How to Play Kaluki Rummy
Kaluki is a game I only heard of recently. It is a variant of Rummy, which means players attempt to gather cards and place them into melds. That part sounds familiar enough.In Kaluki, a player's melds must total 51 or better before he can lay them down.
The winner is the first player to dispose of all their cards. They can do so by laying down melds gradually (provided the first one totals 51 or better). That is known as "going out". Or, they can do so all at once (without reusing jokers), which is known as "Hunt". Ending the hand by this method earns an extra bonus.
The Deck:
The deck used to play Kaluki consists of 108 cards. It is created by combining two complete decks, including jokers. In the end, there will be 104 ranked/suited cards, and 4 jokers.
The Deal:
Each player recieves 13 cards to begin the game. The object is to create melds of cards consisting of sets or runs, as in Gin.
Aces - The value of an Ace will change depending on how it is melded. It can be used in a high run, where it is worth 11 points. Or an Ace can be used in a low run, where it is worth 1 point.
Melds and Building - Once a player lays down a meld, other players may add appropriate cards to it on their turns (called "building"). Players may add the appropriate card to either end of a run of cards (example: Adding the 7♠ to a run of 4♠ 5♠ 6♠).
Players can add the missing suit to a set of three cards. So, if there is a meld of 8♥ 8♠ 8♣, someone can add the missing 8 of diamonds. They cannot add another 8 of a suit that's already represented.
A Joker can be used to take the place of any card, either in creating an original meld, or in building onto an existing one.
Re-Using Jokers - Here's an interesting twist. Players can "reuse" jokers in one of the two following manners.
You are allowed to take a joker that has been used in a run if you can replace it with the specific card it represents. For example, a player has laid down a meld of 4♥ joker 6♥ 7♥. If you have the 5 of Hearts in your hand, you can place it into that meld, and retrieve the joker for your own.
Another way to reuse jokers occurs when they are used as part of a set of cards. You will need to complete the set in order to reuse the joker. So, if a player uses a joker in the meld of 9♥ joker 9d, you can take the joker only if you can lay down both the 9 of ♠, and the 9 of ♣.
End of the Hand:
When one player has melded all but one of his cards, which he uses as a final discard, the hand is over.
Players must make a discard. There is no "floating" allowed.
There is also no laying off involved in Kaluki Rummy.
Scoring in Kaluki Rummy:
When a player "Goes Out", they receive 20 points. If they "Hunt", they receive 40 points.
The other players in the hand are given a penalty points that equal the value of the cards in their hand. Aces count as 11 and jokers count as 25.
If a player manages a Hunt, the other players penalty points are doubled.
