What are the stock and discard piles in Rummy?
Every Rummy turn revolves around two piles: the mysterious face-down stock and the revealing face-up discard pile. Knowing when to use each is a real skill.
The stock pile
After the deal, the remaining cards form the stock, placed face down. Drawing from the stock is a gamble - you do not know what you will get - but it keeps your intentions hidden from your opponent. When the stock runs low, house rules decide whether the discard pile is reshuffled or the hand ends.
The discard pile
The discard pile sits face up beside the stock, and only its top card is available to draw. Taking the top discard tells your opponent something about the meld you are building, so it is a trade-off between the card you gain and the information you reveal. In Rummy 500 you can even take several cards from deeper in the pile.
Reading the discards
Watching what your opponent draws and discards is one of the best sources of information in the game. A discard they ignore, or one they snatch up, hints at what they are collecting - a skill our how to win guide develops.
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.
How do you win at Rummy?
Win more often by discarding high unmatched cards early to cut your deadwood, keeping flexible cards that can fit into more than one meld, and watching which cards your opponent takes and throws. Do not hold out too long for the perfect hand - knock as soon as your deadwood is low and safe.
What is Rummy 500?
Rummy 500, also called 500 Rum, is a variant for 2 to 8 players where you lay your melds face up and score the point value of the cards in them. The first player to reach 500 points wins. Its signature rule lets you draw more than one card from the discard pile, as long as you immediately use the deepest card you take.