Almost all the card games that are played in the world, have some or the other variation of them. People of different regions or countries modify the card game rules as per their convenience and culture. Rummy is not different. It has numerous versions like German rummy, 500 rummy, Contract rummy, Dummy rummy, Gin rummy, etc. and not to forget – Indian Rummy. Indians have been playing our version for centuries and play even today. So, what are the unique features, properties, and rules that make Indian rummy different from other variations?

1. Difference of Points: In Indian rummy, the King, Queen, Ace, and the Jack card carry 10 points each. The Joker cards (wild card and printed joker) don’t carry any points. On the contrary, in 500 rummy, the joker and ace cards carry 15 points each.
2. Mandatory Sequence: It is compulsory for you to form one pure sequence, and also one more sequence with a set, if you want to win. This rummy rule is not present in most other rummy variations, hence, they are less challenging & less fun to play.
3. No. of decks: You play Indian rummy using 2 decks that have an additional 2 printed jokers each. This amounts to a total of 108 cards. In some variations of rummy like Gin rummy, you play with only one deck of 52 cards, that doesn’t have any printed joker.
4. Hand scoring: Score is important in Indian rummy when you play rummy, that too a zero. When you meld all your cards in sequences and sets, you get a 0 which is your aim. The cards that are not grouped, incur points on you as per their value.
5. Wild card Joker: A speciality of Indian rummy, it has two types of jokers: The printed joker and the wild card joker. The latter is a random card chosen from the deck. This means you get additional 8 joker cards to play, which makes the game interesting.
6. No. of players: Indian rummy is played between 2 to 6 players at a time. Compare this with 500 rummy, it can be played between 2 to 8 players; and the Gin rummy game can be played between 2 to 4 players only.
7. Doing a Drop: One more special property of Indian rummy: You can take a drop, twice in a match: In the beginning and while playing. You incur only 20 points at the beginning and 40 points for a middle drop. In Gin rummy, there is no initial drop, and while playing, you can drop only if the points of your un-melded cards are more than 10.
8. Multiple names: Because of the diversity of our country, Indian rummy is known by many names in different regions. In the western states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Haryana, it is called as Paplu rummy or Marriage rummy.
9. The cross connection: The Indian version of the online rummy game is an amalgamation of Gin rummy and 500 rummy! 500 rummy was brought by the Spanish and Mexicans in the US and Gin rummy is inherently played in the US. Both these versions have influenced our Indian rummy.
10. Hand dealt: In Indian rummy, players are dealt 10, 13, 21, or 27 cards each. 13 cards rummy is an extremely popular online rummy version in India. But in most other rummy variations, the hand begins from 6 cards. In Gin rummy, the player picking the highest value card decides his/her sitting place and deals 10 cards to each other player. Interesting, isn’t it?

You can also say, that the above pointers are a reason why Indians are drawn to the rummy game. Even though Cricket is a religion here, rummy online is played by over a crore Indians! Do you know that cricket and rummy are connected with some similarities?! If you want to add more points to these 10, about Indian rummy, write in the comments below.