Rummoli Official Rules

Table Top RUMMOLI tray makes this
old favourite even more enjoyable to play.

Where this information came from.

Rummoli can be played by two to eight players on the "Rummoli" playing surface with a standard deck of playing cards (minus the Joker) and counters or chips.

  To Start the Game - The players cut the cards to determine the dealer of the original hand - Ace is high.  The playing chips or counters are divided evenly among the players.  Each player places a counter on each of the nine sections of the playing cover and the dealer deals out the cards, one at at time, dealing an extra hand which is known as the "Widow".  Some players may have more cards than others, that is is of no consequence.

Rummoli Rules English

After looking at the cards in his own hand, the dealer may, if he so desires, exchange his hand for the "Widow", but must not look at the cards in the "Widow" before the exchange is made.  I f the dealer decides to play his original hand, he may auction the "Widow" to the highest bidder among the other players, and he, of course, keeps the proceeds.  Any player making an exchange of his hand for the "Widow" must accept the "Widow" even though it should turn out to be a poorer hand than his original hand.  The hand which is exchanged for the "Widow" is dead, and not used at all in the play.  It should be placed face down so that the cards are not known to any other player.

  Method of Play - There are two parts to the game which are described in detail as follows:

Poker Guide (from old playing card).

  Poker Play - Each player selects from his hand the five cards which he thinks will make the most powerful poker hand and lays aside, for the time being, the remainder of his cards face down.

This part of the game may be played in two different ways and the players should agree beforehand which method is to be used.

      Method No. 1.  The players may arrange to have a "showdown" of the poker hands, each player placing his hands on the table face up, and the player having the hand with the greatest poker value takes all the chips in the "Poker Pot".

     Method No. 2.  The players may bet and raise the bet as in a regular poker game and all bets should be placed in the "Poker Pot".  The player who forces all the players out of the fame or who has the best poker hand when hands are shown takes all the counter in the "Poker Pot".  A player who has been forced out of the betting cannot participate in the Pot even though he discovers later that he had the best hand.

  Rummy Play - The players now pick up the cards they laid aside for the Poker Play and arrange their entire original hand in suits.  The winner of the Poker hand now places on the table face up the lowest card in his hand calling it aloud.  The play passes to the left and the player having the next consecutive card or cards in the same suit plays it or them face up before him.  The play continues in this manner until the ace of the suit has been played or until the continuity of play is broken by a card in the dead hand.  When a suit is closed by playing of the ace or blocked by a card being in the dead hand, the player who played the last card now plays the lowest card in his hand in a suit of a different colour to the suit last played and play continues in this manner until all suits have been run out.  If a deadlock occurs, that is, if no player is able to change the colour of the suit, the had is finished and each player must place in the "Rummoli" section a chip for each card he has left in his hand.

  Pay Cards - There are seven spaces marked with certain cards or combination of cards.  As a player lays down one of these cards or sequences he collects the chips on the space marked the same as the card or cards he has played.

The first player to get rid of all his cards collects the chips on the space marked "Rummoli" and this marks the end of one hand.  All other players pay the winner a chip for each card left in his hand.

The deal passes to the left and at the start of each new hand each player places another chip on each of the nine spaces on the cover.

At the end of a hand it is quite likely that chips remain on some of the spaces owing to the fact that the cards in in the dead hand, or that no one player held the proper sequences in his hand, or that one player has got rid of all his cards thus ending the hand before another player had a chance to play his pay cards.  Such chips are allowed to collect from hand to hand until a player can play the right card or cards to claim them.

  To End the Game - At the conclusion of the game the players must decide among themselves how to dispose of chips remaining in any of the spaces.  This may be arranged by simply cutting the pack and high man taking all the chips, or dealing to each player a poker hand (five cards) and the best poker hand winds all the chips remaining on the board.

Copyright 1940  Copp Clark Limited, Toronto