Pool Rummy Rules - Learn How to Play Pool Rummy

Pool Rummy is a popular variant of the traditional rummy card game. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards.

In the entertaining rummy game of Pool Rummy, players contribute a fixed amount of money at the beginning of the game, and the winner of the game takes the entire pool of money. This game is played between 2 to 6 players, and each player is dealt a fixed number of cards at the beginning.

The objective of Pool Rummy is to score the least number of points over a series of rounds. Points are assigned to every card in the deck, with the face cards (king, queen, jack, and ace) carrying 10 points each, while the numbered cards carry their face value in points. The joker card (wild card joker/printed joker), if used, carries zero points.

At the end of each round, the players count the points they have in unmelded cards, and the player with the highest points is eliminated from the game. The game continues in this manner until there is only one player left, who wins the entire pool of money.

Pool Rummy is a challenging and exciting variant of rummy that requires strategic thinking and planning to avoid getting eliminated from the game.

It is a popular game in India and is played in both online and offline formats. Also known as Syndicate among Rummy circles, it is played on India's most entertaining rummy app – RummyVerse, in two sub-variations. They are:

The popular 101 & 201 Pool Rummy Top

101 Pool Rummy and 201 Pool Rummy are the two most popular formats of pool rummy that are played all over the world.

How is Pool Rummy played and who is declared as a winner? Top

101 and 201 are the pre-determined elimination points of the two pool rummy variations. The essence of the game is that players must aim to score the least possible points and avoid reaching the elimination points of 101 and 201.

The player who reaches 101 and 201 points in the respective variants will have to leave the game, while the player who remains till the end with the minimum points is declared the winner.

Pool in and Pull out Top

All the players taking part in this game, join in with a Buy-In amount and the winner takes the sum total of Buy-In amounts (amount the players join the game with) after deduction of the rake amount.

When players play and win on our platform, the winning amount is credited to the winner's RummyVerse cash account.

Prize money calculation:
Prize Money = Number of Players X Buy-In amount – The Rake amount.

101 Pool Rummy Top

The winner of 101 Pool Rummy is the player with the least score at the end of the game.
Players have the option to drop a round, but the penalty earned for drops is as follows: 1st Drop is 20 points.
Middle Drop is 40 points.
The Full count in Pool 101 Rummy is 80 points.
The First Hand Show in 101 Pool game will yield a maximum of 40 points for the other players.
For a successful show, it is compulsory to have minimum 2 Sequences of which one has to compulsorily be a Pure Sequence (a sequence without a joker or wild card) and the other can be a pure sequence or an impure sequence (a sequence made with the help of a Joker card).
The player who makes a valid show gets 0 points.
The points for other players are calculated by summing up the values of their dead wood cards in hand. Again, the points of each round are added to derive the status of each player at the end of the round.
Players can do a Re-Buy and join back in the game after being eliminated. However, Re-Buying is only possible if the individual score of other players at the table is below 79 points.
Once the individual score of a player reaches 101 points or above, the player is considered eliminated from further rounds and must leave the table.

201 Pool Rummy Top

The Least scorer at the end of the game is declared the winner of this game in the rummy universe.
Players have the option to drop a round, but the penalty earned for dropping out is as follows:
1st Drop - 25 points.
Middle Drop - 50 points.
The Player incurs 80 points on Full Count in Pool 201 Rummy.
The First Hand Show in the 201 Pool game will yield a maximum of 40 points for the other players.
For a successful show, it is mandatory to have a minimum of 2 Sequences of which one has to compulsorily be a Pure Sequence (a sequence without joker or wild card) and the other can be a pure sequence or an impure sequence (a sequence made with the help of a Joker card)
0 points are awarded to the player who makes a valid show.
The points for each player are calculated by summing up the values of their dead wood/idle cards in hand. Again, the points of each round are added to derive the status of each player at the end of the round.
Players can do a Re-Buy and join back in the game after being eliminated. However, Re-Buying is only possible if the individual score of other players at the table is below 174 points.
Once the individual score of a player reaches 201 points or above, the player is considered eliminated from further rounds and has to leave the table.

All other widely practised and regular rules of Indian Rummy apply to Pool rummy as well.

61 Pool Rummy Top

61 Pool Rummy is a quick-play variant of Indian rummy designed for busy schedules.
The lowest scorer at the end of the game is the winner of 61 Pool Rummy game.
Drop options incur penalties: 15 points for the first drop and 30 points for a middle drop.
The full count for the game is set at 40 points.
A First Hand Show can yield up to 30 points for other players.
A wrong show results in a maximum penalty of 40 points.
A valid show requires at least two sequences: one pure sequence (without Joker) and another sequence, which can be impure (with Joker).
Players scoring 61 points or more are eliminated from the game.
Players can rejoin the game through Rebuy if other players' scores are 44 points or below.
The Manual Split feature can be enabled upon request when all players have scores above 46 points and no drop option is available.
In a split scenario, winnings are divided equally among the players that are still in the game, if all agree.
If any player declines the split, the game continues to the next round as usual.
Download Rummy apk to enjoy 61 Pool Rummy and other rummy cash games.

Pool Rummy FAQs

Q: What Exactly Is Pool Rummy Game?

A: Pool Rummy is one of the variations of the rummy card game in which two decks of cards are used and can be played by two to six players. The main goal of the game is to create valid sets and sequences using the cards you have and to reduce your point count to zero.

Pool rummy has two sub-versions: 101 Pool rummy and 201 Pool rummy. The game ends when one player's opponents exceed either 101 or 201 points, at which point the player with the lowest point count wins.

Q: How Do You Play Pool Rummy?

A: At the start of Pool Rummy, the dealer distributes 13 cards to each player, leaving the remaining cards as the draw pile/closed deck. To begin the game, the player on the dealer's left draws a card from the draw pile and discards one. This process continues with each subsequent player taking their turn in a similar way.

Each player must aim to create valid sequences and sets with the cards they have, discarding one card at the end of their turn. The game continues until one player successfully reduces their point count to zero. In games of 101 or 201 pool rummy, any player whose points exceed 101 or 201 respectively will be eliminated from the game. Your aim is to avoid reaching these (101/201) points.

Q: What are the rules of Pool Rummy?

A: The rules of Pool Rummy are as follows:

Each player is dealt/given 13 cards by the dealer.
The remaining cards become the draw pile or the closed deck.
The player to the dealer's left starts the game by drawing a card from the closed deck and discarding one.
Players must form valid sequences and sets with the cards in their hand and discard one card at the end of their turn.
The player with the least points at the end of the game is the winner.

Q: What Is A Valid Set In Pool Rummy?

A: A valid set in Pool Rummy is a group of three or four cards of different suits but of the same rank. For example, a set of 3 cards of Kings, with one of Clubs, one of Hearts and one of Spades becomes a valid set.

Now that you know how to play Pool Rummy Game, are you ready to Game On with RummyVerse?

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