How to Play Rummy – Rules, Melds, Laying Off, Scoring & Strategy
Learn how to play Rummy: the deal for two to four players, sets and runs, laying off, the discard, going out, the stock running out, scoring and strategy.
Table of Contents
What is Rummy?
Rummy is a draw-and-discard card game for two to four players, played with a standard 52-card deck. Each turn you draw a card, lay sets and runs from your hand on the table, add to the melds already there, and discard. The first player to get rid of every card wins the round and scores what the others are left holding.
It is the head of a large family. Most card historians trace it to Conquian, a Mexican game of the 1800s, and by the early 1900s it was being played across the United States as Rum, then Rummy. Gin Rummy, Rummy 500, Canasta and many others grew out of it. This page describes the classic game, sometimes called Straight Rummy or Basic Rummy, which is the one we play: against one to three computer players, in a match of three or five rounds.
Objective of Rummy
Be the first to empty your hand, and finish the match with the highest total.
You empty your hand by melding, laying off and discarding. The player who goes out scores the cards still in the other hands, so each round is a race: you want to go out first, and if someone beats you, to be caught with as few points as possible.
Complete Rules for Rummy
Setup and the Deal
- Two to four players. You choose one, two or three computer players to play against, all from the Card & Puzzle regulars. At a table with friends there are always four seats, and the computer plays any seat nobody takes.
- The deal. A standard 52-card deck, dealt one card at a time starting to the dealer’s left: ten cards each with two players, seven each with three or four. The first dealer is chosen at random, and the deal moves one seat along each round.
- The discard pile and the stock. The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile. The rest of the deck goes face down beside it as the stock.
- The first turn goes to the player on the dealer’s left, and play continues around the table.
A Turn
Every turn has three parts, in this order:
- Draw one card. Take the top card of the stock, or the top card of the discard pile. Only the top discard is available.
- Meld and lay off, if you want to. Lay down any sets and runs from your hand, and add single cards to any melds on the table. You can do as much or as little of this as you like.
- Discard one card. Put one card face up on the discard pile. That ends your turn.
- No throwing it straight back. A card you took from the discard pile cannot be your discard on the same turn, unless it is the last card in your hand.
- No undo. Every draw and discard shows the table something, so plays are final. There is a hint if you want a second opinion.
Melds: Sets and Runs
| Meld | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Set | Three or four cards of the same rank | 5♣ 5♦ 5♠ · Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ |
| Run | Three or more cards in a row in the same suit | 4♠ 5♠ 6♠ · 9♦ 10♦ J♦ Q♦ |
- The Ace is low. A♥ 2♥ 3♥ is a run. Q♥ K♥ A♥ is not, and a run never goes round the corner from King to Ace.
- Runs can be any length from three cards up. A set stops at four, because there are only four suits.
- No minimum to open. You may lay your first meld on any turn, as soon as you have one.
- Melds are shared. Once on the table, a meld belongs to nobody in particular.
Laying Off
- One card at a time onto a meld on the table. The fourth 5 on a set of three 5s, the 7♠ on 4♠ 5♠ 6♠, then the 8♠ after it, or the 3♠ at the other end.
- Anyone’s melds. You can lay off on your opponents’ melds as freely as on your own.
- As many as fit. There is no limit per turn.
- Three ways here. Select the card and tap Lay Off (the Meld button turns into it when one card fits), tap the card and then the meld, or drag the card onto the meld.
Going Out
- An empty hand wins. The moment your last card leaves your hand, by a discard, a meld or a layoff, the round is over.
- No discard needed. If your last cards all go onto the table, you are out without discarding.
- The last-card escape. If the only card left after you meld is the one you just took from the discard pile, you may throw it away to go out. Nobody can be stuck holding a single card they are not allowed to discard.
When the Stock Runs Out
- The discard pile becomes the stock. Every card in it except the top one is shuffled and turned face down as a new stock. The top card stays where it is.
- Twice per round. The stock can be rebuilt two times in a round.
- The blocked round. If the stock runs out a third time, the round ends where it stands. The player with the lowest hand wins it and scores the points in the other hands, less their own. With two players that is simply the difference.
Scoring
The winner of a round scores every card still in the other players’ hands:
| Card left in a hand | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 to 10 | The number on the card |
| Jack, Queen, King | 10 |
| Cards in melds on the table | 0 |
A worked example with three players: you go out. Leo is holding K♣ 7♦ 2♠, which is 10 + 7 + 2 = 19, and Mia is holding A♥ 4♥, which is 1 + 4 = 5. You score 19 + 5 = 24.
- The match. Round scores add up, and after the last round the highest total wins. You choose the length before the first deal: a Quick match of three rounds or a Classic match of five.
- A tie at the top. If two players share the highest total, one more round is dealt, up to three of them. If they are still tied after that, the tied player who comes first in turn order from the last round’s winner takes the match.
Strategy: How to Play Rummy Better
Building Your Hand
- Throw high cards early. Kings, Queens, Jacks and 10s cost 10 points each if someone goes out. Unless one is already half of a meld, it goes before your small cards.
- Keep cards that can go two ways. 7♥ 7♠ 8♥ can grow into a set of 7s or a run in hearts. Four different cards complete one or the other.
- Middle cards make more runs. A 7 can sit in 5 6 7, 6 7 8 or 7 8 9. A King can only finish J Q K.
- Look at the table before you discard. A card that fits a meld on the table is a free card to get rid of. Lay it off instead.
Reading the Table
- A pick-up is a signal. A card taken from the discard pile joined something. Hold back its neighbours: the other cards of its rank, and the cards next to it in its suit.
- Count the cards in each hand. When someone is down to one or two cards, the round is almost over. Lay down every meld you have and shed your highest cards now.
- Remember what is gone. If two 9s are already in the discard pile, your pair of 9s will never be a set.
Laying Down or Holding Back
- Down is safe. Cards in a meld on the table can never count against you. The longer you hold a finished meld, the more points you risk if someone goes out.
- Down is also an opening. Every meld you lay is a place for your opponents to lay off. A run in the middle of a suit can be extended at both ends.
- Read the race. Early in a round, with everyone holding plenty of cards, holding a meld for a turn or two costs little. Once anyone is close to going out, put it down.
- More players, faster rounds. With four players and seven cards each, rounds can end within a few turns. Lay down sooner.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Holding face cards too long. Two loose picture cards are 20 points to whoever goes out.
- Forgetting the table. Discarding a card that could have been laid off throws away a free play.
- Feeding the next player. If the player after you took the 8♦ from the pile, the 7♦, the 9♦ and the other 8s are the worst cards to throw.
- Sitting on finished melds. A set in your hand counts against you until it is on the table.
- Ignoring the other hands. A player with one card left will usually go out on their next turn.
Ready to Play?
You know the deal, the melds, the layoffs and the count. The first time you play, the coach deals a real hand and takes you through it step by step. After that, it is a race to the last card, and a choice every turn about what to put down and what to hold. Play Rummy free →