A card image shows a rank and suit, but a physical hand may contain more than one copy of that same rank-and-suit combination. The key question is not “Do these faces look alike?” but “How many separate cards are actually present?”
The Paplu scope
In the documented two-pack Paplu variant, two physical copies of a suit-and-rank card can exist. This article uses that limited rule setting only. The exercise is a no-money tabletop illustration, not general advice about every rummy game or digital product.
Worked paper exercise
Hypothetical example: Write these labels on separate paper cards, keeping the labels away from the rank and suit:
Three of Clubs, Four of Clubs-A, Five of Clubs, Four of Clubs-B, Four of Diamonds, Four of Hearts.
There are six physical cards. The two Four of Clubs cards have the same rank and suit, but their copy IDs differ: A and B. Assigning those IDs prevents one card from being silently counted twice.
Two valid uses of the inventory
First, use Four of Clubs-A with Three of Clubs and Five of Clubs. That gives the run Three of Clubs–Four of Clubs-A–Five of Clubs.
Next, use Four of Clubs-B with Four of Diamonds and Four of Hearts. That gives the equal-rank group Four of Clubs-B–Four of Diamonds–Four of Hearts.
The arithmetic is six cards total: three cards in the run plus three cards in the group. No physical card appears in both combinations. The example works because the inventory contains two copies of the Four of Clubs, not because one card has been granted two identities.
Why a screenshot is weaker evidence
A screenshot that displays the same Four of Clubs icon twice proves only that the image was rendered twice. It does not establish that two physical cards, or two separately tracked card objects, exist. Without an evidenced inventory, mark the duplicate as uncertain rather than treating it as a second copy.
A reliable worksheet therefore records rank, suit, copy ID and evidence status. “Four of Clubs-A” and “Four of Clubs-B” are separate only when the supplied card inventory supports that distinction.