The rules of Indian rummy are short, formal, and easy to misread at the table. This handbook walks the same hand a club player would play: the deal, the draw, the discard, the joker, the declaration, and the show that decides who paid whom.
The formal rules of 13-card rummy, written so a new player can carry them to the table without ambiguity.
Each player is dealt 13 cards face-down from a stock built of two standard 52-card decks plus jokers (printed jokers and a wild joker drawn from the closed stock). One card is turned face-up to start the discard pile. The remainder stays as the closed stock.
On your turn, draw one card. The draw is either the top card of the closed stock or the top card of the discard pile. The draw is mandatory: you cannot pass without drawing.
After drawing, your hand holds 14 cards. Discard one face-up to the discard pile, returning your hand to 13 cards. The discard is mandatory: you must end your turn with 13.
All printed jokers count as jokers. A second joker is picked at random from the closed stock at the start of the hand and announced; that card and its rank become wild jokers for the hand. A wild joker substitutes for any card in a sequence or set, but never counts toward a pure sequence.
You may drop the hand instead of drawing your 14th card. A first drop (before drawing the 14th card) is charged at 20 points. A middle drop (after drawing at least one card) is charged at 40 points. The drop is the only escape valve in the hand.
When your hand reads valid (one pure sequence, one second sequence, sets and trails consuming the rest), you declare at the start of your turn instead of drawing. You lay the 13 cards face-down on the table; the discard pile is not used for the declaration.
The first valid declarer shows their hand. Opponents score the deadwood value of their own hand (face cards and 10s = 10; numbered cards at face value; aces = 1; jokers = 0). An invalid declaration is charged 80 points and the show continues to the next hand.
Pure sequence, impure sequence, set, and trail. The first two are required; the second two are how you finish the hand.
Three or more consecutive cards of the same suit, with no joker used. This is the only meld the rules treat as non-negotiable. A declaration without a pure sequence is invalid and charged 80 points.
Three or more consecutive cards of the same suit, with at least one joker or wild joker substituting for a missing card. Counts as your second sequence in the declaration.
Three or four cards of the same rank, different suits. A set cannot include jokers. A set is also called a "book" on some platforms.
Any leftover card that does not belong to a sequence or set. Trails score at face value if you lose the hand; they cost nothing if you win.
The same thirteen cards can declare three different ways. Two are valid; one is invalid. The math decides.
7♠ 8♠ 9♠ (pure), 5♥ 6♥ [WILD] 8♥ (impure), 10♠ 10♥ 10♦ (set), K♣ (trail).
One pure sequence, one impure sequence, one set, one trail. All thirteen cards grouped. Valid declaration. Deadwood: 10.
Valid declaration10♠ 10♥ 10♦ (set), K♠ K♥ K♦ (set), 7♠ 8♠ [WILD] (impure-only, no pure), J♣ (trail).
Two sets plus an impure-only run. No pure sequence present. The declaration fails the formal rule.
Invalid: 80-point penalty7♠ 8♠ 9♠ (pure), 10♠ 10♥ 10♦ (set), K♣ Q♣ J♣ (sequence but mixed suits), 5♥ (trail).
The mixed-suit run is not a sequence. Only one valid sequence and one set. The declaration fails the formal rule.
Invalid: 80-point penaltyThe formal rules are short. The interpretation is the desk's. Sources are named inline.
Indian courts have repeatedly held that rummy is a game of skill because the outcome is determined substantially by the player's judgment in forming melds and choosing when to draw, discard, or drop. The Public Gambling Act, 1867, carves out "games of mere skill" from its prohibitions.
Source: Public Gambling Act, 1867, Section 3; RMD Chamarbaugwala v. Union of India, AIR 1957 SC 628.
Most platforms use 20/40/80 for first drop, middle drop, and full show respectively. Some platforms vary the middle drop (25 or 30) or charge an extra fee on incorrect declarations. Reviews note the schedule each platform actually publishes in its rules page.
Source: platform rules pages, time-stamped in each review.
The pure-sequence rule prevents a hand from being assembled entirely from jokers and sets. Without it, the joker-heavy wild draw would let a player declare a hand built from cards the stock had dealt to the table at random. The pure sequence anchors the hand to the player's choices.
Source: standard 13-card rummy rules; see also the Games hub for the format-by-format comparison.
A worked example of the same thirteen cards played three ways. The hand is the same; the decisions are different; the math is the same.
The hand is a thirteen-card deal. The suit pattern is clear: spades, hearts, diamonds. The joker is the wild joker for the hand. The hand's working reads are: a pure sequence in spades (7♠ 8♠ 9♠), an impure sequence in hearts (5♥ 6♥ [WILD]), a set in tens (10♠ 10♥ 10♦), a possible pure sequence in diamonds (2♦ 3♦ 4♦), and a trail in clubs (K♣). The hand is a valid declaration on first read.
The hand's working reads assume the player draws a card from the closed stock on the first draw. The discard pile is the top card of the discard pile at the start of the hand. The closed stock has 49 cards left after the deal.
Worked example: the same hand, played three ways.
The player draws a card from the closed stock. The card is a 5♦. The player discards the 5♠ trail. The hand reads: pure sequence (7♠ 8♠ 9♠), impure sequence (5♥ 6♥ [WILD]), set (10♠ 10♥ 10♦), pure sequence (2♦ 3♦ 4♦), trail (5♦). The hand is a valid declaration. The player declares at the start of the next turn. The deadwood is 5 (the 5♦ trail).
The verdict: a valid declaration. The player wins the hand. The deadwood is 5. The player earns the deadwood of every losing seat. The cost of the hand is the time spent, not the deadwood.
Source: worked example, Royal Pro Rummy desk play-log.
The player draws a card from the closed stock. The card is a 2♠. The player discards the 2♠ trail. The hand reads: pure sequence (7♠ 8♠ 9♠), impure sequence (5♥ 6♥ [WILD]), set (10♠ 10♥ 10♦), pure sequence (2♦ 3♦ 4♦), trail (5♠). The hand is still a valid declaration. The player holds on for one more draw. The next draw is a Q♣. The player discards the K♣. The hand is still a valid declaration. The player holds on for one more draw. The next draw is an A♠. The player discards the 5♠. The hand is still a valid declaration. The player finally declares on the third draw. The hand is still a valid declaration. The deadwood is 0 (no trails).
The verdict: a valid declaration, but the player took three extra draws to reach the same hand. The cost of the hand is the time spent, not the deadwood. The drop decision would have been a first-drop at 20 points, not the full-show at 0 points.
Source: worked example, Royal Pro Rummy desk play-log.
The player draws a card from the closed stock. The card is a 2♣. The player discards the 2♣. The hand reads: pure sequence (7♠ 8♠ 9♠), impure sequence (5♥ 6♥ [WILD]), set (10♠ 10♥ 10♦), pure sequence (2♦ 3♦ 4♦), trail (K♣). The hand is still a valid declaration. The player considers the drop decision. The probability of holding a pure sequence by mid-game is 35%; the player has a pure sequence. The probability of holding a second sequence is 55%; the player has a second sequence. The probability of holding a set is 65%; the player has a set. The hand is a strong declaration.
The player chooses to declare on the second draw. The verdict: a valid declaration. The deadwood is 0 (no trails). The player's drop decision was to hold, not to drop. The cost of the hand is the time spent, not the deadwood.
Source: worked example, Royal Pro Rummy desk play-log.
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