Needed: 2-4 players; Rummikub tile set
Setup: All the Rummikub tiles are placed face down in the center of all players. Each player draws 14 tiles to start. The remaining tiles are set aside as a draw pile.
Objective: The object of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all your tiles. Tiles can be played in to the middle when in a set. A set can be 3 or 4 tiles of the same rank, in different colors known as a group. Also, a set can be a run of 3 or more consecutive numbers in the same color known as a run.
Game Play: In order to start playing, a player’s first sets must have a value (total of the numbers on the tiles being played) of 30 or more. When players are unable to play, they draw a tile as their turn. A player can play as many sets as he/she wants to on a turn.
After a player has made the first move with a value over 30, any tiles can be played to the middle. Tiles can be added to other sets, and sets can be moved around to form new sets. A player can move the tiles in the middle as much as wanted as long as at least one tile came from his/her pile, and every tile ends up in an acceptable set.
The joker tile can be used as any number and color to help complete a set. Any time a player has a tile that a joker is representing, the tile can replace the joker. When the joker is replaced, it must be used in a new set on the same turn.
Win: The player to play all his/her tiles first wins the game.
Rule: If the pool of tiles to draw from runs out, and no player can make another move, the player with the lowest value of tiles left wins the game.