What is Indian Rummy?

Indian rummy is the thirteen-card version of rummy played across India, normally with two 52-card decks plus jokers. Each player is dealt thirteen cards and must arrange them into valid sets and sequences before declaring. The binding rule is that a declaration needs at least two sequences, and at least one of those must be pure — formed without a joker. Declaring without a pure sequence is invalid and is penalised at the full count, commonly 80 points. It is not a house-banked game. Cash rummy sites take a rake or an entry fee and the players compete against each other, so there is no house edge in the casino sense. The cost is the commission, stated per table, and it is charged whether you win or lose. The legal footing differs from casino games too. India's Supreme Court held in 1968 that rummy is preponderantly a game of skill rather than chance, which is the basis on which real-money rummy operates where other formats cannot. Several states have since restricted or banned online money games, so the position depends on where a player actually is. The money detail that catches people out is tax. Indian rules withhold 30 percent of net winnings from online games at source, so the amount reaching a bank account is not the amount the table showed as won.