How many cards do you deal in Rummy?

There is no single answer to how many cards Rummy uses, because the deal changes with the variant and the number of players. Here is the quick reference.

Quick answer: It depends on the game and player count. Gin Rummy deals 10 cards each. Basic Rummy deals 10 for two players, 7 for three or four, and 6 for five or six. Indian Rummy deals 13 cards, Canasta deals 11, and fast games like Tonk deal 5. Most use one 52-card deck, but several use two decks plus jokers.

Gin Rummy and basic Rummy

Gin Rummy always deals 10 cards to each of its two players from a single 52-card deck with no jokers. Basic Rummy deals 10 cards for two players, 7 each for three or four players, and 6 each for larger groups, so the hand size shrinks as the table grows.

Bigger-deck variants

Several popular variants deal more. Indian Rummy deals 13 cards and uses two decks plus jokers. Canasta deals 11 from two decks and four jokers. Kalooki and Contract Rummy also use two decks. The extra cards and wilds make for longer, more elaborate hands.

Fast, small deals

At the quick end, Tonk deals just 5 cards (sometimes 7) for a rapid game, and Oklahoma Gin keeps Gin Rummy's 10. Whatever the number, the rest of the cards become the stock. For more on the different games, see how many types of Rummy there are.

Browse all our games

Related questions

How do you play Gin Rummy?

Gin Rummy is a two-player game. Each player gets 10 cards and takes turns drawing one card from the stock or discard pile, then discarding one. You arrange your hand into melds - sets and runs - and end the hand by knocking once your leftover deadwood is 10 points or less, or by going Gin with no deadwood at all.

What are the stock and discard piles in Rummy?

The stock is the face-down pile of undealt cards you draw from blindly. The discard pile is the face-up stack of cards players have thrown away, and its top card is always visible. On your turn you draw one card - from either the stock or the discard pile - and then place one card on top of the discard pile.

How many types of Rummy are there?

There are dozens of documented Rummy variants worldwide, but they sort into a few families: draw-and-discard melding games like Gin Rummy, points-race games like Rummy 500, joker-rich 13-card games like Indian Rummy, and contract or partnership games like Contract Rummy and Canasta. We offer ten of the most popular, plus Gin Rummy.