1. Jim Rummy How To Play
2. Jim Rummy How To Play
3. Jim Rummy Online

Gin rummy is an old card game, invented during the early 1900s; it's not only fun but helps develop your concentration, memory, and strategic thinking skills. Gin rummy and rummy are related card games, but gin rummy is meant for only two players and it goes much quicker than the multiplayer rummy card game. Review the goals, scoring options. Gin Rummy is one of the most popular forms of Rummy! Try to reduce the points in your 10-card hand to as close to zero as you can by forming melds and eliminating deadwood. Create a hand with lower points than your opponent and earn a higher game score.

Ultimate Guide to Rummy (aka 'Rum')

Rummy is one of the most popular classic card games in the world. Often referred to as 'basic rummy” or 'traditional rummy,” or just 'Rum,' it's easy to learn and play once you get the hang of it. Though it's a simple game, playing rummy is exciting and there's a decent amount of skill involved.

How to Play Rummy: Rules & More

Rummy is played with 2-6 players. It is played with a standard 52-card deck and aces are low.

Players take turns dealing when playing a two-player game. When playing with three or more players, whose turn it is to deal rotates clockwise every round. The player who deals first is chosen at random and how many cards dealt to each player depends on the total number of players.

• 2 players: 10 cards each
• 3-4 players: 7 cards each
• 5-6 players: 6 cards each

The dealer deals cards one by one then begins the discard pile by placing the following card face-up in the middle of the table. The dealer then places the rest of the deck face down next to it, forming the stock. Players then are permitted to look at their cards and sort them.

The goal of Rummy is simple: get rid of all your cards first.

Players can rid their hand of cards in three ways: they can meld, lay off, and discard.

• To meld, a player takes multiple cards from his or her hand and places them face-up on the table. That combination of cards then stays there. Melding is the quickest way to get rid of cards.
• Sets (sometimes called groups or books) and runs (sometimes called sequences) are the two valid types of melds in Rummy.
• A set, book or group is 3 or 4 same-ranking cards.
• Example: 10 of spades, 10 of diamonds and 10 of hearts
• Example: 6 of clubs, 6 of spades, 6 of diamonds, and 6 of hearts
• A run or sequence is 3+ consecutive cards of a matching suit. Consecutive cards of different suits do not constitute a valid sequence.
• Example: 3 of spades, 4 of spades, and 5 of spades
• Example: 9 of hearts, 10 of hearts, Jack of hearts, and Queen of hearts.
• To lay off, add cards in your hand to already-existing melds.
• Example: To a set of a 10 of spades, 10 of diamonds and 10 of hearts, a player could add a 10 of clubs.
• Example: To a run of a 3 of spades, 4 of spades, and 5 of spades, a player could add a 2 of spades to the beginning or a 6 of spades to the end.
• However, players may not rearrange any melds as they lay off.
• Example: If a set of the 6 of clubs, 6 of spades, 6 of diamonds, and 6 of hearts and a run of the 3 of spades, 4 of spades, and 5 of spades are both on the table, a player couldn't move the 6 of spades from the set to the run in order to lay down a 7 of spades.
• To discard, put one of your cards in your hand face-up on the discard pile. Players signal the end of every turn by getting rid of a card in this way.

Once a player has laid down all of his or her cards, the other player's cards are totaled up and added to the previous round's total. The rounds continue in this manner until one player reaches or goes over a target score and the rummy game is over. Then, the player with the lowest score wins.

Players take turns, rotating clockwise, starting with the person to the left of the dealer. In a two-player game, players alternate turns.

Each turn includes the following, in this order:

1. Drawing. Each player must start his or her turn by adding a card to his or her hand. Players can choose to take the first card from the discard pile or the stock pile.
2. Melding. After beginning his or her turn by drawing a card, a player may lay a valid set or run down if he or she has one. Players can only put down one meld per turn (see Variations of Play). (Melding is optional)
3. Laying off. After melding, players can add on to runs or sets already melded by any player. Players can lay off as many cards per turn as they'd like. Laying off is optional as well.
4. Discarding. To signal that his or her turn is over, a player must discard a card from his or her hand to the discard pile. If a player picked up the card from the discard pile at the beginning of his or her turn, that player may not discard the same card in the same turn.

When the stock runs out, the discard pile is shuffled, turned face-down and the top card is turned face up next to it. Play continues. (See Variations of Play for alternate practices)

The round immediately ends when a player gets rid of all cards in his or her hand, or 'goes out.” That player wins the round.

Once the round ends with a player going out, total up the other players' cards as follows:

• Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10s: 10 points
• Number cards: face value
• Aces: 1 point

The total value of the cards left in each losing player's hand is recorded and added to the previous round's total. The points are penalty points.

When any player reaches a previously agreed upon target score (often 100), the player with the lowest score wins. (See Variations of Play for other scoring options)

Strategy

Here are some tips and tricks for how to win Rummy:

• Get rid of face cards and other high-value cards. If you can, do so early on in the game. If not, at least do so towards the end when you notice that your opponent is about to run out of cards. This means you'll run your own score up less.
• Mathematically, it's easier to make a run than it is to get 3 of a kind. So if you're forced to discard either a card that could later form a run or one that could be part of a set, it's better to discard one that could later form a set.
• Pay attention to what your opponent does. If he or she grabs a 10 of spades from the deck, you can bet that they probably either have a 10 already or are trying to complete a run of spades. Do your best to block them from getting rid of their cards!
• Keep in mind that a run can have more than 3 cards in a row. Sometimes, the best way to get rid of cards fast is to form a 5- or 6-card run.

These are just the basics. For more in depth strategy of Rummy, check out White Knuckle.

Variations of Rummy

Looking to mix things up a bit? Here are some alternative house rules you can use. Be sure to discuss and decide upon any variations among fellow players before starting a game.

Instead of playing to a target score, players can decide to play to a set number of rounds. In this case, the player with the least amount of points after the set number of hands is the winner.

Some play that players are allowed to lay down any number of melds during each turn. This is a very common variation; be sure that all players are on the same page about how many melds can be played during each turn before beginning a game.

Many also give a player bonus points if he or she goes out in one turn or 'going rummy,” as they call it. When a player 'goes rummy,' the hand's score is doubled.

Some don't allow a player to lay off cards until he or she has laid down a meld. This is also a very common variation.

The standard rules dictate that aces are only low. Hence, a run of Ace, 2, 3 would count, but a run of Queen, King, Ace wouldn't. Some let aces count as either low or high. When this rule is implemented, aces count for 15 points rather than 1 point, since they're more useful.

Even when this rule is implemented, aces can't be both high and low at the same time, such as in a King, Ace, 2 run. (Some allow these sort of runs, but it's rare)

Standard Rummy doesn't use jokers. Some play that jokers can be used as wild cards that can replace any other card to form sets and sequences. When this rule is implemented, jokers are valued at 15 points and can be used by other players once they're on the table.

Some require players to discard a card even at the end of their last turn. Playing with this rule, a player wouldn't be permitted to meld or lay off all of his or her cards since he or she couldn't finish by discarding one.

In old rummy rules, the discard pile isn't supposed to be shuffled before being reused as stock. However, this version of play isn't very fair because without a shuffle, any player who can memorize the discarded cards in order will have a clear advantage. Due to this, most card game books now recommend shuffling the pile before continuing play.

In both instances, using the discard pile as new stock over and over has other disadvantages. If each player hoards cards that other players want, each player could draw from the pile and discard the card he or she just drew. Theoretically, this sort of game could go on forever. To avoid that sort of repetition, players might consider limiting how many times they reshuffle the discard pile per round.

The discard pile is never reused In a variation of rummy called block rummy. Once the stock pile runs out, the game is over and all players score their remaining cards.

In a common variation of traditional rummy, only the winner scores points after each round. The winner then gets the total number of points from all the cards in the hands of the losing players. When playing this way, the game still ends once a player reaches a target score. The player who reaches it wins the game.

Others play that the winner wins real cash from the losers according to how many points they each have in his or her hand. When playing this way, the game would end after an agreed-upon number of rounds instead of once a certain score is reached.

Glossary of Terms

Block rummy: a variation of rummy in which the discard pile is never reused

Book: 3 or 4 same-ranking cards. Example: 10 of spades, 10 of diamonds and 10 of hearts. One of two types of melds in rummy. Also called a group or set.

Discard: to play a card from your hand on top of the discard pile, signaling the end of a turn.

Gin rummy: a popular version of rummy played with two people. Often confused with traditional rummy.

Go out: To get rid of the last card in your hand, to win and end a round

Go rummy: Going out in a single turn by melding or laying off an entire hand.

Group: 3 or 4 same-ranking cards. Example: 10 of spades, 10 of diamonds and 10 of hearts. One of two types of melds in Rummy. Also called a book or set.

Indian rummy: a popular version of rummy from India played with two decks and wild cards.

Lay off: to add one or more cards from your hand to an already-existing meld

Meld: to place multiple cards from your hand face-up on the table. There are two types of acceptable melds in rummy: sets (also called books and groups) and runs (also called sequences).

Rummy 500: a popular version of rummy in which players play to 500 and score according to cards showing and cards in hand

Run: 3+ consecutive cards of a matching suit. Example: 3 of spades, 4 of spades, and 5 of spades. Also called a sequence.

Sequence: 3+ consecutive cards of a matching suit. Example: 3 of spades, 4 of spades, and 5 of spades. Also called a run.

Set: 3 or 4 same-ranking cards. Example: 10 of spades, 10 of diamonds and 10 of hearts. One of two types of melds in Rummy. Also called a book or group.

Stock: the face-down pile from which players can draw a card at the beginning of each turn

If you get bored here, we have plenty of other games to play! Maybe go play the card game hearts or the card game spades or the card game solitaire!

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Types of Rummy

Rummy games first appeared in the early twentieth century, and are probably derived from the Mexican game Conquian. This page describes basic rummy, also known in the card game literature as Straight Rummy. For other types of rummy, and related games, see the rummy index page. Note that many people use the name Rummy to refer to the game called 500 Rummy on this site, in which more than one card can be taken from the discard pile, and points are scored for cards melded.

Basic Rummy

The game is best played with two to four players, but up to six can take part. Either a fixed number of deals are played, or the game is played to a target score. The number of deals or the target score needs to be agreed before beginning to play.

The Deck

One standard deck of 52 cards is used. Cards in each suit rank, from low to high:

Ace 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Jack Queen King

The Deal

The first dealer is chosen randomly, and the turn to deal alternates if there are two players, and rotates clockwise if there are more than two. In a two player game, each player is dealt a hand of ten cards. Seven cards each are dealt if there are three or four players, and when five or six play each player gets six cards. The cards are dealt one at a time, and after the deal, the next card is placed face up on the table to start the discard pile, and the remainder of the deck is placed face down beside it to form the stock. The players look at and sort their cards.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to dispose of all the cards in your hand. There are three ways to get rid of cards: melding, laying off, and discarding.

• Melding is taking a combination of cards from your hand, and placing it face up in front of you on the table, where it stays. There are two kinds of combination which can be melded: sequences (also known as runs) and groups (also known as sets or books).
  • a sequence or run consists of three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive order, such as 4, 5, 6 or 8, 9, 10, J.
  • a group, set or book is three or four cards of the same rank, such as 7, 7, 7.
• Laying off is adding a card or cards from your hand to a meld already on the table. Thecards added to a meld must make another valid meld. For example to the 4, 5, 6you could add the 3 or the 7. You are not permitted to rearrange the melds in the process.For example, 2, 2, 2, 2 and 3, 4, 5 have been melded,you are not permitted to move the 2 from the group to the sequence, so as to lay off the A.
• Discarding is playing a card from your hand on top of the discard pile. You get rid of one card this way at the end of each turn.

Play

If there are two players, they take alternate turns starting with the non dealer. If there are more than two players, they take turns in clockwise rotation, beginning with the player to dealer's left.

Each turn consists of the following parts:

1. The Draw. You must begin by taking one card from either the top of the Stock pile or the top card on the discard pile, and adding it to your hand. The discard pile is face up, so you can see in advance what you are getting. The stock is face down, so if you choose to draw from the stock you do not see the card until after you have committed yourself to take it. If you draw from the stock, you add the card to your hand without showing it to the other players.
2. Melding. If you have a valid group or sequence in your hand, you may lay one such combination face up on the table in front of you. You cannot meld more than one combination in a turn (but see House Rules). Melding is optional; you are not obliged to meld just because you can.
3. Laying off. This is also optional. If you wish, you may add cards to groups or sequences previously melded by yourself or others. There is no limit to the number of cards a player may lay off in one turn.
4. The Discard At the end of your turn, one card must be discarded from your hand and placed on top of the discard pile face up. If you began your turn by picking up the top card of the discard pile you are not allowed to end that turn by discarding the same card, leaving the pile unchanged - you must discard a different card. You may however pick up the discard on one turn and discard that same card at a later turn. If you draw a card from the stock, it can be discarded on the same turn if you wish.

If the stock pile has run out and the next player does not want to take the discard, the discard pile is turned over, without shuffling, to form a new stock, and play continues - but see the variations section for a discussion of alternatives and problems that can arise.

A player wins an individual hand by either melding, laying off, or discarding all of his or her cards. Getting rid of your last card in one of these ways is called going out. As soon as someone goes out, play ceases. There can be no further melding or laying off, even if the other players have valid combinations in their hands.

Scoring

When a player goes out, the other players add up the value of all the cards still remaining in their hands, as follows:

• Face cards (K,Q,J) are worth 10 points each
• Aces are worth 1 point each
• Number Cards are worth their face value - for example a six is worth 6 points, a four is 4 points, and so on.

The total value of all the cards in the hands of the other players is added to the winner's cumulative score.

The game continues with further deals until a player reaches the points target that was decided before the game began, or until the agreed number of deals has been played.

Optional House Rules.

These optional rules should be discussed and decided by the players before the beginning of the first deal.

Multiple Melds

1. Some people play that you can lay down as many melds as you desire in each turn.
2. Most people allow a player who has not previously melded or laid off any cards to earn a special bonus if they can go out in a single turn by melding or laying off theirentire hand. This is called going rummy, and the score for the hand isdoubled, or in some versions the winner gets a bonus of 10 points.

Laying off

Some play that you may not lay off any cards on other players' melds until you have laid down at least one meld of your own.

Ace High or Low

In the standard game, aces are low. A-2-3 is a valid run but Q-K-A is not. However, some play that aces can be counted as high or low, so that Q-K-A is also a valid run. When playing with this rule, aces are given the higher value of 15 points instead of 1 point, reflecting their greater usefulness.

A few players go further and allow 'round the corner' runs with an ace in the middle (K-A-2), but this is unusual.

Last discard

Some people play that in order to go out, you must end your turn by discarding your last card. You are not allowed to meld all your cards, leaving nothing to discard.

End of the Stock

Some play that when the stock has run out and the next player does not want the discard, the discard pile is shuffled before reusing it as a stock. This is the version now given in most books. If there is no shuffle, players who can memorise the order of cards in the discard pile will clearly have an advantage.

It is just about possible, though very unlikely, that a repetitive situation could occur where each player is holding on to cards wanted by the others. Each player draws from the stock and discards the card they just drew. In this case, recycling the discard pile as a new stock, whether shuffled or not, will not help. If the players are stubborn, the game could be endless. To avoid this, it may be a good idea to limit the number of times that the discard pile can be reused as a new stock. I suggest that after the stock becomes exhausted for the third time, the play should end if the next player does not want to take the discard. Alternatively, you could agree that the discard pile gets reused only once and the play ends when the stock is used up for the second time.

In the version known as Block Rummy, the discard pile is not reused at all. If the stock has run out and the next player does not want to take the discard, the game ends at that point. Everyone scores the value of the cards remaining in their hands.

If the game ends without anyone going out, all players count the value of the cards remaining in their hands. The winner is the player with least points, and scores the sum of the differences between this and the points in each other player's hand. Example: A has 6; B has 15; C has 7; D has 21. A is the winner and scores 25 = (9 + 1 + 15). If two or more players tie for lowest, they share the winnings equally.

Players are allowed, at their turn, to count the number of cards remaining in the face down stock if they wish. As a courtesy (to save others having to count as well), a player who counts the stock should correctly announce to the other players how many stock cards remain.

Scoring

Some play that instead of the winner scoring points, each of the losers score penalty points according to the cards left in their hand. If the game ends without a winner then everyone scores their cards as penalty points. When someone reaches 100 or more, the player with the lowest score wins.

Some play that each loser pays the winner according to the number of points in their hand (or the difference between their score and the winner's score if no one went out). This method is appropriate when playing for money. The session would last for a set number of hands rather than be played to a target score.

Wrotham Rummy

Daryl Brown describes the following variant payed in Wrotham, Kent, UK. A 55-card pack is used, including three jokers which are used as wild cards. A joker can be used as a substitute for any card needed to melded a set or run. A player who holds the card that a melded joker represents can, during her turn, exchange the real card for the joker.

Six deals are played. Eight cards are dealt to the starting player and seven to each other player. On the first turn the starting player does not draw, but just discards a card (or melds and discards). In the first three rounds players meld and lay off as usual, but in the last three rounds, players may not meld any cards until they are able to lay down all seven at once.

Other Rummy WWW pages

Randy Rasa's Rummy-Games.com has rules for various rummy games, as well as reviews of many rummy software packages and on-line servers.

In several card game books the British author George Hervey published rules for basic Rummy and a variant that amounts to Knock Rummy under the name Colonel. You can read the rules of Colonel on Howard Fosdick's page (archive copy).

Rummy.ch is a German language site offering rules for many rummy games, strategy articles, reviews of online rummy sites and a forum.

In the early 2000's the Deutsche Skatverband organised Rommé events and championships and published Rommé tournament rules.

There are rules in French on Jean-François Bustarret's Rami page.

For other types of rummy see the Rummy Games index page.

Rummy software and on line games

At Game Duell you can play Rommé (German) or Rami (French) online for fun or real money: they offer a variant using two decks and 6 jokers, in which a player's first meld must be worth at least 40 points.

German Rommé, with two decks, 6 jokers and a minimum of 40 points for the initial meld, can also be played at online sunnygames.de.

Jim Rummy How To Play

A Rummy program for Windows (a two-player game against the computer with 10 cards dealt to each player) is available from Card Games Galore.

The Rummy program from Special K Software supports ten Rummy variants, which you can play against computer opponents.

You can play Rummy online against the computer or against live opponents at VIP Games.

Windows software for Italian Rummy (Ramino) is available from Alberosa.

Antonio Ferraioli has written a Rummy (Ramino) app for iPhone or iPad.

A version of Basic Rummy can be played online at CardzMania.

Rummy can be played online at TrapApps.

Jim Rummy How To Play

Gameslush.com offers an online Rummy game against live opponents or computer players.

Jim Rummy Online

Sylvain Labbe's Free Card Games includes Net.Rummy, an online Rummy program with customisable rules for play against live opponents. It can be used both on desktop computers and on mobile devices of several types.