NUMBER OF PLAYERS 2 to 6Rummy evolved from a Spanish game called Conquian (Panguingue is the closest modern equivalent), and was first recorded in the American Southwest in the 1850s. Rummy has since split into two families of games, those emphasizing “going out” (Rummy, Continental Rummy), and those emphasizing melding (Rummy Five Hundred, Contract Rummy). Rummy was the most widely played game in the United States in the 1930s and ‘40s, after which it was eclipsed by two of its own offspring, Gin Rummy and Canasta.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS 2 to 6
HOW TO DEAL Start with a fifty-two-card deck, and deal cards one at a time, face down, as follows:
With two players, ten cards each
With three or four players, seven cards each
With five or six players, six cards each
Set the remaining cards face down in the center of the table (this is the stock), turn up the topmost stock card, and place it face up next to the stock (this is the discard pile). Card rankings are standard, with aces always low.
SCORING When a player goes out, she scores points for every card remaining in her opponents’ hands, based on the following values: 10 points for each face card, 1 point for each ace, and index value points for all other cards. If the winner melded her entire hand in a single turn, she earns a rummy bonus, and all points are doubled. Games of Rummy are played to 50 or 100 points.
HOW TO PLAY The player to the left of the dealer starts by drawing a card (either from the stock or the top card in the discard pile); making melds; and then discarding one card from the hand, face up, on top of the discard pile.
To create melds, players take cards from their hands and place them on the table, face up, in the following groupings:
SETS are three or more cards of equal rank (e.g., 5 of hearts-5 of diamonds-5 of spades).
SEQUENCES are three or more cards of matching suit in unbroken sequence. Ranking is not continuous, so K of spades-A of spades-2 of spades is not valid.
Players may also build on existing melds (both their own and other players’). For example, you may add 5 of clubs to an existing 5 of spades-5 of diamonds-5 of spades set. When a player melds all cards in his hand, he goes out and wins the hand. Scores are then tallied. If the stock is exhausted before a player goes out, turn over the discard pile (do not shuffle) to form a new stock and continue play.
VARIATION 1: CONTRACT RUMMY
This is the most common—and popular—variation of the standard Rummy game. The general play is similar, but numerous modifications have been added over the years. Contract Rummy may be played by three to eight players. There are no teams; everybody plays for themselves.
DEALING With three or four players, use two fifty-two-card decks plus one joker (105 cards total). With five or more players, use three fifty-two-card decks plus two jokers (158 cards total). Aces rank both high and low, and jokers are wild. Games are always limited to seven rounds. Each player receives ten cards in the first four rounds, twelve cards in the remaining three rounds.
The player who goes out first wins the hand, and scores are tallied. The player with the lowest total score after seven rounds wins the game. The same card values apply in both Rummy and Contract Rummy, except for jokers (20 points) and aces (15 points).
HOW TO PLAY Standard Rummy melds are used, except that aces rank either high (A-K-Q) or low (3-2-A). Ranking is still not continuous, so K-A-2 is not valid. Jokers are wild and stand in for any card.
In each round, a different contract is required to go out (see chart below). In Round 1, for example, a player must meld two sets to go out.
| ROUND | REQUIRED CONTRACT |
| 1 | 2 sets |
| 2 | 1 set, 1 sequence |
| 3 | 2 sequences |
| 4 | 3 sets |
| 5 | 2 sets, 2 sequences |
| 6 | 1 set, 2 sequences |
| 7 | 3 sequences |
When two or more sequences are required, play two different suits. Or, if you play in the same suit, separate the sequences by at least one card (the two sequences may not be in continuous rank order).
DRAWING CARDS Contract Rummy places restrictions on drawing cards from the discard pile. At the start of player one’s turn, for example, he or she must first decide to accept or decline the topmost card in the discard pile. If player one declines, player two may accept it. If player two declines, player three may accept it, etc. If player three accepts it, he or she must take both the discard and the topmost stock card. Player three may not discard and may not meld (since it is not player three’s turn). Instead, player one takes a stock card (at this point player one may not take a card from the discard pile) and continues the turn.
MELDING All players must first meld the exact melds called for in the contract. Until a player melds, say, two sequences in Round 3, she may not meld anything else. Once a player meets the contract, she then may build on her own melds or the melds of other players. However she may not create any new melds.
JOKERS When melding with a joker, a player must state a suit and rank for the card. Any other player (assuming he has met his contract) may swap the actual card for the joker, and use the joker immediately or keep it in his hand.
VARIATION 2: CONTINENTAL RUMMY
In the 1950s, Continental Rummy was all the rage in the United States. Then Canasta came along and knocked the game off its pedestal. Continental Rummy follows the basic rules of Contract Rummy, except that instead of playing seven rounds, there is only one round and the contracts are fixed.
Continental Rummy may be played by two to twelve players. With up to five players, use two fifty-two-card decks plus one joker (105 cards total); with six to eight players, use three fifty-two-card decks plus three jokers (159 cards total); with nine or more players, use four fifty-two-card decks plus three jokers (212 cards total). All players are dealt fifteen cards in batches of three. Aces may be played high and low. Both jokers and 2s are wild.
The one and only goal in Continental Rummy is to go out, all at once, with one of the three following hands:
Five three-card sequences
Three four-card sequences plus one three-card sequence
One five-card sequence, one four-card sequence, two three-card sequences
Sets are not valid in Continental Rummy, and players may not meld or build any other cards. You go out with the above hands in one fell swoop, or you don’t go out at all.
In addition to the standard point scores, the following points are added to the winner’s score, multiplied by the number of players in the game (see chart below). With seven players, for example, the winner earns 7 points (1 point × 7 players = 7 points) plus any other relevant bonuses multiplied by the number of players. Games of Continental Rummy are typically played to 500 points.
VARIATION 3: RUMMY FIVE HUNDRED
Follow the standard rules of Rummy, but use a single fifty-two-card deck for three or four players, or two fifty-two-card decks for five to eight players. Rummy card rankings are used, except the ace may be played both high (A-K-Q) and low (3-2-A) in sequences. Deal all players seven cards.
In addition to taking a stock card or the top card from the discard pile, players have a third drawing option: to draw two or more cards (in order; you may not pick and choose) from the discard pile, as long as you immediately meld the last card taken in the pile. For example, if you pick up eight cards from the discard pile, you must immediately meld the eighth card taken. The other cards are placed in your hand or used to meld valid combinations.
When building a card(s) on an opponent’s existing meld, place the card(s) in front of you so you can score it later. If a card may be built onto more than one of your opponents’ melds, you must specify which one.
Players are not required to go out by discarding; as soon as one player has melded all her cards, the hand is over and points are tallied. There is no bonus for going out. All scores are simply the sum of all cards melded subtracted from the sum of all cards left in your hand. Aces score 15 points in all cases, except when they’re the low card in a sequence (3-2-A), in which case they score 5 points. The first player to score 500 points wins the game.
This variant adds heat to the standard Rummy game by pitting two players in head-to-head competition. Start by removing all 8s, 9s, and 10s from a standard fifty-two-card deck, leaving forty cards total. Aces may be played both high and low. Deal ten cards to each player and set the remaining cards aside as the stock. No card is turned up for the discard pile.
The goal is to meld eleven cards: ten in your hand, plus the final card drawn. The non-dealer starts by turning up the topmost stock card. This card must immediately be melded or discarded. The player may not place the draw card in his hand. On all subsequent turns, players either draw from the stock (immediately melding or discarding), or from the discard pile (immediately melding).
Koon Kan follows all other standard Rummy rules. The game is a draw if the stock is exhausted before either player goes out.
Tonk Rummy is ideal for two or three players craving a little action—as in wagering action. Before the game starts, agree on a stake (anywhere from 50 cents to $5). The game’s namesake—a tonk—doubles the stakes, so don’t let the stakes get too out of control.
Deal each player five cards, set aside the stock, and create a discard pile. Players start by adding up the value of their hands: face cards are 10 points each, aces are 1, and all other cards are their index value. If a player’s hand is worth 49 or 50 points, it’s a tonk. Declare tonks immediately, and all other players must pay the winner a double stake. The game is a draw if two players have tonks.
A player may knock at the start of any turn. By knocking, she is betting that she has the lowest overall score in cards. If she’s right, she is paid the basic stake. Otherwise, she pays the actual low-score holder double the stake, while all other players pay a standard stake.
Players who go out by melding earn the standard stake, unless they go out without a discard. This is another type of tonk and earns the winner double stakes from all players. The game is over if the stock runs out. If this happens, the player with the lowest overall score is paid the basic stake from all players.
VARIATION 6: RUMMY 11
This is a wildcard-laden version of standard Rummy, best for two to four players. The standard Rummy rules are followed, with a few exceptions.
Start with a single fifty-two-card deck for two players; two fifty-two-card decks for three or four players. The game has eleven total rounds, and dealing is progressive: players receive three cards in Round 1, four cards in Round 2, five cards in Round 3, etc.
The other twist is that each round features a different wild card, based on the number of cards dealt: in Round 1, 3s are wild; in Round 2, 4s are wild; etc.
Wild cards may stand in for any card. When a player goes out, the other players have one final turn to meld cards. After that, scores are tallied and the deal rotates to the left. After Round 11, the player with the highest score wins.