Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Rules of Card Game: 13 Card Indian Rummy

Indian Rummy is played between 2 to 6 players and each player is dealt 13 cards. For 2 or 3 players two 52-card decks (104 cards) and 4 jokers (wild cards) are used. For 4 to 6 players three decks (156 cards) and 6 jokers are used. Each player turn by turn (in clockwise order) deals the cards.
The Deal. Each player is dealt 13 cards face down. The next card from the deck is placed face up on the table; this starts the discard pile. Rest of the cards are placed face down in the centre of the table; this is the stock pile. Each player picks his/her 13 cards and views them and then sorts them according to his/her choice. In Octro Rummy an extra card is picked from the stock pile and placed face up under the stock pile so that it is visible. All the cards of that rank regardless of the suit can be used as jokers.

The Object of the Game. The object is to form Runs (or sequences) and Sets. And when a player has formed required runs and sets using all the 13 card, the player declares his turn. A valid declare must have minimum two runs and out of these runs one run must be pure and one run (pure or impure) must have 4 or more cards. On a valid declare the the scores of the rest of the players are counted.

For the rest of players all the unmatched cards are counted. A player must have one pure run and a run of 4 cards else all the 13 cards are treated as unmatched and are counted. When all the 13 cards are unmatched, the player loses 80 points.

A Run (or Sequence). A run consists of 3 or more cards of same suit and are in consecutive order. The valid order being A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A. Thus with ace you can form the run A-2-3 or Q-K-A but you can not form K-A-2. Examples of valid runs are 4-5-6 , 9-10-J, 9-10-J-Q, A-2-3-4 and 8-9-10-J-Q-K. These are pure or straight or natural runs (runs without a joker).

A run can also use a joker as substitute for any missing card. Such a run is non pure run. Examples of non pure runs are 4-5-joker, 2-3-joker-5. In a run you can use only one joker as a wild card.

In a vaild declare you must have minimum two runs. Atleast one run must be pure and one run (pure or non pure) must have 4 or more cards.

A Set. A set consists of 3 or 4 cards of same rank but of different suits. For example 4-4-4 and Q-Q-Q are valid sets and 4-4-4 and Q-Q-Q are invalid sets. A set may include a joker as a substitute for example Joker -4-4 and Q-Q- Joker.
Playing Indian Rummy. The dealer gives 13 cards face down to each player. The next card from the deck is placed face up on the table; this starts the discard pile. Rest of the cards are placed face down in the center of the table; this is the stock pile. A player on the left of the dealer picks a card from the stock pile and this card is placed face up under the stock pile so that it is partially visible. All the cards of that rank are used as jokers. Thus in a 2 or 3 players game there are 11 jokers in all. In a 4 to 4 players game there are 17 jokers in all.
The first player picks one card either the top card of discard pile or the top card of stock pile. The top card of the discard pile is face up so the player can figure out if he/she needs this card or not. If the players decides not to pick the discard card, he/she must pick face down card from the stock pile. Now the player has 14 cards. The player examines his/her 14 cards and decides the card which is least important for forming runs and sets. The player takes the least important card and places it face up on the discard pile. This card becomes the top card of the discard pile.
A Valid Declare. The player who is first to use all the 13 cards to form runs and sets that also meet the basic requirement of two runs (at least one is pure and one has minimum 4 cards), declares his turn.

OctroRummy checks if the declare is valid or not. Even if there are free jokers and the rest of the cards form runs and sets as required, the declare is valid. If the declare is found invalid, the declaring player is dropped from this hand and loses 80 points and game continues between rest of the player till there is a valid declare.

Declaring in OctroRummy. When you have used all the 13 cards to form the runs and sets that meet the basis requirement, instead of putting your 14th card on the discard pile, you put it on the areas “Tap to throw your card and Declare.” OctroRummy will ask for your confirmation that you are ready to declare.

Select the cards of a valid run or set and tap on the plank. Then select cards of second valid run or set and tap the next plank. And so on. If you have unused jokers, select these jokers and put on a separate plank. When you are done, select Declare. It is your responsibility to declare your cards properly and you must keep each run and set separate.

Scoring. The unmatched cards of the rest of the players are counted. Even if a player has runs and sets but does not meet the basic requirement of two runs out of which one is pure and one has minimum 4 cards, all the 13 cards are counted as unmatched. Scoring is as under
All unmatched cards 80 points
Unmatched J, Q, K or 10 10 points each
Rest of unmatched card each as its rank value, for example an unmatched 2 is worth 2 points, 3 is worth 3 points, 4 is worth 4 points and so on.

Dropping from the game. If you drop from the game without picking even a single card from the discard pile or stock pile, you lose 20 points. If you drop in between a hand, before any other player has done a valid declare, you lose 40 points.

Examples of two Runs that meet the basic requirements are
a. Both pure runs: 10-J-Q and 4-5-6-7; A-2-3-4 and 8-9-10-J
b. One pure run and one non pure run: Q-Joker-A and 8-9-10-J; 8-9-10 and J-Q-K-Joker

Play Indian Rummy Online on iPhone and iPad. Octro Inc. has released Indian Rummy for iPhone and iPad. This application will give you feeling of playing Rummy with real cards. Rummy requires skill and use of memory and brain. Download from Apple App store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/indianrummy-by-octro/id577355241?ls=1&mt=8



Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Rules of Card Game: Seep or Sweep

This page tells you how to play sweep along with strategy and everything.

Sweep (or Seep) is a fishing card game played with 52-card pack without jokers. The game is played by 4-players or 2-players. The current version of Sweep is a two player game. You can play sweep with any of your Facebook friend or buddy or you can play with our computer (Bot). So you need to login to your Facebook account. You may also be able to play as Guest. As a guest you can’t play with any of your friend; you can play with Bot.
The aim is to capture cards that have point values. The total point value is 100 as under: All cards of spades have point values equal to their capture value (from king worth 13 down to ace worth 1 point). Each ace is worth 1 and 10 of diamonds in worth 6 points. Thus only 17 cards – 13 cards of spade, 3 aces of other suits and ten of diamond has point values, while all other cards have nil point value.
Besides earning the cards with points, a player can also earn bonus points by picking a sweep (or seep) that is worth 50 points except a sweep picked on start of play is 25 points and a sweep at the end of the play is worth nil points. At the end of the game, the points of each player are counted.

Each player in turn plays one card from the cards in his/her hand. A player has following choices to play his card:

Constructing a house, Breaking a house, Making a Pukka (unbreakable) house, Picking up a card, Throwing a loose card, Picking up a house.

House. A house is a pile of two or more cards on the floor. The smallest house has a capture value of 9 and the biggest 13 (king). A player can create a house only if he/she has a card equal to the capture value of the house. For example to create a house of 11, you must have a 11 (jack) in hand. Also a house of 11 can be picked only by a 11 (jack). The new house you make is not a ‘pukka’ (cemented or unbreakable) house (except house of 13 or a pukka house), which can be broken. For example, if there is a breakable or uncemented house of 9 on the floor, a next player can add a card of of 1, 2, 3 or 4 to make it a house of 10, 11, 12 or 13. For this the player must have a card of the capture value of the house so created.

Pukka (cemented or unbreakable) House. On a breakable house of 9 to 12 you may add another card or cards with sum equal to the capture value of the house, you have an unbreakable house. For example on a house of 11, if you put a jack or two or more cards with sum equal to 11, you have an unbreakable house. Such a house can not be broken. The unbreakable house of 11 can not be converted into a house of 12 or 13.

How Seep is played? Take the 52-card pack without jokers. For the very first game, decide who will be the dealer.
The bid number. The dealer after shuffle and cut gives four cards to the opponent player and places four cards with face down on the floor. After viewing his cards the opponent must announce a bid number from 9 to 13 based on his/her four cards. If the opponent does not have any card bigger than 8, he/she returns the cards. The pack of cards is reshuffled and cut and the deal is repeated. After the bid, the four cards on floor are turned face up; these four cards become the loose cards. Now the bidder plays a card. The bidder has following choices:
*create a house of bid value by adding one of his cards and one or more cards on the table, *plays the bid card to pocket one or more cards of value equal to the bid value, or
*throws a card of bid value on the floor as a loose card. A card can only be thown as a loose card if this card can not pocket any other loose card or cards.
After the first card is played by the bidder, the dealer completes the deal so that he/she gets a total of 12 cards and the opponent gets another 8 cards. The cards are dealt in a group of four.
Now it is the dealer’s turn to play one card in order to construct a new house or add the to an existing house, pocket a house or cards equal in capture value of the card played or throw a loose card. Each player in turn plays one card.

When each player has played 12 cards, deals again in a group of four so that all the cards are dealt. Thus both players get another 12 cards each. The game continues till both the players have played all the cards in their hands. Any loose card or cards remaining on the floor are picked by the player who last picked cards or house from the floor. Now the players count their points (only 13 cards have point values) and add 50 point for each sweep.

Play Seep or Sweep Online at
http://www.sweepgame.com

You can also download sweep on your mobile phones:
Seep or Sweep by Octro for iPhone and iPad.
Sweep by Octro for Windows Phone.

Seep or Sweep for Android Phones.