Rummikub Rules, Turn Timer and Score Calculator

Tiles and sets

The box has 106 tiles: numbers 1 to 13 in four colors, two copies of each, plus two jokers. Two to four people play with the standard set. (A larger edition with 160 tiles and four jokers takes five or six.)

A group is three or four tiles with the same number, each a different color. A blue 9, red 9 and black 9 is a group; two red 9s cannot be in the same group.

A run is three or more numbers in a row, all one color: orange 4, 5, 6, 7. A 1 is always low, so 12, 13, 1 is not a run.

Setting up and taking a turn

1. Turn all tiles face down and mix them. Each player takes one; the highest number goes first. Put them back and mix again.
2. Everyone takes 14 tiles and stands them on their rack. The rest are the pool.
3. On your turn, play tiles onto the table, or draw one tile from the pool. Drawing ends your turn, and you cannot play the tile you just drew until your next turn.
4. Play passes to the left. The game ends when a player puts down their last tile and calls "Rummikub!"

Your first meld: 30 points

Until you have made it, you can only play your own sets, and their tiles must add up to at least 30. You may use more than one set. Example: black 10, 11, 12 is 33 on its own. Or a group of 5s (15) plus a run of red 3, 4, 5 (12) is only 27, not enough; swap the run for red 4, 5, 6 and you have 30. You cannot use tiles already on the table toward the 30.

Rearranging the table

After your first meld, the whole table is yours to rearrange during your turn. You can split, combine and move tiles between sets in any way, as long as you play at least one tile from your rack, and when you finish every set on the table is valid with no tile left over. Some moves that work:

• Add on. Put a black 8 on the end of a black 5, 6, 7 run, or a fourth color onto a group of three.
• Borrow a spare. A group of four 11s can lend you one, because three 11s is still a group. Take its blue 11 and play it with your blue 9 and 10 as a new run.
• Split a run. A red run of 2 to 7 has six tiles. Add your red 5 and split it into 2, 3, 4, 5 and 5, 6, 7.
• Take from both ends. Pull the 13 off the end of two runs of different colors (each still has three or more tiles), add a 13 of a third color from your rack, and you have a new group.

If you cannot finish what you started before your minute ends, everything goes back the way it was and you draw three tiles.

Jokers

A joker can be any tile in a set. Once it is on the table, a player who has made their first meld can take it back by putting the tile it stands for in its place (from their rack or from elsewhere on the table). In a group of three, either missing color will do. A joker you take must be played again that same turn in a new set, and you must also play at least one tile from your rack that turn.

Rummikub scoring

When someone goes out, every other player adds up the tiles left on their rack. That number counts against them. A joker left on a rack costs 30. The winner scores the total of everyone else's minus points, so each game adds up to zero.

Example with four players: Dee goes out. Sam has 8 left, Ari 21, and Jo is caught with a 4 and a joker, so 34. Scores: Sam -8, Ari -21, Jo -34, and Dee +63.

When the pool runs out

Rarely, the pool empties and nobody can play. Then the player with the lowest rack total wins. Everyone else scores minus the difference between their rack and the winner's rack, and the winner scores the total. Example: racks of 6, 15 and 27. The 6 wins; the others score -9 and -21; the winner +30. The rules do not say what happens if two players tie for the lowest rack; the scorer lets you pick the winner and scores the other tied player 0.

Rounds and the overall winner

A round is one game per player: two games with two players, four with four. Agree how many rounds to play. Keep track of points and of how many games each player won. At the end, the player with the most games won is the winner; if that is tied, the higher point total wins. The scorer's games-won table shows both.

The sample score table printed on the official sheet does not add up (in each of its games the winner's score differs from the others' total), so we use our own examples here. The rule itself is clear: the winner's score equals the other players' total.

House rules

These are common table habits, not official rules. Agree on them before you start.

• No timer, or a longer one. Many families drop the minute or use two. The timer above has a 90 and 120 second setting, marked as house rules.
• Lower first meld for young players. Dropping the 30 to 20 gets everyone onto the table sooner.
• Single game, no points. First to go out wins, nothing is scored.

What the rules mean for play

• A joker left on your rack costs 30, as much as three 10s. Holding one for a big rearrangement is fine early; once someone is down to two or three tiles, play it.
• Holding back a fourth tile (playing 7, 8, 9 and keeping the 10) gives you a play next turn instead of a draw.
• A tile you draw cannot be played until your next turn. When the pool is low and someone is close to going out, playing even one tile usually beats drawing.
• The one-minute limit rewards planning during other players' turns. Work out your move before the timer reaches you.

Rummikub questions

Can a run go 12, 13, 1 in Rummikub?

No. A 1 is always the lowest tile, so it can start a run (1, 2, 3) but never follow a 13.

Can you use tiles already on the table for your first meld?

No. Your first meld must be at least 30 points from tiles on your own rack. Only after that can you add to or rearrange sets on the table.

How much is a joker worth?

In your first meld, a joker counts as the tile it stands for. Left on your rack when someone goes out, it costs you 30 points.

Can you play the tile you just drew?

No. Drawing ends your turn, and you have to wait until your next turn to play that tile.

Who wins a game of Rummikub over several rounds?

The player who won the most games across all the rounds you agreed to play. If two players won the same number of games, the higher point total wins.