About Oklahoma Rummy

The Oklahoma rummy is a card game that you can play between two to four people. Also known as Arlington, it is a part of the extensive rummy family. It is a game similar to Canasta, where you can draw the entire discard pile into the hand. However, do not confuse this game with Oklahoma gin rummy. The point systems are different in these games.

History of Oklahoma rummy

Oklahoma Rummy is believed to have originated from Fortune Rummy. This game was popular in the Midwest region of the United States in the early twentieth century. Later on, it spread to other countries, and now due to the emergence of technology, this card game is available on our phones too.

Objective

The winner is the first player who gets rid of all the cards as soon as possible. You can do this by melding cards. You can form melds by laying three or more such cards of the same rank face up on the table. Two of these must be natural cards. No more than three wild cards are allowed.

What You Need

You can play the game between 2 to 4 players with a standard deck of playing cards, that is, a total of 52 cards.

Depending on the number of players, the cards are dealt with accordingly. If a game is between 2 players, each player has ten cards, but each player has seven cards when a game is between 3 or 4 players. Shuffle those cards to each player. The remaining deck is in the center of the table to form the stock. The top card that is face-up is also called the upcard. This becomes the top card of the discard pile.

Gameplay

Similar to all the rummy games, Oklahoma Rummy is around melds. A meld is a combination of three or four cards of the same rank or the same suit in sequence. A meld cannot have five cards. After the meld is complete, it is turned face up in front of the player. Players cannot add cards to their opponent's meld in this card game.

The game starts after choosing a dealer. The game will continue clockwise, starting with the player on the left. The first player draws a card from the draw pile. This pile is formed by the remaining cards that are placed face down. The player creates a meld from that pile. After drawing a card, the player must discard a card to the discard pile.

When a player has no cards in their hands, the game discontinues. The rest of the players who have cards will then calculate the points and tally. As per the rules, the player who has no cards is the winner, and each player's final score will decide the rank they hold for the round. After tallying the score, another round begins with a new dealer. 
 

Points System of Oklahoma rummy

Face cards like King, Queen, and Jack: 10 points each

Ace: 1 point

The other cards are worth their numerical value. This means that a 5 card has five points and a 3 card has three points.

Oklahoma Rummy Rules

In this rummy game, the top card from the discard pile is important because this decides the maximum points the player can have before knocking. There are a few additional rules in this card game as well besides the usual rules of rummy:

Gin

When a player has formed a meld successfully, that is, formed sets and sequences is called Gin. A player may lay down those cards on the table and discard the rest in the discard pile. When they have no unmatched cards, they can declare Gin.

Knocking

When a player can form a set or sequence, subsequently discarding a card and keeping sufficient points in hand, they usually have ten points or less before knocking. Also, they can knock after drawing a card but before discarding them. The round ends after a player knocks.

Undercut

An opponent can add melds to decrease deadwood cards(those that are not a part of any meld). This is an undercut. The knocker gets a penalty of 25 points while the opponent gets a bonus of 10 points.

What is knocking in Oklahoma rummy?

Knocking occurs when a player decides to declare all the cards in hand and the remaining card count becomes equal to or lower than the face value of the opening card. The rest lay their sequences and only add matching cards to the Knocking player's melds. This happens after the player declares the rummy game as a knock.

The player who declares the Oklahoma Knock gets ten points. For others, it depends on the unused cards. That decides the number of points a player gets. This should be less than the number of the Knocker's unused cards.

Use of Jokers in Oklahoma rummy

Oklahoma Rummy is very similar to Gin Rummy, but the dealer gives the players only seven cards instead of ten. Players in this variant use Jokers to make impure sets and sequences. 

Oklahoma Rummy Strategy

Draw from the discard pile when you really need that card. Otherwise, draw from the stock. When you draw from the stock, the opponent cannot get any information about it. Keep your hand as concealed as possible.

Knock as fast and as quickly as possible. Apply the Gin strategy when you are low on points, and the opponent is closer to winning. Collect the high cards at the beginning because generally, when the stock is in the middle, the game reaches towards the end. Eliminate all the deadwood cards and make the knock.

Analyze the opponent. Observe the cards that a player may pick up or discard. You will realize that you know what card to keep and discard after properly studying. Practice and improve your Oklahoma rummy game strategy to win both in online and offline live games.

What is Oklahoma Gin?

Oklahoma gin is a skill-based card game. Played between 2 to 4 players, this game is a variation of Gin Rummy. Each round aims to have as many complete sets and sequences as possible with the least amount of deadwood cards ( Cards you cannot use to create sets or sequences. They are not a part of any meld). Another aspect of the game is that after a player has declared, the rest of them show their sequences and sets such that they carry minimum points. They receive double the points of the cards that couldn't be used to make sequences or sets.