Rummikub is a tile placement game that can bring the whole family together, young and old. It’s easy enough to understand and play, without too many complex rules. And if you’re looking for a quality set without breaking the bank, Pressman’s Rummikub set is a great choice.
Rummikub takes it’s roots from a card game called Rummy, but swaps out the cards for tiles and changes around a few rules. The core game remains mostly the same; try to spend all your tiles before your opponent’s can do the same by placing runs and matches on the board.
How To Play Rummikub
The goal of Rummikub is to place all your tiles on the table as quickly as possible, by playing runs (sequences of the same color numbers) or by playing matches (different colors of the same number).
Before the game starts, mix up all the tiles face down on the center of the table where everyone can reach them. Then each player draws 14 tiles and places them secretly on their tile rack.
Once everyone has their tiles the game can begin. Draw tiles to see who goes first, highest tile gets to go first and then play proceeds clockwise. Make sure to return that tile to the pile and mix it around.
On a players turn they can do one of two actions.
- Place or add to runs/matches
- Draw a new tile
To start the game a players first run or match must be worth at least 30 points by totaling up the numbers on the tiles placed. So at the start of the game it might take a few turns before the board opens up.
Once tiles are on the board, anyone can add to them with their tiles. If a player can’t add to anything on the board or create new sequences of their own, they must draw a new tile.
This continues until one player runs out of tiles and wins the game.
Extra Rules
- A sequence on the board must be at least 3 tiles long.
- Sequences can be broken up on a players turn to turn into multiple sequences, opening up new spots to play tiles.
- A Joker (the face tile) can be any number. Players can also steal the jokers by playing the number that it represents and swapping it out.
Rummikub Drinking Game Rules
If you’re interested into turning Rummikub into a fun drinking game, we came up with some drinking rules.
- If you play a joker, you can choose another player to drink
- Once a player opens the game and is the first to play, every other player drinks
- When a player has 3 or less tiles, they must call out “last tiles” or else they drink
- At the end of the game, the player with the most points remaining by totalling up the value on the tiles must finish their drink
Rummikub Set Review
This set by Pressman really has everything you’ll ever need to play Rummikub. Plus the pieces are made of solid plastic so you don’t have to worry about them breaking either. One of the best sets you’ll see for a reasonable price.
The origins of Rummy can be traced back over a hundred years, and for good reason. The game is very easy to play for all ages, and it doesn’t require a ton of time to play. At it’s core it’s a simple placement game that’s equal parts luck and skill.