Rummy is considered one of the most well-known card games worldwide and is therefore played in countless variations by people of all ages. In addition to basic, universal rules, details and mechanics can vary depending on the variant played and the interpretation of the players involved.
A popular variation is Robbers’ Rummy. In this well-known variation, cards can be stolen – unlike in the classic game Rummy.
This means that you can not only lay down cards on the table and add to them but also completely rearrange the cards, even if you haven’t laid them down yourself.
For an easy introduction, we explain the Robbers’ Rummy rules for you below!
Robbers’ Rummy: How Many Cards Do You Get?
You can play Robbers’ Rummy with two or more players. You need a total of 110 cards, consisting of 2 x 52 cards, each with three jokers. There are the four classic card suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, and Clubs. Each suit includes the number series from Two to Ten, as well as the Queen, King, Jack, and Ace. At the beginning, you will receive 13 hand cards. The remaining cards are placed to the side face down as a draw pile. The top card is turned over and placed next to it as a discard pile.
The Robbers’ Rummy Rules
Your goal is to play all your cards as quickly as possible. To do this, you must lay down the cards in specific combinations, called melds. In Robbers’ Rummy, you can also rearrange the cards in melds with your own hand cards. More on that later.
First, a little reminder: A meld consists of at least three laid-down cards, either forming a group or a sequence.
- Group: cards of the same rank with different suits.
- Sequence: several consecutive cards of the same suit.
You can find out more about Rummy combinations in our lesson on melds.
The Move in Robbers’ Rummy
Once everyone has their hand cards, and the draw and discard piles have been prepared, you take turns clockwise. When it’s your turn, you either draw the open card or a card from the face-down pile. To end your turn, you place a card that is not suitable for laying down in a meld on the discard pile.
Between drawing and discarding, depending on your options, you can also play cards in melds, lay them down, steal melded cards, and rearrange them. However, just like in classic Rummy, you must create your initial meld first.
Melds in Robbers’ Rummy and the Meaning of Cards
Your initial meld must count for at least 40 or 30 points. These meld points are determined as follows: Each card rank has an associated point value. Pip cards have the value of their printed rank, and face cards are generally worth ten points. The point value of the Ace varies, depending on whether it is placed before a two (1 point) or after a king (11 points). The Joker is the most valuable card in the entire game because it can replace any other card.
The mentioned 40 points apply only to your first meld in the round. Once the initial meld is achieved, you can also lay down lower-value melds and, as usual, add to existing melds and exchange Jokers if you hold the appropriate cards.
And the special thing about the Robbers’ Rummy rules: You can also use the cards already laid out for your turn, meaning you can steal them from the original melds. However, this is only allowed if you place at least one card from your hand on the table. If you cannot play any of your own cards, you are not allowed to steal.
- You can separate cards from melds and place them in a new meld with your hand card.
- If this makes the original meld invalid, you must move all cards from that combination into valid melds elsewhere on the playing table. Otherwise, your theft is invalid.
Right: Here you can see the result of the turn.
- You can also relocate Jokers when stealing, as long as only valid melds remain. If you can replace the Joker according to the usual rules with one of your hand cards, even better!
Right: This is how the playing field looks at the end of the turn. You’ve won!
So in theory, you can cleverly disrupt the entire arrangement of melds on the table with just one hand card in your turn.
But don’t lose sight of the fact that even following Robbers’ Rummy rules, the goal is still to get rid of all your cards as quickly as possible!
Winning Robbers’ Rummy
As in the standard Rummy rules, you win Robbers’ Rummy by getting rid of all your hand cards before the other players.
If you succeed, the remaining players must now count the points of their remaining hand cards and note them as minus points. The cards are placed face up. Cards without pip values are counted for minus points just like during laying down, with two exceptions: the Joker counts as 20 points, and the Ace counts as 11 points.
That was our lesson on the Robbers’ Rummy rules. This small but significant change in the allowed moves creates a Rummy experience with a whole new dynamic.
If you feel like playing classic Rummy with some other creative Rummy custom rules, you will find your community of card game enthusiasts here at the Rummy Palace. We look forward to seeing you at our tables!