Play 13 Cards Rummy With Joker With This Easy Guide!

Rules of 13 Cards Rummy with Joker
Played from anywhere between two to six players, 13 cards rummy with joker is a great game where every player is dealt 13 cards each. Needing plenty of skill, concentration, memory and focus on the parts of the players, usually two decks of cards are used when up to two to three players are involved, however for four to six players, three decks of cards are used. Going in turn, now each player draws and discards cards from the ones they have been dealt in order to form sequences and sets according to the rules of the game.

It should come as no surprise at all that the 13 cards rummy is by far the most popular form of the game in India – it promises an exciting and exhilarating experience for everyone offering plenty of engagement and entertainment.

Now, if you are still very confused and dazed about what a sequence is, and what a set is and other things we have mentioned above as regards the rules of card games, and especially rummy, fear no more for this guide will teach you all about it. So, let’s go ahead and tell you all about the game of rummy and rummy rules and so forth!

Some rummy fundamentals to begin with

1. 1. 13 card rummy requires two decks of cards and two jokers for two to three players, and three decks of cards for four to six players
   2. The sequence of cards, as prescribed by the rules of the game should follow this order – Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen and King.
   3. Value of ‘Face cards’ i.e., Jack, King and Queen is 10 points each
   4. The value of an Ace card is 10 points
   5. When forming sequences, an Ace can be considered to be ‘1’ or a face card
   6. A sequence is a group of three or four consecutive cards (as described in point 2), but from the same suit
   7. Examples of valid sequences:
      1. 6♦7♦ 8♦
      2. Ace♣ King♣ Queen♣ Jack♣
      3. 4♥ 5♥ 6♥
   8. A set is made up of three or four cards from different suits, but of the same value
   9. Examples of valid sets:
      1. 1. 8♦ 8♥ 8♣
         2. Queen♣ Queen♦ Queen♠

1. Jokers: When players play rummy with Joker, a joker can be used as a substitute for another card and the player can use them to replace any other cards to form a set or sequence.
2. There are two kinds of Jokers:
   1. Wild Joker: This is simply a random card chosen from the closed deck, and is deemed to be the Wild Joker for that game.
   2. Printed Jokers

Now with the basics out of the way, let’s get into the rules of 13 cards rummy with jokersand help you win some sweet, sweet moolah!

How to play 13 cards rummy with Joker

1. To begin with, each player is dealt 13 cards from the deck.
2. A ‘closed deck’, consisting of the remaining cards after all players are dealt their cards is placed face down on the table and known as the closed deck.
3. Once the cards are dealt, each player in the prescribed order, can either draw a card from the closed deck and discard one of their own cards to the open deck (consisting of previously discarded cards during the game, each facing upwards), or has to close one card, and show or declare his or her 13 cards in any of the sequences and/or sets as prescribed by the rules of the game. After this, the declarer should wait for the other players to do the same.
4. A valid declaration or show should consist of two sequences and two sets.
5. The two sequences are:
   1. A valid sequence of not less than three cards from the same suit without a joker – referred to as a Pure Sequence.
   2. A valid sequence of not less than three cards from the same suit with or without a joker or jokers. If  jokers are used, this is referred to as an Impure sequence.
6. The two sets must be made up of  a sequence or a triplet, or four cards of equal value and from different sets. One of these sets should not contain a joker.
7. The winner of the game is one who has no points or zero points. Therefore, a valid declaration or show garners zero points.
8. As previously explained, all the face cards and Aces will earn a player 10 points. Jokers of both kinds earn a player zero points, while all the other cards will earn a player the same number of points as printed on the card.
9. If a losing player does not have two sequences including a pure sequence, then all of his or her cards are added up to determine his or her score – the maximum points in this case is capped at 80. However, if a losing player does have two or more sequences, as well as a pure sequence, only the cards out of sequence will be considered when his or her score is being calculated.
10. A wrong declaration or invalid show will earn a player 80 points.
11. If a player is dissatisfied with the cards he or she is dealt, they can choose to ‘drop’, that is, concede the game at their first turn before drawing a card from the open deck. This action is called a First Drop and will earn a player 20 points.
12. Any drop after the First Drop is called a Middle Drop and will earn a player 40 points
13. A player missing their turn three times in succession will get 40 points and will be considered as a Middle Drop.
14. A player will get 40 points if they leave the table after drawing a card from the Closed Deck,  and this will considered as a Middle Drop. But if the player drops without seeing the card, it will considered as a First Drop and will only earn them 20 points.

Example of a valid declaration

Ace♣ 2♣ 3♣ 4♣| 5♦ 6♦ 7♦ | 9♦ 9♠ 9♣ | Queen♠ Queen♦ Queen♣

You can notice that all the 13 cards are arranged in valid sequences and sets. Furthermore, the declaration has at least two sequences – Ace♣ 2♣ 3♣ 4♣♣ and 5♦ 6♦ 7♦. The two sequences can be described as pure sequences and follow the objectives and rules of the game.

Example of an invalid declaration with a Wild Joker

9♥is the Wild Joker

Ace♥ 2♥ 3♥ 9♥ | 4♣ 5♣ 9♥ | 8♦ 8♠ 8♥ | 3♦ 3♠ 3♥ |

You will notice in this example that there is no pure sequence at all, just an impure sequence (Ace♥ 2♥ 3♥ 9♥), and therefore this is deemed to be an invalid declaration or show.

So there you have it, these are the rules and objectives of rummy! Now, we do hope we helped you answer questions such as “How do you play rummy cards?” or even “What are the rules of rummy?”. Even better, we hope we’ve informed and equipped you with enough knowledge to enter the exciting and amazing world of rummy, and to emerge from it ever victorious!