Rummikub

Rummikub is a tile-based game for two to four players, combining elements of the card game rummy and mahjong. There are 104 number tiles in the game (valued 1 to 13 in four different colors, two copies of each) and two jokers. Players have 14 or 16 tiles initially and take turns putting down tiles from their racks into sets (groups or runs) of at least three, drawing a tile if they cannot play. In the Sabra version (the most common and popular), the first player to use all their tiles scores a positive score based on the total of the other players' hands, while the losers get negative scores. An important feature of the game is that players can work with the tiles that have already been played.

Rummikub was invented by Ephraim Hertzano, a Romanian-born Jew, who immigrated to Israel in the 1940s. He hand-made the first sets with his family in the backyard of his home. Hertzano sold these sets door-to-door and on a consignment basis at small shops. Over the years, the family licensed it to other countries and it became Israel’s #1 export game. In 1977, it became a bestselling game in the United States.

Hertzano's Official Rummikub Book, published in 1978, describes three different versions of the game: American, Sabra and International. Modern Rummikub sets include only the Sabra version rules, with no mention of the others, and there are variations in the rules between publishers. The game was first made by Lemada Light Industries Ltd, founded by Hertzano in 1978.

Rummikub is similar to Vatikan, a game of central European origin played with two decks of cards and one joker per player (thus making 106 cards for two players).

Rummikub's main component is a pool of tiles, consisting of 104 number tiles and two joker tiles. The number tiles range in value from one to thirteen in four colors (black, orange, blue and red). Each combination of color and number is represented twice. Players each have a rack to store tiles without revealing the face of the tiles to the other players.

The following explanation is based on the rules in the 1998 Pressman American edition:

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