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Rummy

Players
2 to 6
Deck
52 cards, no jokers
Type
Rummy
Level
Medium

Draw a card, lay down sets and runs, throw one away. First to empty their hand wins the round.

At a glance

Draw, meld, discard

Rummy is the family behind Gin and Canasta. Every turn you draw a card, lay down and if you can, then discard one. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the round.

Setup

One deck, two to six players

Use a standard 52-card deck without jokers. In this example two players play: you and North.

The deal

How many cards to deal

2 players10 each
3 or 4 players7 each
5 or 6 players6 each

Put the rest face down as the and turn its top card face up to start the .

A turn

Draw one card

The player left of the dealer starts. Take either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.

The discard pile shows the queen of spades. You hold two queens, so you take it.

Lay down sets and runs

You may now put melds face up on the table:

  • a : three or four cards of the same rank
  • a : three or more cards in a row, all the same suit

You lay down three queens and the 5, 6 and 7 of hearts.

Aces are usually low (A-2-3). Some tables also allow Q-K-A: agree before you start.

Lay off on any meld

You may also : add cards from your hand to melds already on the table, yours or your opponent’s. Your 8 of hearts extends the run.

End with a discard

Finish your turn by putting one card face up on the discard pile. You may not discard the card you just took from the discard pile.

If all the cards left in your hand fit into melds, you may lay them down and go out without a final discard.

Your discard is their gift.

Special cards

Going rummy

If you lay down your whole hand in one turn, without having melded or laid off before, you go rummy. The other players pay you double.

Picture a different hand: three kings, the 5, 6, 7 and 8 of diamonds and three 10s, all laid down at once, with the 3 of diamonds as your last discard.

Patience pays double here.

Scoring

The winner collects

When a player goes out, the others count the cards left in their hands and the winner scores the total:

King, queen, jack10
Ace1
2 to 10face value

North is left with a king, a 9 and a 3: you score 22.

Winning

Play to a target

Deal again and keep a running total. The first player to reach the target your table agrees on, for example 100 points, wins.

Point at a dot to see why it matters

Variants and house rules

Aces high or low
Allow Q-K-A as well as A-2-3 (but not K-A-2). An ace left in hand then costs 15 instead of 1.
Block Rummy
When the stock is gone and nobody wants the discard, the hand ends. The player with the lowest count in hand scores the difference from each other player.
Turning the pile
When the stock is empty, turn the discard pile over, without shuffling, to make a new stock.

Tips from the table

  1. Throw away high cards you can’t use early: a king caught in your hand costs 10.
  2. Watch what your opponent picks up from the discard pile, and don’t feed them that rank or suit.
  3. Cards in the middle of a run, like 7s and 8s, fit more melds than aces and kings.

Rummy: quick answers

  • How many cards do you deal in Rummy?

    Ten each with two players, seven each with three or four, and six each with five or six.

  • What is a meld in Rummy?

    A set of three or four cards of the same rank, or a run of three or more cards in a row in the same suit.

  • What does going rummy mean?

    Laying down your whole hand in one turn without having melded or laid off before. The other players pay double.

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