Kalooki 51 is one of the more popular rummy games, especially online. If you are looking for the rules click here.
In any card game you have decisions to make and those decisions decide whether you are going to be a long term winner or loser. Rummy games generally have more information available than most other card games and Kalooki 51 is no different.
In this article we will have a short look at some of the information available, how to use it and one other thing that can improve your game.
Opponents discards and pick ups
Always keep track of your opponents discards and try to mimic them. That goes for the player on your left. Don’t help him make melds unless it makes really good sense for you. Also keep track of any discards he picks up. That will further help you figure out what melds he is forming.
How does this look in practice?
Example No.1: The player on your left discards the Queen of Diamonds. Try to discard any Queen, or Jack of Diamonds or King of Diamonds.
Example No.2: Following on from the previous example, let’s say you discarded the King of Diamonds next time around and the player on your left picked it up. Now you should avoid discarding any King (you can eliminate the idea that he is making a run, since he discarded the Queen of Diamonds last time around).
Picking up discards
Since you don’t have to make a meld from any picked up discards in the same turn, you can do it more liberally. Pick them up when they make potential melds with a lot of outs, like cubes and angels. It’s a better option than taking a random card from the deck and hoping it completes one of your melds. Always try to make a hand that has a lot of outs.
The good thing is that if you do it enough, it also confuses your opponents. As you actually form melds you’ll probably be discarding cards that other players won’t expect, since you might even have to discard the cards you picked up from the discard pile before.
Conclusion
Always pay attention and keep your memory sharp. Use any information you get and try to interpret it as much as you can. Most strategy behind any card game, and Kalooki 51 is no exception, is just common sense, so use it. Good luck!