Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
FUN FUN FUN . |
| Disadvantages: |
. . . |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Rummikub was developed by a dude called ‘Ephraim Hertzano’ in the early thirties. Initially the rummikub sets were hand made in Hertzano’s backyard, by his immediate family. It was sold door to door in the early fifties; small shops had to be convinced to sell the game. This resulted in a slow but steady growth in the popularity of rummikub.
Today Rummikub is the third best selling game in the world. It is sold in 52 countries and is printed in 25 different languages.
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Rummikub is for 2-4 players aged 8 to adult.
THE CONTEN TS.
106 tiles (8 sets of tiles, 1 – 13 in 4 colours and two jokers)
4 racks
Rule manual.
OBJECT OF THE GAME.
The object of rummikub is to be the first player to shout out ‘rummikub’; by using up all of there tiles in runs or groups or by having the highest score at the end.
SET-UP.
Place the tiles on the table and mix up well. Each player draws a tile; the highest tile determines who plays first (play continues clockwise). The tiles are then returned and mixed up; Each player then takes 14 tiles and places them on their rack. The remaining tiles are the pool.
PLAYING THE GAME.
To begin you need a set of tiles; either a group of numbers or a run; there has to be a minimum of three tiles placed together.
A GROUP: this is a set of tiles with the same number; in different colours.
For example; red 3, black 3 and orange 3.
A RUN: this is a set of tiles that have consecutive numbers; which are all the same colour.
For example: red 3, red 4, red 5 and red 6.On your first turn the tiles accumulative total is to be 30 or above.
(The first turn is called ‘the initial meld’; during this turn no sets can be manipulated or built on.)
If you are unable to play on any turn; you are to draw another tile. Play then passes to the next player.
You can use as many tiles in one turn as you like; manipulating the tiles accordingly. Some ways to do this are to:
- Create groups and runs
- Adding tiles to sets in play (For example: there is a set of red 1, red, 2, red 3 in play; you have a red 4 on your rack. You can add your red 4 to that set making a run of 1, 2, 3 and 4);
- Rearranging the tiles in play (For example: already on the table is set of; red 1, black1, blue 1, yellow 1. You have a red 2 and a red 3 on your rack. You can take the red 1from the set and use it with your tiles for a run of 1, 2, and 3.)
The stipulations with tile manipulation are that the sets of tiles in play; have to be left as a minimum of 3 tiles and no loose tiles are to be left over.
The jokers can be used as any number that resembles the colour of the joker. It can be retrieved if you have the tile the joker is supposed to resemble; you can exchange it in your turn and use the joker for yourself.THE WINNER.
Once all your tiles have been used up; you shout ‘rummikub’ and you have won the game. Hurrah.
Should the tile pool run out and there has yet to be a winner; play continues until nobody can play any more tiles. The player with the least amount of tiles left is the winner.
Rummikub is currently priced at £19.99 in most toy shops and some supermarkets.
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Rummikub is amongst my favourite games as it is so practical; very little to set-up and is very easy to grasp. It may sound complicated but once you start playing it will soon become apparent just how simple it is to pick up. Although it may appear quite boring it is actually a lot of fun and is quite challenging. No one game is the same as the next.
The average game lasts a maximum of thirty minutes.
To start with the game feels quite slow; but as the sets of tiles build up, more and more manipulations become available … this is where it becomes challenging!
The tile manipulation is probably the most challenging aspect of this game; your skills at manipulation will develop each time you play as you see more and more ways that you can manipulate the tiles in your favour.
I have tactics for this game … so here are some tips; I think it is unwise to play all your usable tiles in one turn as the chances are you will be unable to play when your next turn comes around; leaving you no option but to draw a tile.
I try to keep general track of approximately how many tiles my opponents have; so I can see who the strongest player is.
When placing my tiles; I try not to open up new runs or introduce a new group of numbers (unless unavoidable) as this just increase’s the options for my opponents.
Instead I try to play my tiles one at a time when possible, holding back my groups and runs for as long as I can (tricking my opponents into thinking I have lots of tiles that I am unable to play, lulling them into a false sense of confidence muhahaha); I try to figure out how to manipulate the tiles to accommodate my rouge tiles, then when the opportunity strikes … I put the remaining tiles down in one extravagant turn and thus win the game!
Rummikub is a terrific family game as children grasp it just as easily as adults; with no one having any significant advantage over the other.
Rummikub is a very durable game; the tiles being thick sturdy plastic. Obviously having so many tiles it is so easy to misplace one or two (my dad made a bag with a drawstring to contain them within; this is a splendid idea and reduces the losses!)
I can categorically say ‘I love this game’, I suggest you all; buy it + try it!
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Some curious information about rummikub;
~If you took all the rummikub tiles manufactured and placed them end to end; they would circle the earth two and a half times.
~Hollywood stars that play rummikub are Elisabeth Taylor, Don Rickles, Bob Newhart and Telly Savalas; amongst others.
~In 1991 Lemada Light Industry started a tradition; the World Rummikub Championship. The winner wins The Rummikub World Cup and a pair of round the world tickets.
For more information visit; www.rummikub.com
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~ play nice and have fun dudes ~
| More Reviews |
 I now love tiling!
Review of Rummikub by
lisa8871
Advantages: A great statigic family game
Disadvantages: Can cause rows!
...all about?
HISTORY
Rummikub pronounced Rummy-cube was invented in the 1940's by a Romanian inventor called Ephraim Hertzano. He wanted a game that he could play with all his family, as cards were not allowed in Romania at that time, so Ephraim dreamed up this addictive game trying to keep it as close to a card game as possible. He made the tiles out of recycled Perspex airplane cockpit canopies, as this was cheaper than plastic. He then introduced ...
...he had managed to make Rummikub into a worldwide game sold in 48 countries and printed in 24 different languages, not bad for a game made in a small workshop!
CONTENTS
The game consists of 106 tiles numbered 1-13 in four different colours and two sets of each colour, blue, red black and yellow you also have two jokers. The tiles are cream in colour and rectangle in shape. They are quite sturdy and measure 3.75 cm x 2.75cm they feel quite nice and ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
26.09.2008
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 Fun you can count on!
Review of Rummikub by
jo145
Advantages: Number game for age 8 to adult that is fun.
Disadvantages: Can get nasty, if you like being vindictive!
...banned by some religions but Rummikub is considered to be OK because there are no images of kings and queens only numbered tiles. It was developed by Ephraim Hertzano in the early 1930’s.
*The Game*
It is a tile Rummy game which is played world wide. The object of the game is to dispose all of the tiles in your rack, and gain a high score. It is based on a card game, where the cards are drawn from a pile and laid down in sequences or triples.
...
...smooth to touch! The name Rummikub is imprinted on the lower part of the tile and on the reverse a smiley face is imprinted and the Rummikub name both above and below it. The tiles are numbered from 1 to 13, with two sets in each colour.
I would have liked to have had a bag to keep the tiles in! Not that I’m a really tidy person, but it keeps them safe in case the box gets knocked over, and so I made a large brightly coloured bag, which we pass ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
23.08.2004
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A game of numbers!
Review of Rummikub by
kingfisher111
Advantages: Good fun, easy to play
Disadvantages: none!
...round off the evening well. Rummikub is a good game for this, particularly if you like playing cards but want an alternative.
Rummikub is a cross between the traditional card game rummy and tile games such as Mahjong. It is a game for between two and four players and is suitable for the age of eight upwards.
Before starting the game you have to make sure that all 106 tiles are face down on the table. These tiles are made uo of the numbers one to ...
...that there is an actual rummikub website - www.rummikub.com - where you can find lots of background information about Rummikub and also see the range of games that there are. The game I am talking about is the original classic number game but there are also rummikub word and dice games as well as travel versions. Apparently there are also worldwide rummikub championships! I didn't actually know this site existed but will definitely look at it in ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
26.09.2006
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An excellent family game
Review of Rummikub by
Kukana
Advantages: Enjoyable, some luck and some careful skill, can be played by people of all ages
Disadvantages: The regular version is rather expensive to buy for a simple set of tiles
...had the travel version of Rummikub for a couple of years before discovering how to play. Somehow the instructions seemed complicated, and the tiles - two full sets of numbers from 1 to 13 in four colours - looked a bit dull. Then we learned to play at a friend's house. The rules are simple: each player takes 14 tiles, and tries to arrange them into sets of at least three tiles: runs (such as 4-5-6) in a single colour, or groups (eg three 7s) in different ...
...We have an ongoing Rummikub championship in our family, keeping a score tally for a year; rather than evening out, as would have happened in a game of pure chance, we found that one player tends to be the winner considerably more often than others. If you enjoy a relaxing evening with time to chat and something to focus on which requires some concentration, I can highly recommend Rummikub. If it's new to you, or to anyone else, it's best to play ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
13.08.2003
(19.12.2003)
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A game from the good old days.
Review of Rummikub by
nona1661
Advantages: Lots of fun
Disadvantages: Can be difficult for younger players to get the hang of.
I was very surprised when out shopping for Christmas presents for my children to see this game in a toy shop as i thought that it wasn't made any more. I played this game all this time with my friend almost 20 years ago (I'm showing my age now). I would go down to her house where we would sit and play game after game. Needless to say that i loved it. So i was more than happy to buy this for my 12 year old son as one of his Christmas presents and ...
...games.
So what do you get for your money:
104 tiles.
The tiles are cream in colour with the numbers 1-13 on them in four different colours(black, yellow,blue and red). There are two sets of each colour. There is also two joker tiles these are different for the number tiles as the have faces on them one red face and one black face.
You also get 4 racks one for each player to put your tiles on and a set of instructions.
Object of the game:
The ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
05.04.2004
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This product has not yet been reviewed. 
20.02.2006
