The rules of Tile Rummy.
Tile Rummy is played with tiles numbered 1 to 13 in four colors, plus two Jokers: you draw a tile, make runs and sets, open with at least 45 points and lay off tiles on the melds on the table until you’re rid of them all. Here it’s played by 2, 3 or 4 players, with an indicator tile, as a match of 1, 3 or 5 games with scores added up. Not played for money.
House rules, checked against the engine that applies them · updated
- Players
- 2–4
- Length
- 10–60 min
- Difficulty
- Strategic
- Leaderboard
- Yes
How to play.
Draw, open with 45 points and be the first out of tiles.
- 01♠
The tiles and the deal
- Played with 106 tiles: the numbers 1 to 13 in four colors — red, yellow, blue and black — each twice, plus two Jokers.
- Each player gets 14 tiles on their rack. The starting player gets 15: on the first turn they don’t draw but play straight away — they may even open — and discard a tile.
- A player drawn at random starts the first game; after that, players take turns starting.
- The remaining tiles form the draw pile, face down. You can’t see other players’ tiles: only how many they have.
- 02♥
The indicator
- At the deal, one tile is turned face up and stays visible for the whole game: that’s the INDICATOR. It isn’t played and can’t be taken.
- Whoever was dealt the indicator’s twin — the other tile with the same number and color; if the indicator is a Joker, the other Joker — gets 50 points at the end of the game. The table shows on its own who has it.
- If the indicator is a 1 or a Joker, it’s a DOUBLE GAME: all points in that game, won or lost, count twice.
- 03♦
Melds
Meld What it’s made of Example Run at least 3 numbers in a row, in the same color 5–6–7 red Set 3 or 4 tiles with the same number, in different colors 9 red, 9 yellow, 9 black - In a run, 1 goes at the start (1–2–3) or at the end, after 13 (12–13–1). It can’t go in the middle: 13–1–2 is not a run. Nor at both ends at once: a run has at most 13 tiles.
- A set can’t have two tiles of the same color, so a set has at most four tiles.
- A JOKER stands in for any tile. A meld must have at least twice as many real tiles as Jokers, and two Jokers can’t sit side by side.
- 04♣
The turn
- You draw a tile from the draw pile, lay down what you have to lay down and end your turn by discarding a tile. You must always keep one tile to discard.
- Until you open, you only draw and discard.
- Every meld on the table and every tile laid off is FINAL: it can’t be taken back.
- 05♠
Opening: 45 points
Tile Points when opening 2–9 5 10–13 10 1 at the start of a run (1–2–3) 5 1 after 13 (12–13–1) 10 1 in a set of 1s 25 Joker same as the tile it stands for - The first time, you lay down melds that add up to at least 45 points and include AT LEAST ONE RUN. Runs alone are fine; sets alone are not.
- The melds of your opening all go down at once: you pick them one by one, the table shows how many points you’ve gathered, then you lay them down.
- Once you’ve opened, you can lay down any new meld, with no minimum.
- 06♥
Laying off, the Joker and the discard
- From the turn AFTER the one you opened on, you can do three more things.
- You LAY OFF tiles on the melds on the table, yours or anyone else’s: the next number at the end of a run, the missing color in a set.
- You TAKE A JOKER from the table by putting in its place the very tile it stands for. In a three-tile set (two tiles and the Joker) you must put down both missing colors; with just one, the tile is laid off and the Joker stays. The Joker you take goes on your rack and you use it whenever you want.
- You TAKE THE LAST DISCARD instead of drawing from the draw pile — but only if you lay it down at once in a new meld, with at least two tiles from your rack. You can take only the tile just discarded by the player before you: the ones under it can no longer be taken, not even after the top one has been taken.
- 07♦
Going out and scoring
At the end of the game Points Each tile you put on the table, except the Joker what it’s worth in its meld The Joker on the table — once only, for whoever played it first +50, instead of the tile’s value Each tile left on your rack: 2–9 / 10–13 / 1 / Joker −5 / −10 / −25 / −50 You went out +100 You went out by discarding a Joker your points ×2 You hold the indicator’s twin +50 You never opened −100, instead of your leftover tiles Double game (indicator is a 1 or a Joker) everything ×2 - You GO OUT when you discard the last tile on your rack. You can’t lay down absolutely everything: the last tile must be discarded.
- If the draw pile runs out, the game ends after the player who drew the last tile discards. Nobody gets the going-out bonus; the rest of the scoring stays the same.
- A Joker taken from the table and played again earns nobody any points: the 50 stay with the player who played it first.
- 08♣
The match
- A match is made up of 1, 3 or 5 GAMES. The host chooses when opening the table; if nothing was chosen, it’s a single game.
- After each game the scores stay on the table for a few seconds, then the tiles are dealt again. Points add up from one game to the next.
- Whoever has the most points at the end wins the match. On equal points, the place is shared.
- 09♠
Thinking time
- The host picks the pace when opening the table: 30 or 60 seconds, or no timer. The time covers the WHOLE turn — drawing, laying down and discarding — not each tile.
- If you run out of time you are NOT eliminated: the table plays for you. It draws a tile, if you hadn’t drawn yet, and discards the tile drawn; whatever you laid down that turn stays. If the drawn tile is no longer on your rack, the table discards your most expensive tile that isn’t a Joker.
- From then on you’re “on autopilot”: the table plays your next turns, quickly, until you press “I’m back” or make a move.
- If you stand up or leave the table during the match, you’re out of it and placed after everyone still in, however many points you have: the tiles on your rack leave the game, your melds stay on the table and the others play on. With two players, the match goes to the one who stayed.
Rules differ from one place to another. The tables here play the version written above, so everyone plays by the same rules.
Do you play it differently?
The most common variants of Tile Rummy, and what happens with each one at the tables here.
Taking from the discard rownot played here
At many tables you can take any tile from the row of discards, together with all the tiles discarded after it. Here you take only the last discard, and only if you lay it down at once in a new meld.
Taking the indicator to go outnot played here
In some places the indicator can be taken instead of the tile you draw, if it lets you go out. Here the indicator just stays in view: it gives 50 points to whoever holds its twin and doubles the game when it’s a 1 or a Joker.
Opening with 45, including a runplayed here
Played here too, as at most tables in Romania. Other rules ask for 50 points or forbid opening in the first round.
Trading doublesnot played here
Announcing pairs of identical tiles and swapping them between players before the first turn. Not played here.
Rack rummynot played here
The version where nobody puts anything on the table and you go out when all your tiles are in melds. It’s a different game with the same tiles; here the melds go on the table.
Laid down stays downplayed here
Played here too: a meld laid down or a tile laid off can’t be taken back. At a real table you can redo your turn until you discard.
How to play better.
Don’t rush to open, but don’t get stuck holding it
Until you open, nobody sees your tiles and nobody can lay anything off on it. But if someone else goes out first, you take −100 instead of the points for your tiles. When someone is down to four or five tiles, open with what you have.
Keep tiles that work two ways
A red 7 next to a red 8 and a black 7 belongs to two possible melds. A lone tile, with no same-color neighbors and no matching number, is the first to discard — especially if it’s high.
Get rid of expensive tiles first
Once you’ve opened, a 12 or 13 left on your rack costs you 10 points, and a 1 costs 25. If it doesn’t connect to anything, it goes before a stray 4.
Watch what you discard to the next player
If they’ve opened, they can take your tile to make a new meld. Don’t discard the number that continues their run on the table, or the color missing from their set.
Play the Joker, don’t hold it
Played first on the table it earns you 50 points; left on your rack when someone else goes out, it costs you 50. And if you hold the real tile for a Joker on the table, take it: that’s a tile that fits anywhere.
Count the other players’ tiles
Under each name you can see how many tiles that player has left. From three down, the game can end on any turn: lay down all you can and get rid of your high tiles.
Questions about Tile Rummy.
- How many players can play Tile Rummy?
- Between 2 and 4. The seats are chosen when the table opens, and any left empty can be taken by bots.
- How many tiles does Tile Rummy use?
- 106 tiles: the numbers 1 to 13 in four colors, each twice, plus two Jokers. Every player gets 14, and the player who starts gets 15. One tile is turned face up as the indicator, and the rest stay in the draw pile.
- How long does a match of Tile Rummy take?
- About 10–60 min. The host sets the pace: 30 or 60 seconds per turn, or no timer at all.
- Can I play Tile Rummy against the computer?
- Yes. The host can seat bots in the empty seats, at two skill levels. But the moment the first bot sits down, the table drops off the leaderboard: a bot has no rating to put at stake.
- Do Tile Rummy matches count toward the leaderboard?
- Yes, as long as everyone at the table is human. Each game has its own leaderboard, with an Elo-style rating that starts at 1000.
- Do I need an account to play Tile Rummy?
- To sit at a table, yes. The rules above, the catalog and the leaderboards can be read without one, and you can watch an open table from the sidelines.
- Does it cost anything to play Tile Rummy here?
- No. The site is free: no subscriptions, no in-game payments and no playing for money. The account is free too.
Now you know the rules.
Create a table and play — no account needed.