Are you a beginner in the world of online rummy? Learn about some of the important rummy terms before you start playing the actual rummy card games online.
Have you been influenced by the euphoria around the online rummy game? Do you want to play rummy online and experience the thrill, excitement and fun it offers in real time? If yes, you just need a smartphone, a reliable internet connection and a good online rummy app like MPL – that’s it! You are good to go. The rules of the rummy game are fairly easy to understand.
But, take it one thing at a time and do not get too ahead of yourself. Start playing practice games to improve your understanding of the game. Before you start practicing and even while you play those practice games, make sure you upgrade yourself with the important rummy terms that every novice must know. Some of these terms are explained in this article.
1. Pure or Original Sequence (Life 1)
In order to win a game of rummy, you need to form at least two sequences (of three or more cards), out of which the first sequence has to be a pure sequence. This refers to a series of consecutive cards of the same suit like A-2-3 (of hearts), or 5-6-7 (of spades), or J-Q-K (of clubs), which is formed without making use of any joker.
2. Impure or Artificial or Real Sequence (Life 2)
The second sequence (of three or more cards) that you need to mandatorily form in an online rummy game can be an impure or artificial one (though it can also be a pure one). It is quite similar to the pure sequence, except for the fact that you can make use of jokers here.
3. Set
In the online rummy game, you can form the set (of three or four cards) using any three cards that have the same numerical value (but which belong to different suits). For example, 8♦ 8♣ 8♠ 8♥ Here the set is formed with four 8 cards of different suits.
4. Deal
A toss is done to decide where each player gets seated at the online table and to decide which player shall make the first move when you start to play rummy online. Then, as part of the deal, the deck of cards (one or two decks) is shuffled and 13 cards are dealt to every player in a clockwise direction.
5. Open Deck
This refers to the discard pile, where players throw away their unwanted card at every turn or sometimes even pick up a card (discarded by an opponent) if they feel it helps them to complete the card groupings in hand.
6. Closed Deck
This refers to the cards that are kept face down after the dealing of 13 cards is complete to all the players on the table.
7. Melding or Grouping
It corresponds to the act of arranging your cards to form a proper sequence or set. For example, say you get cards like 6, 7, and 8. The act of arranging them as 6-7-8 is known as grouping or melding.
8. Buy In
It refers to the entry fee that you might have to pay in order to participate in a rummy game.
9. Declare
As soon as you manage to complete the groupings of all cards in your hands into the required sequences and sets, you can ‘declare’ or ‘show’.
10. Discard
At every turn during a rummy game, you are supposed to pick a card either from the open deck or from the closed deck. Then, you are supposed to throw away an unwanted card. This act is referred to as ‘discard’.
11. Drop the Game
After the cards are distributed to all the players, you can decide if you intend to continue playing the game or give it a pass (don’t get involved in that particular game). This act of passing is known as ‘drop the game’ or ‘dropping the game’. You can do this at the start or even at the later stages when your turn arrives. Do note that you get some penalty points (minimum if you drop at the start and slightly more if you drop at the later stages).
Final Thoughts
The above-mentioned rummy terms are most commonly used across rummy tutorials and FAQs. Get yourself well-versed with this terminology before you start to play rummy online at a competitive level. This will not only help you to play the game to the best of your ability, but it will also help you to enhance your learnings as you read more about different rummy game strategies that can enhance your chances of winning. Download the MPL app, remember these important terms and start playing!
