Rummikub

Rummikub (, "rummy cube") is the proprietary board game that was developed and marketed by Ephraim Hertzano in the 1950s. It is a tile-based game for two to four players, combining elements of the card game rummy and mahjong. There are 106 tiles in the game, including 104 numbered tiles (valued 1 to 13 in four different colors, two copies of each) and two jokers. Players have 14 tiles initially and take turns putting down tiles from their racks into sets (groups or runs) of at least three. Players have a time limit for one or two minutes for their turn, or draw a tile if they cannot play. In the Sabra version (the most common and popular), the first player to use all their tiles scores a positive score based on the total of the other players' hands, while the losers get negative scores. Variations of the game contain four jokers. An important feature of the game is that players can move and reuse the tiles that have already been placed on the table. The game can also be played with two decks of playing cards, with suits being different colors and numbers as follows: Ace = 1, numbers 2–10 = the corresponding number, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13, and with Jokers.