The card game Rummy is a fun, easy-to-learn card game played by two to six players.

Rummy is a race to see which one of the players can meld their cards first!

Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play the card game rummy below.

Rummy Tutorial

Needed

52 card deck; two to six players; pen and paper for scorekeeping

Deal

  • 2 Players = 10 cards each

  • 3-4 Players = 7 cards each

  • 5-6 Players = 6 cards each

Objective

The objective of the game is to be the first player to play all his/her cards into melds. A meld is a set of three or four cards with the same rank or a run of three or more cards in the same suit.

Game Play

The player left of the dealer goes first. The player has the option to draw the top card of the deck or the top card of the discard pile.

Once a card is drawn, the player has the option to lay down any possible melds or can lay off a card onto any meld on the table. A lay off means adding a card to an existing meld. For example, adding the forth 5 to a meld of three 5s, or adding a 2 of diamonds to the run of 3 of diamonds to 6 of diamonds. Each player’s turn ends by discarding one card.

Play continues clockwise until a player has played all his/her cards. A round can end in three ways. Players can meld their last cards, lay off their last card, or discard their last card.

Scoring

The winner of the round is awarded the points from the other players’ cards remaining in their hands. An ace is worth 1 point. The 2s through the 10s are worth face value. For example, a 6 is worth 6 points. A face card is worth 10 points. A game is played to an agreed upon amount, such as 150.

If a player that has not laid any cards on the table is able to meld and lay off all of his/her cards in one turn, it is known as going rummy. When a player goes rummy, he/she is awarded double the points in the other players’ hands.

Rules

  • The ace is always low.

  • Once a meld is laid on the table, it cannot be moved or separated.

  • If a player draws from the discard pile, the drawn card cannot be discarded on the same turn.

  • If the middle deck runs out during game play, the top card of the discard pile remains as the discard pile. The rest of the discard pile is shuffled and becomes the new deck to draw from.