You Probably Never Heard Of This, But Why Not Find Out?
Written: Aug 16 '01 (Updated Aug 16 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun, Challenging, Mind-Using, Better than using cards
Cons: Sometimes you just have a bad game.
Tile-Rack Holder Uppers Break Easily
The Bottom Line: What do you get when you mix the came rummy with cubes?
RUMMIKUB! HA HA HA HA....Nevermind.
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| bballin2413's Full Review: Original Rummikub |
The OriginalRummikub
This is a great game that allows younger kids and adults to manipulate numbered tiles and gain points by doing so. It is great fun and quite challenging. There are different ways of playing the game, but I always play the Sabra way. It has a different set of rules that I think are the most fun to use, but also the easiest. I will tell you these rules and also tell you the strategy and tips that have helped me to master the game. I appreciate you people that are actually taking the time to read this. If you are reading this, leave me a comment that just says the word "yes". I would be very pleased to see if you actually read it or skim it.
Contents
106 tiles, tile rack, and tile rack holder uppers.
The only bad thing about the set-up is that the tile-rack-holder-uppers sometimes break leaving you in an akward situation
Playing the Sabra Way
The Sabra way is played by 2,3, or 4 people. It is played like cards except you play with tiles. There are 106 tiles, including 2 jokers. There are 4 different colored tiles: black, red, yellow, and blue, numbering one through thirteen.
The object of the game is to be the first to eliminate all the tiles from your rack by forming them into sets of runs or groups, and then melding them onto the table. Your objective, therefore, is to keep as few points in your hand as possible.
Set-Up
Mix the tiles thoroughly, face down, on the table(as the directions say) or place the tiles in an old butter container. Each player picks a tile to see who goes first. The one who selects the highest number goes first. Play proceeds counter-clockwise. All players pick fourteen tiles and place them on their rack.
Playing
In order to place tiles on the table, each player must make an initial meld of 30 points in one or more sets. These points must come from tiles in the hand only, and not from the tiles already on the table. Each tile is worth the number of points shown on the front of that tile. A Joker may be substituted for any tile and its point value is the same as the tile that it represents when melding. The Joker is worth thirty points when held on your rack while another player wins.
Runs:
All runs must consist of at least three tiles of the same color.
Example:#4 red, #5 red, #6 red.
Groups:
Groups must consist of three or four tiles of different colors.
Example:
#4 red, #4 blue, #4 yellow
Melds
The initial meld must be 30 points or more.
Examples
A) #13 red, #13 yellow, #13 black= 39 points
B) #10 yellow, #11 yellow, #12 yellow= 33 points
Playing The Table
Once you have made your initial meld of 30 points, you are free to play on the table and manipulate and rearrange melds.
If you cannot add on to other runs or groups of yours or your opponents, you must pick a tile from the bucket and wait your next turn to play. You continue to pick a tile on each turn until you are able to play. You may never lay down on the same turn that you picked a tile in. Here are a bunch of examples that illustrate what I have just said.
Example A
#4 yellow, #4 black, and #4 red are on the table. You can add the #4 blue. You are, therefore, able to take one of the 4's to use for another group or run. Remember, you must leave at least three tiles to make another meld.
Example B
1 group on table
#7 blue, #7 red, Joker(represents yellow #7), #7 black.
Another group on table
#7 blue, #7 red, #7 yellow, #7 black
You may take the yellow # 7 out of the second group and have it take the place of the 1st group's Joker. Now you must have two tiles in your hand to play with the Joker.
Newly Made Group
Joker, #8 black, #9 black. (The Eight and Nine were in your hand.)
Note:
A meld containing a joker may not be manipulated unless you replace the Joker with the number that it is representing. After this occurs, you may manipulate that set.
Time Limit
Two minutes per player, per turn. A player who goes over this two minute time limit must draw a tile from the pool and forfeit their turn.
Incomplete Runs
A player who manipulates the tiles unsuccessfully and leaves incomplete melds on the table must replace the tiles in their original positions, take back the tiles he has melded, and draw three more from the bucket.
Scoring
Each player adds up the value of the tiles left on his rack, counting 30 points for a Joker and face value for other tiles, and scores this as a negative amount.
The sum of the losing players negative tiles should equal the winners positive score. You can choose to play up to any number of points that you wish. I play up to 500.
In the very rare case that the draw pile runs out before any player runs out of tiles, then the player with the least amount of points left on his rack is considered the winner. The scoring is the exact same after this is established.
My favorite strategies
This game is kind-of hard to have strategies in, but I think I have a few that I could share:
1. Try to sandbag with your tiles until most other players have melded. This helps you because now there are more opportunities to get rid of most of your tiles by melding and then playing the table.
2. Try and keep a tab in your mind on how many tiles that other players have drawn and played. This will allow you to have a good idea on how many tiles they have left and will give you an opportunity to get rid of any big tiles.
3. Try not to win the game to much because then no one will want to play with you anymore. I speak with experience.
I hope you follow these very few strategies of mine and hope you leave the secret comment that I had included above so I can find out who is cheating the system.
My Thoughts
Rummikub is one of the first games that I was able to play with the whole family and not be to young to play it. I enjoy every facet of the game, but especially the movement of the tiles on the table. Virtually every time that you must draw, there is a place to play that drawn tile. The beauty of the game is that you must find that place to play it. The tiles are easier for me to handle, and also read, than the playing cards and for some reason I like the sound that they make when you rattle them around in the butter bucket. Pretty corny huh? This is what I think about the game and really hope for you to play it.
Comments
FEEDBACK PLEASE! I want to become a better writer and only the consumer, or reader in this case, can help me. Tell me what I need to improve, if there is anything, which I know that there is. Thank you for reading.
~~Bballin2413~~
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 10.00
Type of Toy: Board Game
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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Epinions.com ID:
bballin2413
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Member: Jordan Hanson
Location: NEW ORLEANS
Reviews written: 36
Trusted by: 18 members
About Me:
Back and happy with new status. Hope to live up to it.
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