How to Play Card Game Rummy

Rummy is one of the most popular card games, among the ranks of Poker, Solitaire, and online free Spades. The term ‘Rummy’ generally consists of a family of different games, including Gin Rummy and 500 Rum, but there’s a basic version of the game that preceded them all.

The classic Rummy card game is easy to play–the goal is to simply be the first to play (or ‘meld’) all of your cards by making groups of three or four of a kind (‘books’) or three or more consecutive sequences of the same suit (‘runs’).

The Objective of Rummy

The objective of Rummy is to meld all your cards into either runs or books. Note that legal books consist of the same rank, while legal runs follow the same suit.

Examples of books can be four Kings or three sevens, while examples of runs include the six to the nine of Clubs or the Ace to the three of Hearts.

Unlike the majority of card games, Aces in Rummy can either be high or low, but never both. This means that runs involving Aces must take the form Ace-two-three or Ace-King-Queen, but not King-Ace-two, etc.

How to Play Rummy

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to play Rummy:

Deal and Setup

Rummy can be played with two to six players with one standard fifty-two-card deck. The dealer will deal cards to the players as follows:

• Two players: Ten cards each
• Three to four players: Seven cards each
• Five to six players: Six cards each

If playing with more than six players, another card deck shall be played and players will be given seven cards each.

Cards that aren’t dealt are placed face-down in the middle of the table to form a draw pile. The dealer turns the top card and places it face-up beside the draw pile, beginning a discard pile. Remember that as the game goes and the draw pile is exhausted (i.e. all cards are taken), the dealer must shuffle all the cards in the discard pile, except the top card, to form a new stock.

Gameplay

The player to the dealer’s left starts. They can either pick up the top card from the discard pile or draw from the stock. If they can meld some of their cards, they may place these down on the table.

Otherwise, they must discard from their hand into the discard pile. The only exception is if they have melded all their cards; in this case, the player doesn’t need to discard. Note that if a player chooses to take from the discard pile at the start of their turn, they aren’t allowed to discard that card in the same turn. The play moves to the next player and the game continues clockwise around the table.

Laying Off

A player can put down one or more cards on the table to fit an existing meld (either made by them on a previous turn or by another player). This is called ‘laying off.’

For example, if a book of three Queens is already on the table and you have another Queen in your hand, you may meld it into the book.

Going Out

A player ‘goes out’ when they play the last card in their hand, either by melding, laying off, or discarding. In some games, the player can only go out by discarding.

Scoring

When a player goes out, the round is scored. The winner collects points from all the other players, basing their point total on the remaining cards in others’ hands. This is regardless of whether or not you’ve made up complete sets or runs.

It’s a good strategy to lay down melds as soon as you get them; this way, you’re able to go out much quicker. That said, ‘going Rummy’–or laying all your cards down in one turn–doubles your score, so you’ll have to weigh your options.

Scoring is as follows:

• Twos through tens get face-value points
• Jacks, Queens, and Kings receive ten points each
• Aces are one point each

The first player to score one hundred points wins.

Spades: A Rummy Alternative

Rummy is a great game–but if you’re looking for more strategy and trick-taking, Spades is a fantastic alternative. The rules are similar to Euchre basics and can be learned quickly. Try Spades online for free at Spades.co today!