Rummikub
Classic Track with Paper ScoreRuns, groups and a 30-point opener.
Score Rummikub on paper, or track each round in Paper Score. One row per round: the winner gets a plus, everyone else a minus, and each row adds to zero.
Prefer paper? Download the free printable score sheet (PDF)
Outside the US? A4 version
Page challenge
Settle the racks
Pick who went out, then drop the tiles left on everyone else's rack. Each loser goes minus their tiles; a joker left behind costs 30. The winner collects it all, so the row always adds to zero.
Collect 60 or more as the winner for a gold star. Best: –
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Who goes first?
Settle it before the Rummikub argument starts. Pick how many players, add names if you like, and spin.
Keeping score too? Doodle Score remembers your players and tallies every round.
Game Identity
- Name: Rummikub
- Player Count: 2–4 players (106 tiles: numbers 1–13 in four colors, twice, plus 2 jokers).
- Teams: No. Each player scores alone.
- Theme: Tile-based rummy. Build runs and groups on the table and rearrange what is already there.
Scoring Mechanics
- Scoring Variant: Accumulative, zero-sum. Each round the winner gains what everyone else loses.
- Target Score: No fixed target. Play an agreed number of rounds (often one per player, or until someone reaches a total the table picks). Highest total wins.
- Unit of Scoring: Tile face values left on racks when a round ends.
- Lower vs. Higher: Higher total wins.
Rules & Validation
Per-Round Logic
- Initial meld: Your first play must be one or more sets from your own rack totaling at least 30 points (tile face values). Jokers count as the tile they replace. You cannot use table tiles for it.
- Tile values: 1–13 count face value. A joker left on your rack costs 30.
- Losers: Each player who did not go out scores minus the total of the tiles left on their rack.
- Winner: The player who went out scores plus the sum of everyone else's penalties. The round always nets to zero.
- Pool runs out, nobody goes out: The player with the lowest rack total wins the round. Each player subtracts their own rack total; the winner adds the difference between each other player's total and their own (official rule). Many tables simplify this. Write down which way you play.
Special Actions / Bonuses
- Joker penalty: 30 points if still on your rack.
- Going out: Gains the sum of all other racks.
Win Conditions
- Condition: After the agreed rounds, the highest total wins.
- Tie-Breaker: Play another round.
Set Up in Doodle Score
Rummikub doesn't have a dedicated scorecard yet — track it for free using a general scorecard:
- Tap New Scorecard and choose Paper Score (tracks all players each round in a grid)
- Add 2 or more players
Score type: Ascending — highest score wins.
Common Rummikub rules questions
The arguments that come up at the table, answered from the official rules. Where house rules differ, we say so.
How many points do you need for the first meld in Rummikub?
30 or more, using only tiles from your own rack. You can't use tiles already on the table for it.
Can you rearrange sets on the table?
Yes, after your initial meld. You can split, add to or move tiles, as long as every set is valid at the end of your turn.
Can you take back a joker in Rummikub?
Yes. Replace it with the tile it stands for, from your rack, then play the joker again on that same turn.
What is a joker worth at the end?
A joker left in your rack counts as 30 penalty points.
Can a run go 12-13-1?
No. A 1 can only be the low end of a run.