Evolution and Growth of Rummy Variations

Born in the United States, Rummy has crossed boundaries and has grown into an all-time favourite card game for people of different race and culture. Now, multiple rummy variations are played in various parts of the world. The origin of the name ‘Rummy’ has many stories, and yet there is no clear evidence to back the statement. Some historians suggest that the Rummy was earlier known as ‘Rhummy’. The word ‘Rhummy’ is derived from the French word ‘Rhum’ which is the translation for the alcoholic beverage ‘Rum’. Some of them imply that the word is originated from ‘Rum’ which means ‘odd’ or ‘strange’ in British Slang.

There are many name variations and mispronounced names for Rummy like Rami Card Game, Rammi, Rommy, Remmi and so on. Most of these misspelt names of Rummy are often searched multiple times on search engines. The phrase ‘Rami card game online’ and ‘Rami game’ has been searched more than 15,000 times a month! This shows the amount of misspelt variations of ‘Rummy’ that is widespread on the Internet.

Evolution and Growth of Rummy Variations

There are many rummy variations that we are not familiar with. The Indian rummy variant is the 13 card rummy. Other variations of rummy include Dummy Rummy, Shanghai Rummy, and Contract Rummy. Some Rummy variants include the 7 card game which is mostly played by children whereas the 21 card & 13 card variants are commonly played in India.

The Evolution of Rummy

Since the day Rummy has evolved, it has grown into the life of card lovers all over the world. Almost all the rummy variants are tried out by the right rummy lovers. Over the years, Rummy has spread its wings to ‘private card rooms’ and casinos. Rummy has always been a favourite game for people who believe that skill can make them win the game than mere luck.

Card games like rummy are of cultural importance in India. As discussed earlier, the game is addressed as Rami card game in remote places in India. The Rami game is a major ingredient in important festivals, or family get together in India. Many rummy variations are played by the people of India like points rummy and deals rummy. This tradition has made most of the Indians familiar with the game at a very early stage of their life.

Benefits of Playing Different Variations of Rummy

Most of the people play rummy in their family as it helps to maintain the family close to their heart. It helps the new member of the household or friends circle to mingle with the rest of the gang. It also teaches basic math lessons like adding and remembering numbers to the children. Most Variations of Rummy acts as a method to de-stress from the everyday stress and work pressure that more people are now worrying about.

Studies suggest that playing different rummy variations can increase your analytical capabilities and increase your confidence level.

Common Variations of Rummy

You can just do a search on ‘Rummy Wiki’ or ‘Rammi Games’, and you will be able to browse through the different variations of Rummy that are played worldwide. However, you don’t have to go through the hassle of searching the rummy variations in Wikipedia as we provide comprehensive data on all rummy games that are played worldwide.

The different variations of rummy make it sure that you don’t get uninterested in the game by playing the same game again and again. The rummy variants like dummy rummy have minimal difference regarding gameplay, and yet it adds up to the surprise factor. Some of the typical rummy variants are discussed below:

1. Dummy Rummy

Similar to the Indian version of the 13 card rummy, you will have to arrange all the cards into sequences and sets. You will need to get rid of the cards as soon as you can make sets and sequences; the winners are the people who get rid of all the cards first. The central concept of the dummy rummy is that the 2’s of all suits are considered as the wild card Joker. So in these variations of the rami card game, the wild joker is pre-defined, and there is no need to select the Joker at random; printed jokers can also be used as a Joker in the dummy rummy variant.

1. Contract Rummy

Contract Rummy is quite a different variant compared to the Indian version of the 13 card rummy. It is believed that the contract rummy has got its roots from the Gin Rummy. The contract rummy is also known as Joker Rummy in some places. The gameplay of the contract rummy is different to the 13 card rummy and more related to Gin Rummy.

Seven deals are played in the contract rummy. The most interesting thing to note is that the rules of the contract rummy changes in different deals. The number of cards dealt in each round is also different; the first four deals are dealt with 10 cards, and the last three deals are dealt with 12 cards. The objective is similar to the classic rummy where you need to make sets and sequences with the cards you are dealt with. There are some requirements which are known as ‘contracts’ for every deal; the contract would be to make 2 or 3 sets in the deal. The points calculation of contract rummy is similar to classic rummy variations, except the fact that the Joker has 25 points.

1. Shanghai Rummy

The gameplay of the Shanghai Rummy and the contract rummy are somewhat similar. The major difference is that Shanghai Rummy is played for 10 deals as compared to 7 deals in contract rummy. In addition to the deals, players can actually ‘Buy’ cards, meaning that the player who is out-of-run can buy cards where he gets the upcard and 2 additional cards. It is important to note that a player can only buy 2 times in a single round.

Another rule of the Shanghai Rummy is that you can only use a Joker once in a set or sequence. Similar to the contracts rummy, Shanghai Rummy also has different contracts in each of the 10 deals. The rules how points are calculated in Shanghai Rummy is different; the number cards will be given 5 points each.
With so many rummy variations that are famous, people of India tend to stick to the 13 card and 21 card variant of the Rummy game. That being said, almost variations of rummy are now available online, and people can enjoy their favorite rummy variation online. You can find all the rummy variants online, all you have to do is to search for ‘rami card game online’ or any of the variations including ‘rami game free download’ to get the game on your mobile device. The online rummy games have marked a trend in India and people can now play rummy for cash easily without waiting for anyone to join.

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