How to deal with a bad hand in a rummy game

Life is not a bed of roses. We all don’t get the things on a silver platter. We have to scrape and piece it together to get what we want. The same situation translates into the online rummy sphere.

Rummy is a game that requires you to utilize your skills and strategies to win. Each player gets 13 cards which they have to assemble into sets and sequences. At times, the players may get bad hands which they may find difficult to organize. No matter the hand, a good rummy player would prevail in the game no matter how bad their hands are. In this post, we will teach you how to deal with a bad hand.

Dealing with a Bad Hand

1. Bluffing

Bluffing is a term that’s often related to having some sort of a negative connotation. However, in card games, bluffing is an art which needs to be perfected by everyone. Bluffing is nothing but tricking your opponent by throwing a card or with your emotions (in a real game). For instance, You may throw a card you need and deceive your opponent.

While it may sound so simple in writing, executing it to perfection is an art. You need to practice as much as possible to master this art.

2. Analyze your cards

As soon as the cards are dealt, sort your cards and analyze them before making a move. This will give you an idea about how to proceed with the game and strategize your moves.

For instance, if receive a bad hand and play it without analyzing the cards, chances are such that you will lose by a big margin. At the same time, you should analyze your competitor’s cards and their moves. While keeping track of their moves will give you an upper hand.

3. Discard High-Value Cards

In the Indian rummy game (King, Queen, Jack, and 10) are considered high-value cards. All these cards are worth 10 points each. If you are dealt a bad hand consisting of high-value cards, it’s imperative to discard them right away.

If you do not discard them at the earliest, chances are that they may cost you the game heavily. When you play rummy with real money and do not discard it as said, you will have to lose a large amount of money.

4. Drop the game

At times, you can quit the game without suffering a huge loss. It can be done by using the Drop option available on the screen.
1. First Drop – If you decide to quit in the first round, you will lose with 20 points
2. Middle Drop – If you decide to quit at any point other than the first round, you will lose with 40 points.

The drop option is quite useful when it comes to dealing with a bad hand in a rummy game. You can quit the game, there’s no shame in doing so, even for expert players at all times.

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5 signs of a bad hand in Rummy

Bad hand

Winning a rummy game primarily depends on two factors – the cards you receive and how good your rummy strategies are. One of the critical aspects of rummy strategies is your ability to predict if your opponent is having a bad hand. If you are good at predicting your opponent’s hand, there’s an excellent chance to refine your rummy strategies according to the situation. It is easy in an offline rummy game as your opponents are in front of you giving enough giveaways like face reaction etc.

However, online rummy game is a different breed altogether. Here, you don’t get to see your opponents directly, and in all probability, they might be living in an entirely different geographical location from you. How can you know if your opponent has a bad hand? As you don’t have a way to see his face, the best you can do is observe his game play. As you follow his game-play, you get enough clues that would be enough to seal the game. Hard to believe? Here are the five ways through which you can get to know if your opponent has a bad hand.

Five moves that indicate if your opponent is having a bad hand

1. Bluffing

If Your opponent is a seasoned veteran, he will not give up that easily. The most stimulating element associated with rummy is bluffing. Bluffing is one of the most effective tricks in a card game. Rummy pros often bluff their way to win. If your ordinarily calm and calculative opponent, suddenly plays a loose and fast game blowing hot and cold, then there is a chance he is bluffing. It’s not that easy to identify bluffing as your opponent remains unseen. The best way is to have a firm grip over your hand.

2. Discarding High-value cards

If your opponent keeps dropping high cards (A, J, Q, and K), then it is evident that he is trying to reduce the point load. If the player has a winning hand, he won’t keep discarding high-value cards continuously. Some players might do it as a bluff. However, in most cases, you can be confident that your opponent has a bad hand.

3. Discarding Low-Value cards

Discarding high-value cards reduce the point load but what if a player discards low-value cards? Yes! There are many instances where players will keep discarding low-value cards. It’s a trap; your opponent does that to unsettle you. As you become jittery, you become prone to commit mistakes which your opponent capitalize brilliantly. Make sure if your opponent discards low-value cards more than once in a game, it means they might be having a bad hand, and he/she is probably setting up bait.

4. Picking up middle-value cards

If your opponent is picking up lots of middle-value cards (5, 6), then it’s pretty clear he doesn’t have a right hand and is trying to make up for it by trying to meld a sequence with mid-value cards. A mid-value card can combine with both low and high-value cards. There lies its advantage.

5. Picking up from the open deck

If your opponent has a good hand, he would more likely pick his cards from the closed deck. If he picks up cards from the open deck, it means his desired cards are with his opponents. Instead of folding if the player picks up continuously from the open deck then it’s clear that he’s struggling with a bad hand. In this case, as a player, you need to be extra careful with your discards as they might grab it the moment you drop.

Conclusion

Getting a bad hand is not so uncommon in online rummy; professional players know the difference between a playable and unplayable distinction. Smart players know the distinction and can turn even a bad hand into something useful. The trick here is to stay alert all the time and put your rummy tricks into use productively.