How to Play the Card Game Jok-R-ummy

2 to 6 players ages 10 and up

I have loved to play cards for as long as I can remember. When we were teens, my husband and I would spend hours playing Rummy 500 and when we got together with a couple friends we always played Hearts. So when I saw Jok-R-ummy I knew we had to try it. My kids love the card games Garbage and Spoons so I had hopes that this game, too, would be a hit. I wasn’t wrong.

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The Object of Jok-R-ummy

The object of Jok-R-ummy is to win seven program cards by completing the missions on them.

The Jok-R-ummy Cards

There are two different types of cards in Jok-R-ummy. First, there are two sets of regular playing cards. In the deck of cards, the twos and jokers are wild cards.

Next, there are the yellow program cards. Each program card is unique. Some are easy. Some are hard. And some seem one or the other but end up being the opposite.  

There are a few sunshine cards that are free missions. If you are dealt one of these cards, then you gain the point and are then dealt a second mission card.

There are two types of missions. First, there are straights. These are when the cards are in numerical order. Example: 3, 4, 5, 6. Some cards need a specific suit, some need to be in any suit but all the same and then the lucky few where suits don’t matter.

Next, there are 3 or more of a kind. These are pretty easy to understand.

Where the difficulty comes from is how many cards are needed to complete the mission—some cards need 10 cards. Sometimes the missions need specific. Five kings doesn’t sound hard but probability of getting five kings makes is challenging. Then there are the combination cards where you need a straight and a 3 of a kind. Or you might need to get two 4 of a kind.

How to Play Jok-R-ummy

To start, each player is dealt 13 cards. (This makes a handful for sure.) They are also dealt a yellow program card. The program cards are to be kept secret.

On your turn, you can either pick up the top card off the discard pile or the draw pile. To end your turn, you need to pick a card to discard.

Completing a Mission

To lay down any cards, you need to have completed your mission. When you have, you place the cards face up on the table in front of you and then show your mission card. The round is not over yet.

Finishing the Round

Once your mission is completed, you then have to play the remaing cards in your hand. To do this, you can either lay down sets of three of a kind or add to any other player’s sets that have been placed on the table.  When a player has played all of the cards in her hand, the round is over.

Starting the Next Round

After the first round has been finished, all players who completed their mission cards is dealt a new mission card. However, players who were unable to complete their mission cards start over with the same mission.

Winning Jok-R-ummy

The first player who completes 7 mission cards wins. The round does not need to be finished once the mission is done.

What We Like

We love a good challenge and Jok-R-ummy fits this need. We like that there are a variety of levels of missions and that there are free missions too. The length of the game is good when you have the time to play a longer game. The game is also easy to play. There is the right mix of luck and strategy.

What We Don’t Like

First, 13 cards makes for a big fist full, especially for younger players. It can also make keeping track of your cards a bit of a challenge.

Next, the mission cards could be a little clearer. (Note: we bought our copy second hand and someone who was French wrote on the cards—but wrote wrong things on them. This messed us up at first.) We have taken to writing on the cards ourselves, for instance, when there are 7 cards in a row, we find that we’re always counting the rectangles on the cards. Instead, we have written a 7 on the card.

The last thing we should mentioned that Jok-R-ummy is not very fun as a two player game. You can play but the completion is not the same. Too often one player takes an early lead and the other player can’t catch up. However, as a three player game this is not a problem and works just as well as a four player game too.

Is Jok-R-ummy Worth Adding to your Family Game Shelf?

Jok-R-ummy is a meaty card game that is easy to understand and play. It would be best for kids 10 and up as the box suggests. This has turned into one of  our family’s favorite games and made our Top Games of 2020. We highly recommend Jok-R-ummy for you Family Game Shelf.

This game is made by a Canadian company and the availability of it outside of Canada is limited. You can shop Amazon Canada for it here. They have a travel version and a kids version too. But if you can’t find a copy don’t worry. We have you covered. The card game Sticks is very similar. You can find out how to make your own Sticks game here. Or you can visit our Family Game Shelf Shop to get a PDF that has a card version and templates for two different sizes.

If you’re still looking for more card game fun be sure to check out the games 3 to 13, Play or Pay and Cheat.

Rating:

Find more card games in our card game section. To see what other games made our Top Games of 2020, see our post here. If you’re looking to add a game to your Family Game Shelf, read our review section. And check out our dice games here.