How to Play
Michigan Rummy, Tripoley or Rummoli is a family card game for 2 to 9 people. This Canadian board game requires a game board, a deck of playing cards (52 cards, no jokers), and chips or coins to play. The game is usually played for fun, or for small stakes (e.g. Pennies). Rummoli is one of the more popular versions of the game. However, many call it Tripoley (a proprietary name) or by its generic name, Michigan rummy.
The Board
The game board, used during play has a rectangular shape containing thirteen (13) different “pots”. Each of these “pots” on the board are used to store chips or coins. The ordering of the “pots” around the board is not important. They include:
- the Pot
- Ace of Clubs
- Ace of Diamonds
- Ace of Hearts (2 different pockets)
- Ace of Spades
- 8-9-10 All One Suite or 6-7-8 All One Suite
- King-Queen of Hearts
- the Kitty
- 10 of Hearts
- Jack of Hearts
- Queen of Hearts
- King of hearts
Play
For clarity:
- Ace is high.
- The “lowest card” means the lowest card in a player’s hand or, if two or more cards are equally low, either or any of them.
- “Low Black” means the lowest card in the player’s hand that is a Club or Spade.
- “Low Red” means the lowest card in the player’s hand that is a Diamond or Heart.
The game is played in one or more rounds. The game ends at the end of a round, at the discretion of the players. For example, it may be agreed to finish at a certain time, or when all but one player has exhausted their chips or money.
Prior to the deal, each player puts one chip or coin into each “pot”. To play a round, it takes 13 chips or coins.
Rounds
For each round, there are four stages: the Deal, the Poker phase, the Rummy or Rummoli phase and the End Round, which are played in sequence.
Deal
Before the cards are dealt, each player pays one chip or coin to each “pot” on the game board. The dealer then deals around the table to every player, and an extra hand (in some terminology known as a ghost hand) called the widow.
All cards are dealt, so some players may have one more card than others.
Once this is completed all players look at their own hands.
The widow hand can (at the dealer's wish) be swapped with the dealer's hand (should not be exchanged if his hand contains a pay card). If the dealer looks at the widow hand, he must keep the new widow hand and can auction off the previous used hand. If the dealer does not look at the widow hand, he can auction off the new widow hand, usually for a higher amount.
The new or used widow hand is auctioned off to the highest bidder, who pays their bid to the dealer, and that player exchanges hands with the widow. Any player except the dealer may bid for the new or used window hand. However, players should not exchange hands if their current hand contains a pay card.
Once the bid is accepted the player is committed to the exchange regardless if the widow is a poorer hand. The widow hand takes no further part in the play.
Poker Phase
The player to the left of the dealer starts off the betting, having the option to check.
Betting continues in regular poker fashion. Bets are placed into the POT.
The remaining player with the best poker hand wins the poker pot (the pocket called “Pot”) and begins the Rummoli or Rummy phase.
Rummoli or Rummy Phase
While this phase is being played, if any player lays down a card corresponding to a pot such as Ace of Spades, the player picks up that pot. If a player places down a card that corresponds to a pot without realizing so, then the chips stay in the pot. The player must collect or call out to collect before the next card is played.
The winner of the poker hand "plays" the lowest card in the hand, Low Black. To play a card, the player states the card he or she is playing and puts it down in front of them. For example, if the lowest card in my hand is the 3 of hearts, I put the card down in front of me, say, "three of hearts." If I have the 4 of hearts, I would play that as well. If I have two 3s in my hand, I may choose either 3.
The player with the next card in the sequence of the suit must lay that card, and this continues with players laying cards until nobody has the card that follows in sequence (remember, some cards are missing from the widow hand that is not being played).
If no one holds that next card (that is, it has already been laid or is in the widow hand) the player who last laid a card then lays the lowest card in a suit of the opposite color (that is, hearts or diamonds “low red” if the last card was spades or clubs, and vice a versa or “low black”).
A player not having a card of the required color must pay the kitty one chip or coin, the play then moves clockwise. If the next player also cannot play, this step repeats, as necessary. If an impasse is reached (all players only have red cards), the color then changes to the opposite color.
Having laid an Ace the next card in sequence is the lowest card in the opposite color. The player who played the Ace continues with the next low card. However, if the player does not have a card of opposite color, he or she must pay the kitty one chip or coin.
Once a player has played all their cards, they call “I’m Out” and everyone counts their remaining cards in their hand. For each card remaining in their hand, the player throws one chip/coin into the kitty.
A card once laid takes no further part in the play.
End Round
The first player to have an empty hand wins the kitty.
All other players must then pay one chip for each remaining card they hold.
All pots that are not won remain on the board and accumulate in subsequent rounds.The pots for 6-7-8 or 8-9-10 and Queen and King of Diamonds often accumulate over several rounds, since these combinations are less likely to be held by one player alone, and even if they are, another player may win the round before there is any chance to play them.
The deal shifts after each round, one player clockwise.
