.
Some play that there is no reshuffle of the discard pile in the event that the stock runs out. Instead the game is void (no score or payment) and the same dealer deals again.

Swedish Kalooki
Is similar to the British version except
• A player eliminated if he has unmolded cards scoring 101 or more
• The ratio of stakes is 1 for call- 3 for Kalooki, 5 for initial stake or buy-in.

North American Kalooki also known as Kalooki 51
• The pack includes four jokers - 108 cards in all.
• 15 cards are dealt to each player when 2-4 player
13 if 5 players, 11if 6 players
• initial meld is 51 points
• Cards builds already existing melds are counted towards the 51 score for initial meld, if that player makes at least one new meld of his own.
• Aces can be counted as high or low (but not both at once).
• Aces count 15 points. A joker that not replacing a card score 25 points.
• Making initial meld the player can reuse a melded joker by substituting it with a valid card , only one card is needed to take a joker from a set.
• There is no pool or buying in. At the end of each hand the winner scores the total value of all the cards remaining in the hands of the other players.
• there is no special score for Kalooki (melding all your cards in one turn).

East Coast of the USA Kalooki has the following differences from North American Kalooki:
• Aces count 11.
• It is possible to meld a set of three or four jokers, counting them as worth 15 each, though it is usually unwise to waste jokers in this way.
• When the cards are cut, the bottom card is shown; if it is a joker, the player cutting takes it and receives 14 cards in the deal to make a hand of 15.
• Immediately after the deal, the dealer may take the face-up card and discard another in its place (but may not draw from the stock instead). Play then starts with the player to dealer's left.
• Throughout the play, the previous discard can only be taken if it is used immediately in a meld.
• Each hand is a separate event. The losers each pay the winner one cent for each card in their hands, except jokers, for which they have to pay two cents. These payments are doubled if the winner went Kalooki.

Follow the link to Play Kalooki 40 Online

Follow the link to Play Kalooki 51 Online