A DETAILED REVIEW OF RUMMYROYAL

The RummyRoyal Website
When you first arrive to the RummyRoyal site, you encounter a slick looking site, which is easy enough to navigate through. The various sections are fairly intuitive and a player can easily go and read the section he or she want to.

One of the most popular sections, of course, is the Promotions section. In this section players can keep up to date with new offers and tournaments from RummyRoyal.

The biggest attraction currently in the Promotions section is the $40K Guaranteed Kalooki 51 Tournament which will take place on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 20:30 GMT (4:30PM ET). The buy-in is $100. But you can qualify for as little as $3.25!

Online rummy players are encouraged to visit the Promotions section to keep up to date with new offers at RummyRoyal.

If you are new to the world of online rummy, don't worry. You can learn to play rummy in a very short period of time. You can read the rules in the How To Play section. If reading is not your first choice, then you can follow along an interactive demo of each of the game types RummyRoyal offers: Gin, Oklahoma, Kalooki 51, Kalooki 40 and Rummy.

RummyRoyal prides itself on offering players worldwide to play online rummy for cash or for free. Aside from English, RummyRoyal offers its website and software application to online rummy players in the following languages: Italian, French, German, Spanish, Hebrew, Romanian, Hungarian and Turkish.


The RummyRoyal Website

Ready to play rummy at RummyRoyal? Then, you'll need to download the free rummy software and install it on your computer.

The installation process is relatively fast and once it finishes, you'll be able to create your account.

Don't forget, until September 30/10 you can get $5 FREE to play at RummyRoyal. Simply fill in all your details in the Cashier screen, and enter bonus code 5WELCOME in the bonus code box.


How to get $5 FREE at RummyRoyal

The RummyRoyal Software
The look and feel of RummyRoyal is very much like an online poker room. Players can play the various rummy games in either Fun or Real Money mode. For the remainder of this blog entry, we shall concentrate on Real Money play at RummyRoyal.

Like an online poker room, online rummy players can play rummy, gin, or kalooki in a ring game format, sit'n'go format (also known as a Single Tournie) or Multi Table Tournament.

Quick Games:
RummyRoyal offers players the ability to play rummy (in its various forms like kalooki) for as little at $0.99.
Simply take your sit in one of the open tables, choose the stake you wish to play for ranging from $0.99 to $10 and the number of players you wish to play against - usually 2 or 4.
The first player to knock in these Quick Games wins the main pot. If there are enough players and some of them have scored high enough, the pot maybe shared according to RummyRoyal's payout structure.
So if you're in a rush, you can always catch a quick rummy game in the Quick Games section.


RummyRoyal's Quick Games section is located in the left tab.

Single Tournie:
RummyRoyal offers players the ability to play a Sit'n'Go game (Single Tournie), in its various forms like kalooki, for as little at $1.5.
The difference between a Quick Game and Single Tournie is that in a Single Tournie, there are a few rounds in which players get knocked out as they accumulate more points, usually -150 or -200 depending on the stake and number of players. In other words, suppose Player A knocked Player B, in a -150 points game, and the sum of all of Player B's cards was 75, then Player B is half way to being knocked out and losing his stake.
So to play in a Single Tournie, simply take your sit in one of the open tables, choose the stake you wish to play for ranging from $1.5 to $100 and the number of players you wish to play against - usually 2 or 4. It might take a while to play this type of game, so make sure you have enough spare time. Again, payouts of this Single Tournie will depends on each player's score and so the pot may be shared according to RummyRoyal's payout structure.


RummyRoyal's Single Tournie section in located in the middle tab.

Multi Table Tournaments:
A lot of the excitement at RummyRoyal occurs in the Multi Table Tournaments. These tournaments are scheduled ahead of time and have a fixed buy-in. Some of the attractions of these tournaments include twice a day $10 Freerolls and the $30,000 Guaranteed Kalooki 51 Tournament. There are various other tournaments with various stakes, guarantees and even satellites to bigger tournaments.
While players are not required to make a deposit to play in the $10 Freerolls, they are required to make a deposit in order to take part in the bigger events.
There is always an exciting tournament happening at RummyRoyal so be sure to make your first deposit today to take part in the excitement.


RummyRoyal's Multi Tournie Table section in located in the right tab.

In all of the above games, RummyRoyal keeps a small portion for the pots as its fees - also known as rake or tournament fees. That is how RummyRoyal makes its money. It has no vested interest as to who wins or loses a game - RummyRoyal simply facilitates the game for its players.

To summarize, RummyRoyal offers various rummy games at various stakes to appeal to a wide range of audience - from the stay at home mom who wants to take a break from her busy day with the kids, to the professional rummy player who prefers to play the high stakes tables. But remember, while you can get $5 free until September 30/2010 or win free cash by playing in the daily freerolls, you will need to make your first deposit in order to play in the bigger events RummyRoyal offers. So be sure to make your first deposit today! And this brings us to the next point - the RummyRoyal Cashier.

The RummyRoyal Cashier System
When it sought out to build a versatile online rummy application, RummyRoyal made sure to appeal to a worldwide audience. This is reflected in the fact that RummyRoyal player can make deposits in various methods and in various currencies.

RummyRoyal currently allows players to deposit in USD, GBP and Euro.

There are many deposit options available to players: Visa, MasterCard, Visa Electron, MoneyBookers, AlertPay, UCash, NeTeller, ClickandBuy, and Bank Wire.

MoneyBookers AlertPay UCash NeTeller and ClickandBuy are what's called an eWallet. You will need to open a separate account with any of these eWallets if you don't already have one. The process is quick, but you will need to also verify your identity and bank account if you wish to make withdrawals.

In our experience Credit Cards like Visa and MasterCard worked best for deposits and MoneyBookers and NeTeller worked best for withdrawals. But please note that NeTeller is not available to a few countries anymore including USA and Canada.

Most of the deposits are instantaneous, but bank transfers take the longest - up to 5 days.

The minimum deposit at RummyRoyal is only $10! Yes, the minimum used to be higher at $25, but to help cater to more players worldwide, RummyRoyal reduced the minimum required deposit to only $10. This allows players to enjoy the thrill of playing for real money without risking too much money. In addition, by making this small deposit, players become eligible to play in the many exciting tournaments RummyRoyal offers.

Players making their first deposit at RummyRoyal are eligible for 100% bonus match up to $200!

The bonus portion is in the players Pending account. A player must play for real money and earn RoyalStars in order to release the Pending bonus money into the real money account. The RoyalStars Club Loyalty program at RummyRoyal was recently revamped, and now you can earn RoyalStars faster. Read more about it below.

After accumulating 15 RoyalStars, a player will convert $5 in Pending bonus to the real money account. So the secret is to continue to play for real money to release the bonus. Note that some bonuses expire after a certain period of time, so be sure not to miss your chance to convert the bonuses into real money.

You Won Some Cash Playing Rummy at RummyRoyal - So Now What?

You can continue to play with your money, or you can choose to withdraw all or some of it. RummyRoyal offers the following withdrawal methods: MoneyBookers, AlertPay, ClickandBuy, NeTeller, Wire Transfer or a Cheque.

As mentioned above, withdrawing your funds via MoneyBookers or NeTeller is recommended. Once the money arrives in your NeTeller or MoneyBookers account it will take a few days to arrive in your bank account.

Note that while MoneyBookers or NeTeller will charge you a small fee for processing your withdrawal to your bank account, you may also be liable for wire fees that your bank will charge you, so please take that into account - every bank has its own rates.

Once you make your withdrawal request, you have 24 hours to reverse your request in case you change your mind. This can come in handy if you wanted to take part in a tournament, but didn’t wish to make another deposit. Simply reverse your withdrawal and you’re all set.


The RummyRoyal Cashier Section

Loyalty and Customer Service at RummyRoyal

RummyRoyal uses a loyalty scheme known as RoyalStars (which was mentioned briefly above). The program is similar to most other online loyalty programs in the online poker world. The RoyalStars loyalty program was recently revamped to offer its members better rewards and now offers its members the chance to redeem Royal Stars to cash!

Enrollment in the RoyalStars Club is automatic as soon as you make your first deposit.

Collecting Royal Stars
This chart shows the Royal Stars accumulation according to fee paid by tier level and game type.

Royal Stars Tier Counter: The stars you collect over 1/3/6 month determine your club status, as shown in the table below.

Royal Stars Balance: In addition to determining your status in the club, your stars function as a separate balance for you to buy into tournaments and convert to cash bonuses. In the future you will also be able to use them to buy different items in the special Royal Stars Store.

Royal Stars Accumulation and Club Tiers

• Tier Period: Upgrade is immediate (within 24 hours from the moment you have accumulated the relevant amount of stars). You then enjoy your new level until the end of the calendar month and the entire tier period mentioned in the table above.
• Royal Starts Required: This column shows the minimum amount of stars that is required to enter and or maintain each level. To maintain your status, you need to accumulate these amounts during your tier period.
• Tier Buoy: This is a new feature that enables players to maintain their status, even if they haven't been active for a month or two during their tier period.

Upgrade is immediate; downgrade takes effect only after the retroactive monthly/quarterly/ 6 months calculation.

• Example 1: Maintaining a level
  Michael downloads the RummyRoyal software on October 5^th and makes his first deposit on October 6^th.He plays his first game, earns his first Royal Star and automatically enters the Royal Stars club as a Royal Duke. At the end of 1 month Michael has collected 35 Royal Stars and so he maintains his Royal Duke Status during November as well.

• Example 2: Upgrading - Royal Duke to Royal Queen
  Jenny downloads the RummyRoyal software on November 3^rd and makes her first deposit on November 5^th. As soon as she earns her first star, she becomes a Royal Duke in the Royal Stars Club and is eligible for all the benefits the Royal Duke tier has to offer.
  Between November 5^th and November 21^st Jenny collects 255 Royal Stars while playing the different Rummy games and tournaments. Within 24 hours, Jenny is automatically upgraded to the Royal Queen status and can enjoy its benefits instantly until the end of December. Come January 1^st, the system calculates the Royals Stars she earned during December and determines her new status for January. The Royal Stars counter is then zeroed, as from this point on she starts collecting points upgrading or maintaining her status for February.

• Example 3: Upgrading to\ Attaining the Joker Tier and Possible Downgrade
  At the beginning of January Chris is a Royal King. On January 15^th Chris accumulates 1400 Royal Stars and becomes a Royal Joker. This tier period is 3 months long, including the current month in which he is was upgraded. Therefore his tier counter will be checked only on May 1^st (unless he is upgraded).
  If Chris has collected 1400 stars during April, he will maintain his Royal Joker status for additional three months.
  
  Tier Buoy
  Top tiers at the Royal Stars club enjoy a special tier that helps them maintain their level even if they haven't been so active in a specific month (vacation, personal reasons etc.).
  Therefore, In case Chris has accumulated less than 1400 during April, the system will check his total royal stars accumulating during the past 3 month. If Chris has collected 4,800 stars or more during his tier period, he will maintain his Royal Joker status for another quarter. If not, he will be downgraded to Royal King immediately.

• Example 4: Upgrading to Diamond - Lifetime Accumulation
  Janet is loyal player that has been playing the RummyRoyal software for over 2 years. During this time she's been zigzagging between the different statuses.
  In the new and improved Royal Stars club, long time loyal players (Royal Kings and up) get to upgrade their club status to the Royal Diamond tier for one time, by reaching the lifetime accumulated amount of 21, 000 Royal Stars.
  Therefore, if Janet has reached 21,000 in lifetime accumulation on June 8^th, and she currently holds the Royal King/ Joker status, on July 1^st she is upgraded to Royal Diamond. She attains this status for 6 months and can enjoy its benefits during that period.
  After 6 months, the system will check her last month's performance. If she has collected 8000 stars or more, she will attain her status. If not, the system will check if she has collected 40,000 or more in the past 6 months. If so, she will maintain her status. In case she hasn't, she will be downgraded to the Royal Joker level immediately.

Rewards
The table below shows how each tier level is awarded and the benefits of reaching the higher tiers.


So there you have it, an overview of the new Royal Stars Loyalty program at RummyRoyal.

RummyRoyal's Customer Service

RummyRoyal strives to provide excellent customer service to its players. There are customer service representatives available to help you 24/7 year round. You can contact RummyRoyal by phone, email, or via live chat from the RummyRoyal software.

There is an expanded FAQ section, but if you’re still stuck, you can use the following contact methods:
support@rummyroyal.com, or call:
1-888-444-7454 (USA Toll Free)
44-808-120-7579 (UK FreePhone)
33-1799-72552 (France)
39-066-220-7112 (Italy)
40-318-107-108 (Romania)
34-911-8800-58 (Spain)

Overall, we enjoyed our experience playing rummy at RummyRoyal. RummyRoyal provides a good alternative to online poker players who wish to try a new card game.

So there you have it – a detailed review of RummyRoyal’s overall features. You are encouraged to visit the RummyRoyal site and start your online rummy journey today.

Remember, playing online games involves a risk of losing all your money – so please remember to play responsibly. Only risk what you are willing to lose. You are the only one responsible for your actions. Other players’ results will vary from your own results.