Tile Rummy is a free online version of the tile-laying rummy game: 106 tiles, the numbers one to thirteen twice over in four colours plus two jokers, and a rack of fourteen each against the computer. You build the same two things as in card rummy — a group of three or four tiles sharing a number in different colours, or a run of three or more consecutive numbers in one colour — but here they go on a shared table rather than in front of you. Your first melds of the game have to add up to thirty from your own tiles alone; nothing already on the table counts towards it, so the opening is slow and the middle game is not. After that the table is common property: you may pull any set on it apart and rebuild it however you like, as long as every set is legal again when you finish and at least one tile of yours has left your rack. A turn is therefore a scratchpad with an undo rather than a single move — sets that are not legal yet are marked in red, and End turn only lights up when the whole table is sound. Jokers stand in for anything and count as the tile they replace. First rack empty wins.
How to play Tile Rummy
- Press Play. You and the computer get fourteen tiles each from a bag of 106 — one to thirteen twice over in four colours, plus two jokers.
- You are building two things. A group is three or four tiles of the same number in different colours. A run is three or more consecutive numbers in one colour.
- Click tiles on your rack to select them — selected tiles lift up — then press Lay as a new set.
- Your first melds of the whole game must add up to thirty, counting only tiles that came off your own rack. The counter at the top shows how far you are.
- A tile tacked onto somebody else's set counts nothing towards that thirty. That is deliberate: it stops a player opening on one tile.
- Once you are in, the table belongs to everybody. Select tiles from any set on the table, mix them with tiles from your rack, and rebuild.
- Press the + button on a set to add the selection to it, or Lay as a new set to start a new one. A long run can be split by laying half of it down as its own set.
- Sets that are not legal yet are outlined in red and say "not a set". That is normal mid-turn — the table is a scratchpad until you finish.
- End turn only lights up when every set on the table is legal and at least one tile has left your rack. Take back and Undo turn put things right.
- Jokers stand in for any tile and count as the tile they replace. A run cannot run past thirteen or below one, even with a joker.
- If you cannot or will not play, press Draw a tile and your turn ends. First rack empty wins the game.
Tips
- Hold the thirty back rather than opening small. A single run of eleven-twelve-thirteen is thirty-six on its own and gets you in with one meld.
- Count a joker at full value for the opening. A joker with two elevens is thirty-three, which is an opening most hands will not beat.
- Once you are in, look at the table before you look at your rack. Most turns the play is a tile already lying there, not one of yours.
- A run of six is really two runs of three. Splitting one is the cheapest way to free a tile you want, and it costs nothing.
- Keep pairs of the same number in different colours. Two of a number is one tile away from a group, and the third turns up more often than a specific run tile does.
- A joker sitting in somebody else's set is not stuck. Rebuild the set with a real tile and the joker comes to you.
- Drawing is not a wasted turn early on. Twelve tiles in the pool and an eight-tile rack is a much better position than thirty on the table and no way to follow it.
- Watch the computer's rack count. Once it is down to three or four, stop hoarding and put everything you can out.
FAQ
Is Tile Rummy free to play?
Yes. It runs free in your browser with no download, no install and no account. Nothing is wagered and nothing pays out.
What counts as a set?
A group of three or four tiles sharing a number, all in different colours; or a run of three or more consecutive numbers all in one colour. Nothing shorter than three counts.
Why can I not end my turn?
One of three reasons, and the line under the table says which: nothing has left your rack, some set on the table is not legal, or you have not yet made your thirty-point opening.
What is the thirty-point opening?
Your first melds of the game must add up to thirty from tiles that came off your own rack. Tiles you add to sets already on the table count nothing towards it, so you cannot open by tacking one tile onto somebody else's run.
Can I really rearrange the whole table?
Yes, once you are in. Take any set apart, mix it with your own tiles, and rebuild — the only requirement is that every set is legal again when you press End turn and that at least one of your tiles has been played.
How do jokers work?
A joker stands in for any tile and counts as the tile it replaces for the opening. It cannot make a run reach past thirteen or below one, and a group can still never be longer than four because there are only four colours.
Does the computer rearrange the table too?
No. It lays down sets from its own rack and adds single tiles to sets already out, but it does not take the table apart. Full rearranging is the human advantage in this version, and it is a large one.
What happens when the pool runs out?
The draw button becomes Pass. If both sides pass in a row with the pool empty, the game is a stalemate and whoever is holding fewer tiles has had the better of it.