Rummy refers to both the game known as Rummy and a family of card games, the best known being Gin-Rummy. There are many variations of Rummy, but the common factor amongst them all, is that they are a "draw and discard" game. This means that in his turn, the player draws one or more cards from the top of the stockpile and then, discards an unwanted card on the discard pile. The other common feature of Rummy games is to collect a sequence or group of cards called a "meld". The object and rules vary with the different games, but these are the basic elements of Rummy.
There are different opinions, regarding the origination of Rummy. One of the popular theories is that Rummy developed from the game Conquian, also known as Coon Can, Cooncan and Coon-can. Conquian is played with the Spanish or Latin deck of 40 cards and is popular in Mexico. It is a two player game, that to be played well requires concentration and a good memory. The game of Conquian spread from Mexico to the South-Western states of the United States in the early 20th Century and it is likely that Rummy developed from there. Another popular theory is that Rummy came from China. The game of Mah-Jong, which is popular in both China and Japan, bears a strong similarity to Rummy. It is played with a 144-deck of cards or tiles and is also a "draw and discard" game. The aim is to hold a winning hand of 14 cards or tales, made up of sequences of 3, plus an additional pair. The early Rummy games were based on forming sets or melds. These were laid out on the table with the aim of being the first to lay out all of your cards. The other players were then penalised for the cards they held in their hand. The games called Rummy and Gin Rummy are of this type.
Later Rummy games were strongly influenced by Bridge and developed into forms of Contract Rummy, such as Liverpool Rummy and Progressive Rummy. These games are played in rounds. Each round has a different contract, which requires the players to collect various combinations and sequences of cards, before they can play their melds. Canasta is another well-known Rummy game that originated in Uruguay in the 1930's. It was brought from there to Argentina and then to the United States. It is now a worldwide game of some popularity. It is generally played with four players in partnerships, but can be played by two to six players. Canasta is played with two 52-card packs, plus 4 Jokers, totalling 108 cards. The object of the game is to score points by melding, as against "going out".
Rummy games have become some of the most popular card games played today. The reason for this may be that it is easy to learn the rules and basic game play, but to play well demands skill and practice.