The Complete Guide to Rummy As a card game that has enthralled players for centuries, rummy has a long and diverse history that dates back to the early 1800s. The precise origins of Rummy are still a little unclear, but it is generally acrummy novelcepted that it developed from earlier card games like the Mexican-originated Conquian. Conquian is frequently considered the forerunner of contemporary Rummy due to its comparable card-melding & discarding mechanics. The wide variety of Rummy variations that exist today is the result of the game's multiple adaptations as it expanded internationally. Rummy arrived in the US by the late 1800s & quickly became very popular there, especially with families and social circles.