Objective of the Game
Reichstags-Rommé is a variant of the classic card game Rummy, where the objective is to lay down all your cards by forming card combinations known as melds. The goal is to finish the game with the fewest points in hand after a player goes out by laying down all of their cards.
Components
- 2 standard decks with 52 cards each and an additional 3 jokers, totaling 110 cards
Number of Players
- Minimum 2 players
- Maximum 6 players
Game Setup
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Shuffle and Deal: At the start, the cards are well shuffled. Each player receives 13 cards. The remaining cards are placed face down to form a draw pile. The top card of the draw pile is turned face up next to it to form the discard pile.
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Starting the Game: The player to the left of the dealer begins. The player can either draw the top card from the draw pile or the top card from the discard pile.
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Creating Melds: The aim is to create melds.
- A meld consists of either at least three cards of the same rank (e.g., Heart 7, Diamond 7, Spade 7) or a sequence in the same suit (e.g., Club 7, 8, 9).
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Jokers can be used as a substitute for any card.
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Laying Down: Once a player has at least 40 points in melds in their hand, they can lay them down openly on the table. Only after this can they lay down further melds in subsequent rounds or add onto existing melds.
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Adding On: Players can additionally add cards to existing melds laid down by other players to further reduce their hand.
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Example: If there is a sequence of Diamond 4, 5, and 6, a player can add a Diamond 7.
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Ending Your Turn: To end their turn, the player places a card on the discard pile. The next player proceeds.
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Ending the Game: The turn ends when a player goes out by disposing of their last card, either by laying it down or adding it to melds on the table.
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Scoring: Once a player lays down their last card, the remaining players tally the total points of the cards left in their hand.
- Cards from 2 to 10 are worth their face value.
- Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) are worth 10 points.
- Aces count as 11 points.
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Jokers are worth 20 points.
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Winning: The game ends after a pre-determined number of rounds or when a player reaches a specific total score. The player with the fewest points wins.
Strategic Tips
- Keep Your Options Open: Try to hold onto cards that can fit into multiple melds to maintain flexibility.
- Use Jokers Wisely: Strategically use jokers to complete your toughest combinations.
- Pay Attention: Observe the cards other players discard to infer the cards they need.
Enjoy playing Reichstags-Rommé!
