How to play Tile Rummy

Tile Rummy is the family rummy game played with numbered tiles instead of cards. Everyone works from the same shared table, and the fun is in the rearranging: on your turn you can pull tiles out of the sets already down, split runs, and rebuild the table so your own tiles fit in. Be the first to empty your rack and you win the round.

The tiles

• 106 tiles: the numbers 1 to 13 in four colors (black, red, blue and orange), two of each, plus two jokers.
• Every player starts with 14 tiles on their rack. The rest stay face down in the pool.
• Each color has its own small shape next to the number, so the colors are easy to tell apart.

Sets

• A group is three or four tiles of the same number, each in a different color: black 7, red 7, blue 7.
• A run is three or more numbers in a row in one color: blue 4, 5, 6. The 1 is always low; 12, 13, 1 is not a run.
• A joker can stand in for any tile.

Your turn

• Play at least one tile from your rack, or draw one tile from the pool. Drawing ends your turn.
• Your first meld must be new sets from your own rack worth 30 points or more, counting the numbers on the tiles (a joker counts as the tile it replaces).
• After your first meld, the whole table is yours to work with: add tiles to any set, move tiles from one set to another, split a long run in two, or swap a joker out.
• When you tap Done, every set on the table must be a proper group or run, and no tile that was on the table may go back to a rack.

How to move tiles

Tap a tile to pick it up, then tap a set to add it there, or tap the + box to start a new set. You can also drag tiles. A tile you placed this turn can go back: pick it up and tap your rack. Sets that are not right yet are outlined in red. Reset puts everything back the way it was at the start of your turn.

Scoring

When someone empties their rack, everyone else loses the total of the tiles left on their rack, with a joker counting 30, and the winner collects all of it. If the pool runs out and nobody can play, the lowest rack wins. You can play a single round or three rounds with a running score.

Tips

• Hold on to a joker until it really helps; it costs 30 if you are caught with it.
• Play your high tiles when you can. Low tiles cost less if the round ends.
• Look at the table before you draw: a tile often fits once you split a run or take the fourth tile from a group.
• Stuck? Tap Hint. It finds a play, even one that rearranges the table, and a second tap lays it out for you.

Questions

Can I play with my family? Yes. Invite them with a link from Settings; everyone plays on their own phone, and the computer fills empty seats.

Is there a daily deal? Yes: everyone gets the same tiles against the same three computer players each day, and you can compare scores.