Printable Rummy Reference
Sometimes you want rummy away from a screen. This one-page reference gathers everything you need to run a game with a real deck: a plain-English rules summary, a card scoring table, and a cheat-sheet of the melds that make up every hand. Print it out and keep it beside the table so no one has to argue over what beats what. When you would rather just play, you can always play free in your browser instead.
Heads up: Rummy.now does not offer a downloadable PDF yet. This page gives you the rules, scoring and meld cheat-sheet to play rummy with real cards, plus links to play every game online.
Rummy in one minute
Rummy is a draw-and-discard game. Each player holds a hand of cards and tries to arrange it into melds - sets and runs - faster than everyone else. On your turn you draw one card, build or extend melds, then discard one card, keeping your hand the same size. You win a hand by going out (melding everything and discarding your last card) or, in Gin games, by knocking once your unmelded deadwood falls to ten points or fewer.
Meld cheat-sheet
Every rummy meld is one of these. A card can only belong to one meld at a time.
| Meld | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Set (group / book) | Three or four cards of the same rank, all different suits | 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ |
| Run (sequence) | Three or more cards in a row, all one suit | 4♣ 5♣ 6♣ |
| Pure sequence | A run made from real cards, no joker or wild | 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ |
| Impure sequence | A run completed with a joker or wild card | 5♣ 🃏 7♣ |
| Lay off | Add a card to a meld already on the table | Add 3♣ to 4♣ 5♣ 6♣ |
Card scoring at a glance
When a hand ends, the cards you did not meld are counted against you at their pip value. Melded cards score in your favor in points games like Rummy 500 and Canasta. These are the standard values - agree any house tweaks before you deal.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace (low) | 1 point |
| Ace (high, in ace-high games) | 11 or 15 points |
| 2 through 9 | Face value (2 to 9) |
| 10, Jack, Queen, King | 10 points each |
| Joker / wild card | 0 while wild in a meld; a heavy penalty (often 15 to 25) if caught in hand |
How to set up a game of rummy with a real deck
Here is the classic Gin Rummy setup, the version most people mean when they picture two players and a pack of cards. You need one standard 52-card deck.
- Shuffle one standard 52-card deck well.
- Deal ten cards to each of the two players, one at a time, alternating.
- Turn the next card face up to start the discard pile. The rest of the deck becomes the face-down stock.
- The non-dealer decides first whether to take that upcard. If both players pass on it, the non-dealer draws from the stock and play begins.
- On each turn, draw one card from the stock or the top of the discard pile, then discard one card, always keeping ten cards in hand.
- Arrange your cards into sets and runs. Knock when your unmelded deadwood is ten points or fewer, or go Gin with zero deadwood for a bonus.
New to the rules? The full walkthrough for every game lives on the rummy rules hub.
Rummy games at a glance
Different rummy games use different hand sizes and decks. Here is how the games on Rummy.now are dealt.
| Game | Players | Cards each | Decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gin Rummy | 2 players | 10 cards each | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 2 players | 10 cards each | 1 |
| Straight Gin | 2 players | 10 cards each | 1 |
| Rummy | 2 players | 10 cards each | 1 |
| Rummy 500 | 2 players | 7 cards each | 1 |
| Kalooki | 2 players | 13 cards each | 2 |
| Indian Rummy | 2 players | 13 cards each | 2 |
| Dummy Rummy | 2 players | 13 cards each | 2 |
| Tonk | 2 players | 5 cards each | 1 |
| Canasta | 2 players | 15 cards each | 2 |
| Contract Rummy | 2 players | 10-12 cards each | 2 |
Or just play in your browser
No printer and no deck handy? Every game deals itself for you online, for free, with no download. Try Gin Rummy, Rummy, or Tonk and the site handles the shuffle, the deal, and the scoring for you.
Printable rummy FAQ
Do you have a printable rummy PDF?
Not yet. For now, this page gives you the rules summary, meld cheat-sheet and scoring table so you can play any game with a real deck, or you can play the full games free online.
How do you set up a game of rummy?
For classic Gin Rummy, deal ten cards to each of two players, turn the next card up to start the discard pile, and leave the rest face down as the stock. Players then draw and discard one card each turn until someone knocks or goes Gin.
Can I teach kids rummy with a printed sheet?
Yes. The meld cheat-sheet makes it easy for kids to see what counts as a set and a run, and the scoring table settles any point questions. Start with basic Rummy or Gin Rummy, then try other games once melding clicks. The rules hub keeps every game in plain English.