Rummikub

Rummikub is a tile-based rummy game invented by Ephraim Hertzano, a Romanian-born Jew who developed it in the 1940s when card-playing was outlawed under the Communist regime. He handmade the first sets from recycled Perspex airplane canopies in the backyard of his home in Bat Yam, Israel, and sold them door to door. By 1977 it had become a bestselling game in the United States, and it is now Israel's best-selling export game. The set holds 106 tiles: two copies of every number from 1 to 13 in four colors, plus two jokers. You build melds of either groups (the same number in different colors) or runs (consecutive numbers in one color), and your very first play must total at least 30 points. The signature mechanic is manipulation: you can break apart and reuse melds already on the table to fit your tiles. A 2019 study in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that playing tile and card games like Rummikub helps older adults maintain cognitive flexibility and processing speed. Draw your rack and play a round in your browser now.

1. Each player starts with 14 tiles on their rack. The remaining tiles form the pool in the center.
2. A meld is either a group of three or four tiles sharing the same number in different colors, or a run of three or more consecutive numbers in a single color.
3. Your first play of the game must be one or more melds from your rack totaling at least 30 points. Each tile scores its face value, and a joker scores the value of the tile it represents.
4. Once you have made your initial 30-point meld, you can lay down any valid meld from your rack, or add tiles to melds already on the table.
5. If you cannot or do not want to play, draw a tile from the pool and end your turn.
6. The first player to empty their rack wins the round. If the pool runs dry and everyone passes in turn, the player with the fewest tiles wins.

• The set contains 106 tiles: numbers 1 through 13 in four colors, two copies of each, plus two jokers.
• A group is three or four tiles of the same number, all in different colors.
• A run is three or more consecutive numbers, all in the same color. A run cannot wrap from 13 back to 1.
• A joker can stand in for any tile. It scores the value of the tile it represents.
• Your first meld must total at least 30 points. Until you meet this threshold, you cannot add to existing melds.
• On each turn you must either play at least one tile or draw one tile from the pool. You cannot pass if the pool still has tiles.
• The round ends when a player empties their rack, or when the pool is empty and every player passes in succession.

• Hold off on your initial meld until you can clear a big chunk of your rack. Dumping 30 points in one turn frees your hand and lets you manipulate the table on later turns.
• Keep your jokers for high-value plays. A joker in a run of 12-13-1 is wasted, but a joker completing a long run of 10-11-12-13 adds 25 or more points to your initial meld.
• Watch the colors already on the table. If a run of red 4-5-6 is down, your red 7 and red 3 both become live tiles you can append on future turns.
• Avoid drawing unless you must. Every draw grows your rack and pushes you further from going out. Play even a small meld if it keeps your turn productive.
• Track which numbers are exhausted. If three copies of the 8 are visible on the table, your fourth 8 can only extend a group, never start a new one.

• Gin Rummy: The card-based rummy game that inspired Rummikub's meld mechanic. You form sets and runs in your hand and knock when you have fewest unmatched points. Rummikub trades cards for tiles and adds the manipulation layer.
• Rummy 500: Another rummy variant where you score points for melds and can pick up cards from the discard pile. The meld-building logic overlaps with Rummikub, but Rummikub's tile manipulation is unique.
• Sabra Edition: The most common Rummikub rule set, named after the Hebrew word for a native-born Israeli. Modern sets ship with only these rules, which are the ones our version follows.

• The manipulation mechanic turns the whole table into a puzzle you can rearrange on your turn.
• Numbers and colors cross language barriers, which helped Rummikub spread to over 50 countries.
• Games run 10 to 30 minutes, long enough to feel substantial but short enough for one more hand.
• The 30-point opening rule creates a satisfying early-game tension before the table opens up.

Play Rummikub directly in your browser against three computer opponents. No downloads. No registration. Our version validates every meld, enforces the 30-point initial meld, lets you extend runs and groups on the table, and handles jokers automatically. Build your sets and runs, manipulate the table, and race to empty your rack.

Rummikub blends rummy's meld building with a tile table you can pull apart and rebuild. Make your 30-point opening, then manipulate every run and group to fit your rack. Draw your tiles now and chase the empty rack that wins the round.

• Rummikub - Wikipedia (history and rules)
• The Rummikub story - official history by Lemada Light Industries