Online rummy is played using two decks of 52 cards each. They also have 1 each Printed joker. This makes a total of 106 cards in a rummy game. When you begin a game of rummy, what all do you see in the user interface? The rummy table, your own cards, some icons and buttons on the corners for exit, menu, and other options, the avatar of your opponents, and two more things: the open deck and the closed deck. Now, let us know more about the last two things of a typical rummy game:

The Open Deck

It is also called as the open pile or the discard pile. In the beginning it is empty, but it gradually goes on increasing as the cards that players discard, are kept here. You can pick up a card from this pile, but since the cards are seen by everyone, your opponents get clues about which cards you need and are working upon.

Even you can get a fair idea of the cards with your opponents when they pick up a card from the discard pile and discard a card. Most of the rummy strategies are made/based on this activity with an open deck. Hence, you should be extremely careful if you are taking a card from the open pile. Do so only when you are certain that the picked up card will make a sequence/set. 

The Closed Deck

Out of the 106 cards, 13 are dealt to each player in the beginning. The remaining cards are then kept in a pile at the centre, face down. They are called as the closed deck, closed pile, or the stock pile. One card from them is picked up randomly and it becomes the ‘wild card joker’; it is kept at the bottom of this pile, face up and perpendicular to the pile.

You can’t see cards from the closed deck, hence they can turn out to be exactly the one you want or even the opposite, but one advantage of picking a card from this deck is that, even your opponents don’t get to see which card you’ve taken. Thus, it becomes a bit difficult for them to guess your cards.

Players who Drop out, what happens to their cards?

In Indian rummy, you get the option to drop out of the game, either in the beginning or while playing. Many players take up this option to lose by small margins before, then by bigger margins later. What happens to their cards? According to the rummy rules, the cards of such players are kept aside, they aren’t used again in the game, they aren’t taken back in the closed or the open deck.

When Cards aren’t left in the Closed deck

Sometimes, it may happen that the game stretches for so long, that all the cards of the closed deck are used up. When you are left with no cards to draw from the closed deck, the cards in the open deck are increased by a huge number, they are reshuffled properly and then kept face down to make a new closed deck. In online rummy, you needn’t do anything as this happens automatically.

In rummy cash game, whenever you play in your own ‘rummy time’, both the decks are crucial for you to meld all your cards into proper sequences/sets and do a valid show before your opponents. Skilled and wise rummy players know when to take a card from which deck, whether they are playing in cash games or Tournaments.