Welcome to Umtali!

Umtali is a fantastic Rummy game that used to be super popular in Zimbabwe back in the 1970s. What makes this game so special is all the cool ways you can make sets of cards. You can put cards together in sets, runs, marriages, and even individual jacks. And the best part? You can finish a game in no time because it’s divided into four rounds!

The Cards and the Deal

In Umtali, you play with a regular deck of 52 cards. To figure out who goes first and keeps score, both players pick a card from the deck. The one with the lowest card gets to deal and keep score.

The dealer gives each player 10 cards, one at a time. The rest of the cards go in the middle of the table as the draw pile. The top card from the draw pile is turned over and put face-up to start the discard pile.

Melds

There are so many cool ways to blend cards in this game! You can create a set, which is when you have three or four cards of the same rank (except for Jacks). Or you can make a run by putting together three or more cards of the same suit in a sequence. Just remember, Aces are always considered low in this game. Now, let’s talk about a marriage. This meld is when you lay down the King and Queen of the same suit together.

Now, here’s something interesting: your final meld can be just two cards! Yep, if those two cards make it possible for you to go out and end the round, you’re good to go.

When it comes to adding cards to a meld, you won’t actually attach them to the meld directly. Instead, you’ll announce the lay off you plan to do and place the cards right in front of you on the table.

In Umtali, I’m not allowed to include Jacks in my sets or sequences. Instead, I can only play them as individual cards. Once I play a Jack by itself, I can then play 10’s or Queens on top of it.

THE PLAY

When it’s my turn to play in Umtali, I go through three steps: draw, meld, and discard.

First, I draw a card from either the draw pile or the discard pile. If I draw from the discard pile and can immediately play a meld, I can also take the next card on top of the discard pile if it’s playable. The two cards don’t have to be part of the same meld.

After I draw a card, I can create and play any melds I have to the table.

Finally, I end my turn by discarding a card from my hand.

Let me tell you how to play this game. You keep playing until one player has no more cards. And guess what? You don’t have to get rid of all your cards to win. But hey, if you do get rid of a card, put it face down on the discard pile.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Unlike most rummy games, the other player gets one more turn to try and win too. But if the winner put their card face down, they can only draw a card from the draw pile. They then try to put together as many sets of cards as they can. And get this, the other player can also make a set of two cards if it helps them win. Any cards they can’t use are given to the winner and they score points for them. That’s when the round ends.

SCORING

When a round is finished, you earn points based on the total value of cards you’ve melded. The point system goes like this:

10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 5 points each.

Aces through 9s are worth 1 point each.

If you have Queens and Kings in a marriage, they are worth 10 points each instead of 5.

The Key to Victory

The player with the highest score after the fourth round wins the game. If there’s a tie, keep playing rounds until someone comes out on top.

The player with the highest score after the fourth round wins the game. If there’s a tie, keep playing rounds until someone comes out on top.