7-Step Rummy Strategy

Rummy is regarded as a “game for old women” which has made a resurgence in popularity. It is a relatively simple game to learn has plenty of intricacies that make learning and mastering the strategy of the game a fun challenge. Several theories have emerged about the origin of the game, dating back several centuries. Here is the 7-Step Rummy Strategy.

The card games are played with a standard 52 card deck that has several different game variations that can be played by two to six players at a time. Here you will learn the basics of rummy, the variations of game types, the pros and cons of playing the game online, and some basic strategies to get you off in the right direction.

Variations of Rummy Games

There are plenty of different variations of Rummy that you can play. The most common is the traditional rummy. It also goes by the names Sai Rummy, Straight Rummy, Standard Rummy, or Basic Rummy. All of these names mean the same basic game we’ve been discussing.

Some other popular rummies other than traditional rummy is probably Gin Rummy. It is similar to Traditional Rummy but has some very big differences. The game is played with two players. Instead of laying down your melds, you keep them in your hand. During Gin, the second player cannot play off of any of their opponent’s melds.

Rummy Strategy

Though the rules are easy, the strategy can get rather complex and require quite a bit of skill and attention to detail. Here are the basic strategies that you need to follow to play rummy:

1. Open-ended runs

When you have to decide between keeping KhQh or 7s8s with no other information, which would you keep? The 7s8s. Why, because your run draw is open-ended. This means that you can complete this run with the 6s or the 9s. The first two can only be completed with the Jh and no other card. Having two cards to draw is much better than one and can make a big difference. You can hang on to both of these draws and discard something else, but if it comes down to deciding between the two, prioritize the more likely draw. This is one of the 7-Step Rummy Strategy.

2. Prioritization

You need to prioritize which melds you are going for. This is one of the 7-Step Rummy Strategy. The game comes down to drawing at the smart melds and not wasting your time drawing at something less likely to come out. This is better in the next tips, and we will constantly refer back to prioritizing.

3. Watch the cards

This is a very important thing that you can do to improve your Rummy play. To know which cards have come out and been discarded or have already been played in a meld is crucial to success.

It’s crucial to remember when the discard gets reshuffled and reused, all of the cards that were not in there are back in there again. Make this adjustment in your mind before proceeding with your strategy during the game.

4. Opt for multiple draw holds

Suppose you have KhQh7s8sQc, and you know that the 9s has already been played. What do you discard? You should first think to break up the KhQh because it isn’t open ended. But even though the 7s8s is open-ended, one end is missing, so both draws are the same. So which do you discard or break up? The correct answer is the 7s8s because the KhQh also has a chance to make three queens due to the queen of clubs being in your hand. It will give you the chance to make a meld with three cards now. The 7s8s can only complete a meld with the 6s since the 9s are already gone. This is the correct play. This is one of the 7-Step Rummy Strategy.

5. Bigger cards first

You should get rid of your higher ranking cards first. If you have two useless cards with no other information, always get rid of the higher valued card. Remember, this only comes into play after protecting or deciding on your best draws. But it is a last-minute check when you’re down to deciding between two or three cards to discard.

6. Know when to lay down your melds

A lot of new players will always lay down their melds. Sometimes this is not the best strategy because it allows your opponents the option to play off of your hands and possibly get rid of all of their cards. Playing sets is much safer than playing runs. Other players can only ever add one card to a set; they can add a bunch to the ends of a run. For this reason, playsets right away, unless we are holding for the bonus, and then lay the runs down when our opponents look to be close to running out of cards.

7. See what your opponents pick up and discard

Be vigilant what your opponents pick up off the face-up discard pile is extremely important to an effective strategy. Looking at these cards can help you know what your opponent is trying to meld. This is extra important for the opponent to your left as you can figure out what not to discard because it might help them complete their hand.

You can use what your opponents are showing and doing to figure out what they might be holding. A lot of this will also depend on how your opponent likes to play and how skilled they are. They very well could be having a run with the other 3 and just not be very good at the game tossing the 2h.