Kalooki Rules & History

Kalooki History Kalooki, which is also known worldwide as Kalookie or Kaluki (and sometimes as Caloochi, Kaloochi, or Kalougi), is a Rummy variant that is similar to Rummy with several key differences. It is actually a variant of a variant of Rummy, which is called Contract Rummy. Contract Rummy consists of several rounds, in which players must collect specific combinations of sequences and groups before they’re allowed to meld. As deals progress, the contracts become more demanding. There are several variants of Kalooki, including European, North American, South African and Jamaican Kalooki (two Groups of 3 cards, one Group of 3 and one Sequence of 4, etc.). Kalooki Rules European Kalooki This version of Kalooki is very popular in Britain, and is frequently played privately and in clubs. It can be played from 2 to 5 players. 2 standard 52 card decks are used, along with 2 Jokers, totaling 106 cards. Each player receives 13 cards, and each card has certain point values, as follows: Ace - 11 points Ten, Jack, Queen, King - 10 points each. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 - each according to face value. Joker - 15 points, unless used in a meld, and then the Joker equals the value of the card it substitutes. Players try to meld (or lay down) their cards by creating sets (equally ranked cards) and runs (consecutive cards of the same suit). The first player to meld all his cards wins the hand. This is also known as ‘calling up’. At that point all the other players score penalty points by adding the values of their remaining cards. The player to accumulate over 150 penalty points over a series of hands is eliminated from the game. To get back to the game the player needs to buy back inside by placing a stake in the pool. The remaining player, after all the other players have been eliminated, is the winner of the game and collects all the money in the pool. Before each game starts it is required to come to terms on the following stakes: Kalookie - the sum paid to the player who wins the hand by laying down all of his cards (13 cards) in one lay down. Call up - the sum that the other players have to pay to the winner of the hand. Initial stake - the sum paid to the pool by all players at the beginning of the game. Buy in stake - the sum that the eliminated player must pay in order to get back in the game. A version of Kalooki that is very close to British/European Kalooki is called Swedish Kalooki. The main differences are that in Swedish Kalooki the player who accumulates 100 penalty points (instead of 150) is eliminated from the game, and the stakes are also different. North American Kalooki The North American (i.e. United States) version of Kalooki is different from the European version. Among the main differences there are: There are 108 cards - 2 decks of 52 cards and 4 Jokers. Each player gets 15 cards when 2, 3, or 4 players play. If there are 5 players each player gets 14 cards, and if there are 6 players each player gets 11 cards. The initial meld requires 51 points, but cards built on another player’s meld are counted toward this requirement if the player makes one of more melds himself. A player can't take cards from the discarded cards stack before he puts his initial meld. Despite this, he can take the discarded card at the top and use it as part of the initial meld. An Ace can either be the high card (i.e. Q,K,A) or the low card (i.e. A,2,3) in runs, but both at the same time. Aces equal 15 points and a Joker left until the end counts as 25 points (in some USA East Coast variations Aces equal 11 points). There are no pools buy ins. There’s no score for melding all the cards in one turn (Kalooki). Jamaican Kalooki Apparently, Kalooki is a popular game in Jamaica. It is a variation of Contract Rummy (sometimes called “Super Kalooki”) and is different from the European and North American versions of Kalooki. There are 108 cards in the game – 2 decks of 52 cards along with 4 Jokers. South African Kaluki South Africa is another country where Kalooki is popular. Similar to Jamaica, South African Kalookie is a variation of Contract Rummy. As with other Kalookie variants, the objective of the game is for a player to lay down all his cards, while the remaining players are penalized for the cards they have left.

 

< Prev		Next >