If you’re someone who enjoys an adrenaline rush while playing a game, you might know how interesting the game of online rummy is. Even if you haven’t played the game before, you sure would have heard or read how fascinating it is. Despite its simple rules and gameplay, rummy requires skills and clever strategies to win. However, many players who flock to the game regularly end up making mistakes that take them farther away from winning. In this article, we’ll go over 10 major reasons why you might not be winning at online rummy, along with tips to help you improve your chances of winning.
- Ignoring gaming fatigue
Lured by the thought of winning prizes, players often end up ignoring gaming fatigue. When you invest your energy in playing rummy for a long period of time, a kind of weariness kicks in. This may make it difficult for you to keep your focus intact as the game proceeds.
A good suggestion here is to take a short break before playing more games. This will help you refresh your mind and make better decisions.
- Lack of practice
It is a common misconception that just by learning how to play rummy online, a player is ready to play the game for high stakes. This is perhaps the most basic error made by a new rummy player.
So practice enough prior to joining any high-stake contests or tournaments. It will give you the opportunity to hone your skills and make you capable of playing highly competitive tournaments. Moreover, practice games are available for free and you get to play with a wide range of skilled players from across the country.
- Jumbling up the basics
Even if you’ve been playing rummy for a long time, it so happens that during the game you get confused about some basic rules. Make sure you go through the game tutorials at least once before you start playing the game. Remember that creating at least one pure sequence should be a priority. You will not be able to win the game without a pure sequence.
- Making a declaration without checking your cards
Making an invalid declaration in rummy is the most well-known slip-up most amateur and even some veteran players do. This costly mistake not only puts an end to your hopes of winning but also gives you a penalty of 80 points.
Hence, ensure that you check all your cards before declaring them or else you may lose the game by a big margin.
- Not knowing when to drop
One of the common mistakes is to prolong the game without any reason. When you stay in the game even though you know that you have bad cards, you are just adding on to your margin of loss. Hence, always analyze the cards you have in your hand and judge whether it will be sensible to continue the game with them. If you feel that your chances of winning are weak, you should consider dropping the game.
- Chasing losses
Impulsive decisions when you are trying to chase a loss often make you lose more. When you start a game with the intention of recovering a loss suffered previously, you aren’t actually focusing on the game but instead playing in hopes of winning something back. Make sure you always play your games with self-imposed limits. Remember to take a short break and assess your strategies before you begin a new game. This will ensure that you play each game with a fresh mind and do not carry the burden of a previous loss on to the next game.
- Not observing competitors’ moves
You ought to keep an eye on the moves of your opponents. Notice the cards your opponents are picking from the open pile and see the cards being discarded to it. If you look carefully, you may understand the combinations your opponents are trying to make and when you do that, you can make sure that you do not give out any cards that they might find useful. This will be difficult initially, but eventually with practice, you might even become a genius in foreseeing their next move.
- Hoarding high-value cards
Points are calculated based on the value of cards you have in your hand. High-value cards such as the ace, king, queen and jack are worth 10 points each. Since points are negative in rummy, it is a sensible decision to discard high-value cards as soon as possible unless they can help you form any sets or sequences. This will help in reducing your penalty if any of your opponents declares before you.
- Discarding the joker
In rummy, the joker works as the trump card. It can be used as a substitute for any missing card in a sequence or a set. It is worth zero points. Hence, it would be foolish to simply discard it. Using this card well will give you an upper hand over your opponents. However, if you have too many jokers and you are unable to form a pure sequence, you can discard one or more jokers to achieve that goal.
- Not choosing the right game format and variation
It is extremely important to choose the correct format and variation before you start playing. If you are trying the game out for the first time or are in the initial stages of learning it, try out all the available game formats and variants and identify the one you’re most comfortable with.
You can play three different variations, namely points, pool and deals rummy. Points rummy is played for a single deal. Pool rummy is usually played several rounds and the players get knocked out when their score reaches a certain limit. The only player left at the table in the end wins the game. In deals rummy, you play for a fixed number of deals and the player with the most chips at the end of the final deal wins.
If you want to maximize your chances of winning at rummy, avoid making these typical mistakes. Play a lot of practice games, pay attention to your hand, and observe your opponents’ moves and cards too. Happy gaming!
