The board game Goliath Rummikub is one of the five most popular games in the world. Probably because of its simplicity and fascination. Just numbers that need to be combined in different ways. Boring? Not at all! Goliath Rummikub is unique gameplay that’s fun and challenging enough to keep you playing again and again. Your goal in Goliath Rummikub is to earn as many points as possible, which you do by making melds and going out before the other players. But it’s important to know how to strategize when playing Goliath Rummikub, especially if you have the Goliath version, which has some added rules that can change up the game quite a bit.
Goliath Rummikub Rules
Like other long-lived games, Goliath Rummikub has become popular due to the combination of simple rules with fun and variety of gameplay. There is no fantasy setting in Rummikub, no popular TV characters – just numbers that need to be combined in different ways. But you need to follow these rules:
Set-up
Facedown all the tiles in the center of the table and mix them well. Every player picks one tile and the one with the highest number starts the game. Then they return the tiles to the table. Each of the players picks 14 tiles and arranges them on their rack into sets of groups. The tiles that are left on the table become the pool.
Sets
Rummikub consists of chips of four colors, in each color, there are numbers from 1 to 13, each with two. Plus, the game has two joker chips that can replace any other chip. Players make general combinations on the playing field, trying to be the first to get rid of their chips. You can make rows of chips of the same color (for example 3 4 5 6 or 4 5 6 7 8 ) and groups of chips of different colors, but with the same number (for example, 8 8 8 or 2 2 2 2 ). Here, in fact, are all the rules of Rummikub!
Playing The Game
In the first move (called initial meld), the players are required to place sets valued at at least 30 points onto the table. If the player cannot do an initial meld, he/she has the option to delay it. In this situation, the player takes one tile from the pool that concludes his/her turn.
Players have a one-minute time limit during this phase but if they go over that deadline then they must return all the tiles to their original position on the table and the player is required to take 3 tiles from the pool as a penalty.
Manipulation
Manipulation of tiles is the most exciting part of playing Goliath Rummikub. The players try to rearrange or add tiles to put the highest points on the table. The main focus is to make sets and not leave any loose tiles as leftovers.
The Joker
You cannot retrieve the joker before the initial meld. You can only retrieve it from the set by replacing it with the color it represents or a tile of the same numerical value. The player can select the tiles used for replacing the joker both from their racks or table. But the joker that is replaced must be used as a part of a new set in the player’s same turn. Here you must know that if the joker is left on the player’s rack at the end of the game, they have a penalty value of 30 points.
The Winner
The game ends when a player calls oy “Rummikub” after emptying his/her rack. Then the other players see their score by adding up the points on their rack. The winner of the round has the advantage to get plus score equal to the total of all the loser’s scores. At the end of the game, the player with the highest points will be the winner of the game.
Goliath Rummikub Tips
At the start of the game, it can be difficult to make even one combination. But before 10 minutes have passed, the number of options for action increases by an order of magnitude! And in the end, the number of options is simply limitless – you will need attentiveness and the ability to keep in your head the whole “complex” combination, waiting for your move.
In general, the game, on the one hand, is thoughtful and unhurried, and on the other hand, the rules provide only one minute for each move… We opted for slowness and usually do not follow the one-minute rule :-). Although, of course, in a limited time (or when players decide to seriously compete), this rule is very important.
Let’s Sum Up
However, one of the nice features of the game is that you can play it very seriously, carefully considering your moves and building complex combinations, without straining. Because of this feature, as well as thanks to simple and understandable rules, Rummikub standard Goliath has become an ideal family game – we can say that Rummikub can be safely recommended to absolutely everyone! Here we recommend a great platform where you can play this game: cardgame24x7