Rummy

Meld Sets and Runs, Go Out First. Free Online

Play Rummy, the classic draw-and-discard card game, free online in your browser against one to three computer players or at a table with friends, with no download or account needed.

Rummy is the card game most families learn first. You draw a card, you lay down what you can, you throw one away, and the first player with an empty hand wins the round. Sets and runs go on the table where everyone can see them, and anyone can add to them, so every meld you put down is also a place for your opponents to get rid of their cards. The game is in deciding what to lay down, what to hold, and when the race to the last card is about to end.

This version plays classic Rummy for two to four players: ten cards each at two players, seven at three or four, layoffs on any meld on the table, and the winner of each round scoring the cards left in the other hands. Choose one, two or three opponents and a Quick match of three rounds or a Classic match of five. Your hand sorts itself into sets and runs as you play, so you can spend your attention on the next move. Or start a table and deal in up to three friends. It is free here at CardAndPuzzle.com, plays in your browser with no download or sign-up, and saves your match on your device.

How Do You Play Rummy?

The rules take a few minutes, and the first match walks you through them on a real deal:

• The Deal: Ten cards each with two players, seven each with three or four, from a standard 52-card deck. One card is turned face up to start the discard pile, and the rest is the stock.
• Draw: Every turn starts with one card, from the stock or from the top of the discard pile.
• Meld: Put any sets and runs you hold on the table. A set is three or four cards of one rank; a run is three or more cards in a row in one suit.
• Lay Off: Add single cards to any meld on the table, yours or anyone else's.
• Discard: End your turn by putting one card on the discard pile. A card you just took from the pile cannot go straight back.
• Go Out: The first player with no cards left wins the round and scores the points still in the other hands.

Want every rule with examples? Read the complete Rummy Guide →

What Are Sets, Runs and Layoffs?

Everything you put on the table is a meld, and there are two kinds. Once a meld is down, any player can lay off on it, one card at a time.

You never have to sort your cards. After every draw the game arranges your hand with its sets and runs on the left and the loose cards on the right, the Meld button lights up with the count once the cards you pick make a set or a run, and a card that fits the table can be laid off with the Lay Off button, a tap on the meld, or a drag.

How Is Rummy Scored?

A round ends when someone runs out of cards. They score every card still in the other players' hands:

If the stock runs out, the discard pile is shuffled into a new one, twice at most. A third time and the round is blocked: the player with the lowest hand wins it and scores the other hands less their own. Round scores add up, and the highest total after the last round wins the match: three rounds in a Quick match, five in a Classic match. When the top score is shared, one more round is dealt.

Can You Play Rummy with Friends?

Yes. Rummy is at its best around a full table, and this version lets you start one of your own:

• Start a Table: Choose Play with friends, pick a match of three rounds or five, and the game gives you a six-character code and a link. Share it however you like.
• Computer Players Fill the Gaps: A table holds four people, but it never has to wait for four. Any seat that is still empty when the host deals is played by one of the regulars. Everyone gets seven cards.
• Turns Stay Moving: Every move has a 30-second timer, so a turn with a draw, two melds and a layoff gets the clock for each. If time runs out, or you drop out, the computer plays your seat until you are back.
• Cards on the Table: Melds and layoffs are there for everyone to see as they are laid, and every hand is turned face up when a round ends.
• Joining Is Easy: Tap the link, or open the game and type the code under Join with a code. Either one takes you straight to the table.

Who Are You Playing Against?

Before the first deal you choose how many opponents sit down with you, one, two or three:

• The Sixteen Regulars: Nova, Sam, Atlas, Ruby, Sage, Max, Luna, Felix, Echo, Juno, Remy, Iris, Bo, Mia, Cleo and Leo, each with a face and a short bio. Different ones may be waiting each match.
• They Play to Go Out: They take a discard when it makes a meld or fits one on the table, put their sets and runs down, lay off what they can, and throw away their most expensive loose cards first.
• Same Cards, Same Rules: The computer sees its own hand, the table and the discards, nothing else. It does not know your cards or the order of the stock.

What Are the Best Rummy Strategies?

• Throw the Big Cards Early: A loose King is 10 points to whoever goes out, a loose 3 is 3. Unless a face card is already half of a meld, it goes before your small cards do.
• Use the Table: Every meld on the table is a place to unload. Before you discard, look for a card that fits the end of a run or the fourth of a set.
• Keep Cards That Go Two Ways: The 7 of hearts beside the 7 of spades and the 8 of hearts can finish a set or a run. Flexible cards fill twice as often.
• Watch What Is Picked Up: A card taken from the discard pile is a card someone needed. Think twice before throwing its neighbours.
• Count the Other Hands: When a player is down to one or two cards, the round is nearly over. Put down every meld you have and shed your high cards now.
• Mind What You Open Up: A run on the table can be extended at both ends by everyone. With more players, a long run can help them as much as you.

Why Play Rummy Here?

• Your Hand Sorts Itself: Sets and runs on the left, loose cards on the right, rearranged after every draw so the best reading of your hand is the one you see.
• Play It Your Way: One, two or three opponents, and a Quick match of three rounds or a Classic match of five.
• Play with Friends: Start a table, share the code or the link, and up to three friends sit down from wherever they are.
• Lay Off Any Way You Like: Tap Lay Off, tap the meld, or drag the card onto it.
• Learn at the Table: An interactive coach plays your first match with you on a real deal: the draw, a meld, the discard, a layoff and the count. You can replay it any time from the Game menu.
• Hints When You Want One: Not sure what to do? The hint shows the move the game's own strategy would make.
• Every Round on a Scorecard: When a round ends, the other hands turn over, the points move to the winner, and a scorecard shows what everyone was left holding.
• Free in Your Browser: No download, no app store, no account needed. It works the moment the page loads, on any device.
• Picks Up Where You Left Off: Your match in progress, your lifetime stats and your settings all save automatically on your device, and on every device once you sign in.

Lay Them Down or Hold Them?

Every round of Rummy comes down to a moment like this one. You are holding three Kings and two loose cards, and Leo is down to two. Put the Kings on the table and they are safe, but the fourth King now has somewhere to go. Hold them back and you might go out in a single turn, or be caught with 30 points in your hand when Leo goes out. Deal a hand and find out how you play the race.

More Free Card Games

Like the draw and the discard? Gin Rummy is Rummy's two-player cousin, where nothing is shown until someone knocks. Crazy 8s is another race to empty your hand, and Trash is a quick one for two. For trick-taking, Hearts, Spades and Euchre are all here to play against the regulars or at a table with friends, and there is always a game of Klondike Solitaire to unwind with.