Number of players

2 - 4.

Equipment

106 plastic tiles. 104 tiles are coming in 4 colors: black, red, orange, and blue. Each color has two sets of tiles numbering from 1 to 13. The 2 remaining tiles are JOKERS.

4 or more races (trays)

Point values are taken from the face value of each tile played. The JOKERS has point value of 30.

Sets

All tiles in play must be arranged in sets with at least three tiles. The two valid set types are called runs and groups.

• runs consisting of three or more consecutive numbers of the same color.

1 tile can be used as high or low, but not both at once.

So 1-2-3 and 12-13-1 are both valid runs

• groups consisting of three or four tiles of the same number and different colors

Runs example: 9 10 11 12

Groups example: 7 7 77

Jokers can substitute any numbered tile of any color to create a valid combination.

Setting order of the game

All tiles are shuffled face down on the table for selection. Every player picks one tile. The player with the highest number begins, with play proceeding in a clockwise direction. Tiles than returned to the pool.

Once the order of play has been determined, players in turn collect 14 random tiles and arrange them on their racks, so that no other player may see them, Play then proceeds.

Starting the game

For a player's first move, he must play a set with a value of at least 30 points The player may not use other players' tiles to make the initial 30 or more. A player's first move is known as the initial meld. The initial meld cannot build on previously played tiles. If a player cannot make an initial meld, he must pick up a single tile from the pool and add it to his rack. Play then proceeds to the next player.

Once a player has made his initial meld, he can, on each turn, play one or more tiles from his rack, making or adding to groups and/or runs. If the player cannot (or chooses not to) play any tiles, he must pick one random tile from the pool and add it to his rack.

Amending sets

Players may play tiles by amending sets already in play. The only limit to the length of a run is the extremes of the tile values. Groups are limited to four because colors may not repeat within a group.

Example

Tiles already out-played: 3 4 5

Own tiles:                     2 5 5

Recombined result:         2 3 4 and 5 5 5

Manipulation of played tiles

During a player's turn, sets of tiles that have already been played may be manipulated to allow more tiles to be played. At the end of the turn, all played tiles must be in valid sets.

Shifting a run

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

Splitting a run Players may split long runs and insert the corresponding tiles in the middle. Thus, if blue 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, are already a run, 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 tiles in a three-tile group with a tile of the fourth color and the same value. If blue 6, red 6, and orange 6 are already a group, the player may add the black 6 and remove any one of the other three for use elsewhere.

Removing tiles

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

Joker substitution

A player with a tile matching the color and value of a joker may replace the joker with that tile. The joker must be played that same turn in a set with at least two other tiles from the player's rack. The color and the value of the joker may both change when this happens. Thus, if blue 3, blue 4, joker is an existing run, a player holding a blue 5, a red 7 and an orange 7 may replace the joker with his blue 5 and play the joker with the two sevens as a new group.

Harvested tiles

In the course of a turn, a tile that is "harvested" from an existing set must be played during the turn; it cannot be kept for later use. Example: if there is a 3,4,5 run on the table, the 3 can be harvested by putting down the appropriately-colored 6, but the 3 must be used during that turn, not kept in the player's hand for later use.

Winning

First one to eliminate all the tiles from his rack should call out Rummikub, and are declared the winner. If the pool runs out of tiles, play continues until there is a winner or no player can make a valid play.

Scoring

Once a winner has been declared, the losing players must add up the values of the tiles remaining in their racks, this is the winner price. Each of the other players is the negative value of it's score .

For example- suppose in a game player A wins, player B has a score of 5, player C has a score of 10 and player D a score of 3. Player A will now have a cumulative score of 18, player B will be -5, player C will be -10 and player D will be -3. Should the game result in no winner, the player with the least number of tiles in their rack is the winner. Scoring is then carried out in the normal manner

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