Proter

Similar to basic rummy, the variation called Proter is always played in sets of 13 hands and scored similarly.

Proter is played to Thirteen hands and each hand. As in Basic Rummy the object of the game is to get rid of your cards as soon as possible in sets. At the end of each round each player’s points are noted on a piece of paper along with their name. After all Thirteen hands, the one with the minimum points is the winner the game.

One round consists of Shuffling, Dealing, Playing and Marking for that round. Each round has a “Proter”. In the first round the proter is the Ace. In the 2nd round the proter is two and likewise in the 13th round proter is the King. The Proter has special privileges. It can substituted as any other card.

As in Basic Rummy, a set contains minimum three cards with maximum thirteen cards. Those cards that comprise set should either be on the same value or should be of the same suit with consecutive values.

Assigning Card Values

The value of cards for this game are as follows:

A = 1 Point
J = 11 Points
Q = 12 Points
K = 13 Points
10 = Face value
9 = Face value
8 = Face value
7 = Face value
6 = Face value
5 = Face value
4 = Face value
3 = Face value
2 = Face value

In all cases the penalty is Twenty points. In the case of a penalty all the changes done by that player for that round is rolled back and next player starts.

Game Begins

To start the game the dealer shuffles and the player to his/her left cuts the deck. Each player is dealt six cards one at a time in a anti-clockwise direction. The remainder of the cards are set face down in the middle of the table.

The first player to play is the one rightmost to the dealer. When one’s turn comes they have to take one card from the face down pile or take the entire face up pile (discards). Then he should try to prepare sets and place those sets on the table face up. Each player’s first Set should not contain proters. After ones fist set without proters he can make sets that contain proters.

When one prepares sets, either with or without proters, the players has to make sure that the cards he is representing has not been used on the table. e.g. In the 8th hand since proter is Eight, should there be a set like – Clubs 6, Spades 6, Diamond 6, Hearts 6 already on the table and if you are going to place the following on the table, Clubs 5, Hearts 8 and Clubs 7 as a set and substituting Hearts 8 for Clubs 6, this would be illegal and subjected to a penalty.

Completing Your Sets

When a player is done with his sets he has to put a card to the table face up. First player has to create this new pile with the card he discards. When you discard a card on to this face up pile, you can not put a card with the same number on top of previous card. When you discard a card on to this face up pile with the same suit as the previous suit, you cannot put 2 adjacent cards to the previous card both ways. e.g. if Clubs Q is there, you cannot put Clubs J ,10 and Clubs k, A on top of that; and you cannot put any Q cards on it.

Proter Penalties

The Proter game has penalties which are as follows:

At the end of a particular hand if your hand contains a proter.
Also at the end of a particular hand if you couldn’t produce at least one set.
You touched the face up/down piles out of your turn.
Substituted proter or any other card incorrectly.

These penalties should be pointed out after that player finishes his/her turn. The turn starts with him taking a card from face down pile – or taking the entire face up pile and his/her turn ends when the player discards a card to face up pile. If you notice some mistake you have to wait until the player finishes their turn and all the changes made by them should be rolled back to sets placed.

Other than making your own sets you can enlarge existing sets on the table no matter who placed them there. And if you have a card that is substituted by a proter by another player or even by you in a previous round, you can substitute the real card to the proter and take the proter to your hand to make use of your benefit, but that Proter must then be used in your next set and cannot be kept in hand.