How do you play Rummy?

Basic Rummy - sometimes called Straight Rummy - is the ancestor of the whole family, and once you know it, every other Rummy variant is a short step away.

Quick answer: In basic Rummy, 2 to 6 players each get a hand of cards and take turns drawing one and discarding one. You form melds - sets of matching ranks and runs of consecutive same-suit cards - and lay them on the table. The first player to meld their entire hand and make a final discard wins, and the others score penalty points for the deadwood left in their hands.

Setup and dealing

Rummy is usually played by 2 to 6 players with a standard 52-card deck. With two players each gets 10 cards; larger groups get fewer. The rest of the cards form the face-down stock, with the top card turned up to start the discard pile. Card values matter at the end, so see the card values in Rummy.

Melding, laying off and discarding

On your turn you draw one card, then you may lay down any complete melds and lay off cards onto melds already on the table. You finish your turn by discarding one card. A meld is either a set of three or four cards of the same rank or a run of three or more consecutive cards in one suit.

Winning the hand

The first player to meld every card in their hand, ending with a final discard, goes out and wins. Everyone else counts the deadwood still in their hands as penalty points. Play often continues over several hands until a player reaches an agreed target. Ready to try it? Play Rummy here.

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Related questions

What is a meld in Rummy?

A meld is any valid group of cards in Rummy. There are two kinds: a set (also called a group or book), which is three or four cards of the same rank, and a run (also called a sequence), which is three or more consecutive cards of the same suit. Turning your cards into melds is the entire object of every Rummy game.

How do you lay off cards in Rummy?

Laying off means adding a card to a meld that is already on the table, rather than starting a new one. In Gin Rummy, the defender lays off deadwood onto the knocker's melds to lower their own count. In games like Rummy 500 and basic Rummy, you can lay off onto any melds in play to unload cards and score.

How is Rummy scored?

In most Rummy games the player who goes out scores points equal to the total deadwood left in the other players' hands. Face cards count 10 each, number cards their pip value, and Aces usually 1. Variants differ: Rummy 500 scores the melds you lay down, and Gin Rummy adds bonuses for knocking, going Gin and undercutting.