The main rules of Rummikub center around grouping the colored and numbered tiles in groups of at least three. To qualify as a "set" or group, tiles may be all the same number and different colors or they may be all the same color and numerically in a row.
Rummikub comes with special stands on which players can line up their tiles. To begin the game, all tiles must be face down. It is best to place them off to one side in order to leave a large empty space in the middle for game play. Each player selects fourteen tiles and places them on his or her tile stand. In order to begin play, a player must be able to lay down a total of thirty points, determined by simply adding the value of the numbers on the tiles played. Each set or group must have a minimum of 3 tiles, sharing the same number or color (with numbers in a row) as described above. After laying down their sets, players end each turn by picking up one new tile from the face-down pile. Points can be tallied throughout the game, but the winner is the person who runs out of tiles first. There are also two "jokers" that can be played as any number or color. During play, players can move sets around, borrowing from a previous play or adding to it. When tiles are moved, however, each group must continue to have a minimum of 3 tiles.
