Rummy

Uncovering and recounting the history of Rummy is insightful but lacks the clarity and definition that a true historian likes.  Three cultures lay claim to the origin of Rummy.  As the game developed and offshoots of Rummy evolved, most historians conclude that Rummy, as we know it today, is the byproduct of all three cultures that claim the game’s birth.

All modern day Rummy games have definite characteristics.  At the core of all Rummy games is the “draw and discard” concept, whereby at each turn of the hand, a player must draw one or more cards and then discard from a strategically managed reserve.  The goal of each play in Rummy games is to develop a hand into sets of matching cards or melds which are three or four cards of equal rank or three or more cards in a suited sequence.  Unless the game involves trumps or tricks, any game that includes draw and discard and contains a reward for the formation of melds is a version of a Rummy game.

The first and oldest of the three versions of Rummy is Conquian.  This Spanish version originated hundreds of years ago and was exported to Mexico in the mid 1800’s and was imported by Texans in the late 1800’s.  Texans named the game Cooncan or Coon King or Coonkin.  The game worked it sway across the country to England where it was renamed Rum, meaning “odd” or “queer”.

The Conquian version of Rummy has striking similarities to the modern game of “Gin Rummy” in that the objective of Conquian Rummy is to be the first player to be rid of all cards by laying them down, face up on the playing surface, in matched sets called spreads.  Later, spreads became known as melds.  When a player lays down his hand, other players are assigned a score based upon the “deadwood” or cards remaining in their held cards.  In a later, American version, of the game called Michigan, a player’s score also includes not only the “deadwood” but accounts for any claimed melds.  This scoring system has striking similarities to today’s “Gin Rummy.”

This earliest version of Rummy is described in some detail by R.F. Foster, in Foster’s Complete Hoyle of 1897.  In an 1897 work entitled the Standard Hoyle, the game is called Coon Can.  Foster’s Complete Hoyle, refers to the game as Conquian.  Foster tracks the game to Mexico by way of Spain and states that the game was then popular in all states bordering Mexico.  Foster also believed the game to have originated  in Spain because it used the Spanish, or 40 card, deck.

Another researcher, Stewart Culin, speculated that the game was played by Apache Indians.  Culin calls the game Con Quien, Spanish for “with whom.”

The Chinese version of Rummy is traced to a derivative of Mah-Jong, believed to have been conceived during the Tang dynasty, more than 1000 years ago.  There has even been speculation that Confucius originated a form of the game as early as 500 B.C.  This game was played with paper cards before more ornate tiles were created.  The characteristics of the game also featured drawing and discarding and a strategy to shape melds.  An Englishman, Mr. W. H. Wilkinson named a version of this game “kun p’ai” and convinced a friend to publish rules of play for a similar game under the name of Khanhoo in 1891.  Khanhoo was played with two decks of 31 cards each.  The 62 card deck was similar to the Chinese deck and consisted of the ace through nine in three suits and one jack, one queen, one king unsuited and a joker from each deck.  In this game, each player received fifteen cards which were used to form melds or sequences.  The discard pile was turned to become a new draw or stack pile.

A similar game was called Kon Khin which sounds so similar to Conquian that speculation arose that the game arrived in the Southwest United States via Chinese immigrants or that the game was picked up by Portugese in China and exported to the Philippines and then to Mexico.  This Spanish game came to be called Chincon and was played with a Spanish deck of either 40 or 48 cards.

The third and least probable origin of Rummy is tied to the game of Poker which was developed by early French settlers in North America.  While there are distinct similarities to poker blends, such as “three of a kind” or a “straight,” poker is not a draw and discard game.  Attempts to link Rummy to poker origins begin with a game called “Whiskey Poker,” an offshoot of which became known as “Rum Poker” which became “Rum” or “Rummy.”

Wherever Rummy originated, it has transcended time and international borders.  Meanwhile, all modern day Rummy games have distinct similarities.  The components of all gin games include;

• The Deal – where a dealer issues cards to the players.
• The Up Card – the last card dealt is turned up and begins the discard pile.
• Aces Low – Aces do not go around the corner and are deemed to be low.
• Card Scoring – cards retain their numerical value except for face cards which are assigned a numerical value of ten.
• Discard Pile – where players put their unwanted cards face up.
• The Stock Pile – the pile of cards facing down from which players can pick cards to be added to their hands.
• The Meld – at least three cards forming a sequence or a set.
• Laying Off – the process by which players can play unmatched cards from their hand to another’s hand.
• Deadwood Count – the sum of unplayed or unmatched cards.

Rummy, Rummy 500, Gin Rummy, Contract Rummy, Kalooki and Canasta are some of the more popular forms of Rummy games.  Today, many of these games are played on the internet.  The great news is that wherever Rummy came from, it is now a global experience shared equally by players of all ages, nationalities and both genders.