7. Rummy

BASIC RUMMY     BLOCK RUMMY     BOATHOUSE RUMMY    
CONTRACT RUMMY    KNOCK RUMMY    TUNK    GIN RUMMY     OKLAHOMA GIN RUMMY     AROUND-THE-CORNER GIN     500 RUMMY    PLAY SPADES ONLINE

Rummy is the most widely played of all card games. Many different forms of the game are played, but all have a very strong family resemblance. Once you have learned to play the basic game, you can pick up any variant form in a few minutes.

BASIC RUMMY

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 6.

THE DEAL : 10 cards each, when only 2 play; 7 cards each, when 3 or 4 play; 6 cards each, when 5 or 6 play. The rest of the cards are put face down in the middle of the table, forming the stock. The top card of the stock is turned face up in the middle of the table, thus starting the discard pile.

In a 2-handed game, the winner of each hand deals the next hand. When more than 2 play, the turn to deal passes to the left exactly as the cards are dealt out.

OBJECT: TO win points from your opponents. You usually keep track of these points with a pencil and paper score.

In order to win points, you must match up your cards. One' way to match your cards is to get 3 or 4 of a kind, For example, you might have 3 Kings, or 4 10's, and so on. A second way to match your cards is to get sequences—cards that are next to each other in rank and are in the same suit.

The rank of the cards in Rummy is:
(Highest) King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,4, 3, 2, Ace (Lowest)
A typical sequence is A Jack-10-9. Another typical sequence is * 4-3-2-Ace. You need at least 3 cards for a sequence.

THE PLAY: Each person at the table plays in turn, beginning with the player at the dealer's left. During your turn to play, you do three things: you draw, you meld (if you wish to do so), and you discard.

As you draw, you may pick up the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile. You add this card to your hand.

You meld by putting down on the table a group of matched cards. For example, you might put down 3 of a kind, or 4 of a kind, or a sequence. You might even put down two groups of matched cards if you are lucky enough to have them in your hand. You are not required to meld if you don't wish to do so.

After some other player has melded, you may add to his meld at your proper turn. For example, if some player has put down 3 Kings, you may add the 4th King at your turn to play,. If some player has put down Diamond 8-7-6, you may add Diamond 10-9, or Diamond 9, or Diamond 5, or Diamond 5-4, or any such card or groups of cards. You may add to a meld that has been put down previously by any player at the table (including yourself).

After you have drawn and melded (or after you have declined to meld), it is your turn to discard. You take any card from your hand and put it on top of the discard pile in the middle of the table. This act, called discarding, completes your play.

When a player, at his proper turn to play, manages to meld all of his cards, he wins the game. He must begin his play with a draw, thus adding one card to his hand, and then he must meld either all of the cards in his hand or all but one. If he melds all but one card, that last card is his discard.

If no player has melded all of his cards (called going out) by the time the stock is used up, the next player may take either the top card of the discard pile or the top card of the new stock that has been formed by turning the discard pile over. In either case, play proceeds as before until somebody does go out.

SCORING: The winner of a hand scores points by counting up the hand of each of the other players in the game. Each loser counts his cards according to the following scale:
Picture cards 10 points each
Aces _______1 point each
Other cards ____pip value
A loser does not count cards that he has previously melded on the table but he does count any cards that remain in his hand, whether or not these cards match.

A player goes "Rummy" when he melds all of his cards in one turn, without previously melding or adding to anybody else's meld. A player may go "Rummy" by melding all of his cards after the draw, or he may meld all but one and then discard that last card. Whenever a player goes "Rummy," he wins double the normal amount from each of the other players.

A pencil and paper score is kept, with a column for each player in the game. Whenever a player wins a hand, the amounts that he wins from the

other players are put into his winning column. Some players agree on a stopping time when they play Rummy. The winner of a game is the player who has the highest score when the agreed time comes. Other players end a game when any player reaches a certain high total score, such as 500 points. The score for each player is added up at the end of each hand.

BLOCK RUMMY

This is the same as Basic Rummy except that the discard pile is never turned over to begin a stock again. When the stock has been used up, the next player has the right to take the top card of the discard pile. If he does not wish to take this top discard card, the hand ends immediately. This is called a block.

When a block occurs, each player shows his hand. The player with the lowest count wins the difference in count from each of the other players. If 2 or more players tie for the low count, they share the winning equally.

SKILLFUL PLAY: In all games of the Rummy family, you try to build up your hand by keeping cards that match and by discarding cards that do not match. For example, if you drew the 10 of spades, you would tend to keep it if your hand contained one or more of the 10's, or if your hand contained the Jack of spades or the 9 of spades. In such cases, your 10 of spades would be a useful card. Even if it did not immediately give you a meld, it would bring you closer to a meld.

If you drew a card that did not match anything in your hand, you would either discard it immediately or would wait for a later chance to discard it.

If the player at your left picks a card from the discard pile, this draw gives you a clue to his hand. If, for example, he picks up the 9 of diamonds, you know that he must have other 9's or other diamonds in the neighborhood of the 9. If convenient, you would avoid throwing another 9 or another diamond in the neighborhood of the 9. This is called playing defensively. You would not bother with defensive play against anybody but the player at your left, since your discard would be covered up by the time that any other player wanted to draw.

The advantage of melding is that you cannot lose the value of those cards even if some other player wins the hand. The advantage of holding a meld in your hand is that nobody can add to the meld while it is still in your hand. A second advantage is the possibility of going "Rummy" all in one play.

It sometimes pays to hold up a meld, but most successful Rummy players make it a habit to put melds down fairly quickly. It is usually safe to hold up a meld for 1 or 2 turns, but after that, it becomes dangerous. If another player goes out before you have melded, you will lose for those matched cards just as though they were unmatched.

BOATHOUSE RUMMY

This is like Basic Rummy except that sequences go "around the corner." For example, you may meld K-A-2 (all of the same suit) as a sequence. But you are not allowed to meld anything at all until you can meld your whole hand and go out. When you go out, you win points from every other player according to his unmatched cards, that is, the cards in his hand that he has not matched up in groups of three or four, or in sequences. There are two methods of scoring. One is to count 1 point for each unmatched card. The other is to count 11 for an unmatched Ace, 10 for a face card, and the pip value for all other cards.

One other peculiarity of Boathouse Rummy is in drawing. In beginning your turn, if you draw the top card of the discard pile, you may then draw a second card—from the discard pile or the stock, as you please. If you begin by drawing from the stock, however, you do not get a second card.

CONTRACT RUMMY (LIVERPOOL RUMMY)

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 to 8.

CARDS: With 3 or 4 players, two decks of 52 plus one joker. With 5 or more players, three decks plus two jokers.

THE DEAL: 10 cards to each, except in Deal 7, when each receives 12. The rest of the cards are put face down in the middle of the table, forming the stock. The top card of the stock is turned face up beside it, thus starting the discard pile.

OBJECT: TO get rid of all the cards in your hand by melding them.

MELDS: The melds are as in Basic Rummy: groups of three or four cards of the same rank, such as Queens; sequences of three or more cards of the same suit, such as A-K-Q of diamonds.

THE CONTRACT: A game consists of seven deals. In each deal, a player's first meld must be a combination of two or three sets according to this schedule:
Deal 1: two groups
Deal 2: one group and one sequence
Deal 3: two sequences
Deal 4: three groups
Deal 5: two groups and a sequence
Deal 6: one group and two sequences
Deal 7: three sequences
In melding the contract, Deals 1 to 6 inclusive, you may put down only three cards per set. If you have additional matching cards, you may put them down at any later turn. In Deal 7, however, you must meld all 12 cards at once, thus going out.

THE PLAY: AS in Basic Rummy, a turn consists of a draw, melding (if you wish), and a discard. If you decide not to draw the top card of the discard pile, you must say so. Then any other player who wants it may take it. If two or more want it, the one nearest you in turn to the left is entitled to it. He has to pay for the privilege of taking the discard out of turn, by drawing the top card of the stock also. He must then wait his regular turn before melding or discarding. Then you resume your turn, drawing the top card of the stock.

Your first meld of any kind must be the contract. After that, you are not allowed to meld any new sets, but you may add matching cards to any sets on the table—yours and the other players'. A peculiarity of the game is that a sequence may be built to the Ace both ways, making a set of 14 cards. (Of course, this rarely happens.)

WILD CARDS: The joker is wild. You may call it any card you please, to help you get rid of cards by melding. You must say exactly what card it represents. For example, if you put the joker down with the 7 of Spades and the 7 of Diamonds, you must say either "7 of Hearts" or "7 of Clubs." The reason why you must specify is shown by the next rule. A player who holds the named card may, in his turn, put it down in place of the joker, thus getting the joker for his own use.

Many players like to have additional wild cards, to make it easier to form sets for the contract. Deuces are often used as wild, in which case 4-3-A is considered a low sequence. A deuce cannot be captured, as can the joker. However, if a deuce is melded in a sequence, any player may put the natural card in its place and move the deuce to cither end of the sequence.

ENDING PLAY: Play continues until somebody goes out. If the stock is exhausted, the discard pile is turned over without shuffling to form a new stock.

SCORING: The player who goes out scores zero—which is good! Each other player scores the total of the cards left in his hand. Aces and wild cards count 15 each, face cards are 10, other cards count their pip value. The player with the lowest total score after Deal 7 wins the game.

KNOCK RUMMY

From 2 to 6 may play. Use one deck, giving each player 10 cards when two play, 7 cards when three or four play, 5 cards with five or six.

The play follows Basic Rummy, but there is no melding until somebody knocks. To knock means to lay down your whole hand face up, ending the play. You may knock in your turn, after drawing, but before discarding. You do not have to have a single meld to knock—but you had better have a conviction that you have the low hand.

When anybody knocks, all players lay down their hands, arranged in such melds as they have, with the unmatched cards separate. What counts is the total of unmatched cards.

If the knocker has lowest count, he wins the difference of counts from each other player. If somebody ties or beats him for low count, that player wins the difference from everybody else. When the knocker is beaten, he pays an extra penalty of 10 points. If the knocker lays down a rum hand-one with no unmatched card—he wins an extra 25 points from everybody, besides the count of unmatched cards held by the others.

The score is best kept with pencil and paper. Each item should be entered twice—plus for the winner and minus for the loser.

TUNK

Use one deck with two or three players; two decks with four or five. Each player receives 7 cards. The rules of play follows Basic Rummy, and the object is to go out. Deuces are wild, and may be used in place of natural cards to form melds. To go out, you need not meld all your cards, but merely reduce the total of your unmatched cards to 5 or less. Before going out, you must give notice by saying "Tunk" in your turn—and that is all you can do in that turn. A tunk takes the place of draw-meld-discard. Then the other players unload all that they can from their hands, and on your next turn you lay down your hand, ending the play. A player may at any time add cards to his own melds, or upon a tunker's melds after the tunk, but not on another player's.

The tunker scores zero, and the others are charged with the count of all cards left in their hands. When a player reaches 100, he is out of the game, and the others play on until there is only one survivor.

GIN RUMMY

Gin is one of the best and also one of the most popular of the Rummy games.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2.

CARDS: A regular deck of 52. The ranking is:
(Highest) KQJ10 98765432A (Lowest)

THE DEAL: Each player receives 10 cards dealt one at a time. The rest of the deck is placed face down in the middle of the table to form the stock. The top card of the stock is turned over beside it. This so-called upcard starts the discard pile.

THE PLAY: TO begin his turn, a player must draw one card—the top of the stock or the top of the discard pile. Then he must discard one card face up on the discard pile.

Non-dealer plays first. If he wants the upcard, he may take it, but if he does not want it, he must say so without drawing. Then the dealer may take the upcard if he wishes. After he has taken or refused it, non-dealer continues with his turn. After that, the turn alternates and there are no further complications.

OBJECT OF PLAY: TO reduce the count of one's unmatched cards.
A "matched set" in Gin is the same as a "meld" in Basic Rummy—three or four cards of the same rank, or three or more cards in sequence in the same suit. For example, 6-6-6 is a matched set and so is Q-J-10 of diamonds.

In Gin, Aces rank lowest, so that 3-2-A is a sequence but A-K-Q is not. The point values are: Ace 1, face card 10, each other card, its pip value.

KNOCKING: There is no melding. Matched sets are kept in the hand, until some player brings matters to a halt by laying down all his 10 cards. This act is called "knocking."

You are entitled to knock only if the total count of your unmatched cards is 10 or less. You may knock only in your turn to play, after drawing and before discarding. You should make your final discard face dawn, as a matter of habit, thereby indicating your intention to knock. (If you should discard face up, intending then to lay down your hand, you could be stopped, for by rule the face-up discard ended your turn.)

The knocker must arrange his cards in matched sets with the unmatched cards to one side. It is customary to announce the total count of unmatched cards, as by saying "I go down for five." The opponent then exposes his hand, arranged by matched sets and unmatched cards. He is entitled to lay off cards on the knocker's sets, provided that it is not a gin hand —all 10 cards matched. For example, if the knocker lays down three Jacks and the 9-8-7 of hearts (with four low unmatched cards), the opponent can lay off the fourth Jack, the 10 or 6 of hearts, if he has any of these cards.

SCORING: Opponent of the knocker counts his remaining unmatched cards, after laying off what he can. If this count is higher than the knocker's, the knocker wins the difference. If the opponent has the same or lower count, he scores the difference (if any) plus 25 points for undercutting the knocker.

If the knocker lays down a gin hand, the opponent may not lay off any cards. The knocker wins the opponent's count, plus 25. This bonus of 25 for gin can be won only by a knocker. For example, suppose you play 'possum with a gin hand until your opponent knocks with 1 or more. You win his count, plus 25 for undercut, but you don't get the bonus for a gin hand.

GAME: Keep score with pencil and paper. Enter the net result of a hand in the column under the winner's name, draw a line below the item, then write the total. The lines are important, to keep track of how many hands were won by each player.

The player who first reaches a total of 100 or more wins a game. He scores a bonus of 100 for winning, and an additional 100 for shutout (also called "whitewash," "skunk," "Schneider," "goose-egg," etc.) if his opponent has not scored a single point. Then each player is credited with 25 points for each hand he has won. This is called the line or box score. The winner then carries forward the difference between his own grand total and opponent's grand total.

OKLAHOMA GIN RUMMY

This is simply Gin with the provision that the upcard fixes the maximum count with which you may knock. Thus, if a threespot is turned for the upcard, it takes 3 or less to knock in that deal. If a 10 or face card is turned, the game is no different from regular Gin. Some players like to pep up the game with additional rules, such as: the hand counts double when the upcard is a spade.

AROUND-THE-CORNER GIN

In this game sequences may "go around the corner"—thus K-A-2 of clubs is a matched set. An unmatched Ace counts 15. A non-knocker is allowed to lay off cards even on a gin hand. The game is usually set at 125 points. In all other respects the regular Gin rules apply.

500 RUMMY (MICHIGAN RUMMY)

The chief feature of 500 Rummy is that you score for melding as well as for going out.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 to 8. When more than 4 play, they should use two decks of 52 shuffled together.

THE DEAL: 7 cards to each. The turn to deal passes to the left.

THE PLAY: AS in Basic Rummy, a player may begin his turn by drawing the top card of the stock or the discard pile. But he has a third choice—he may draw any card of the discard pile, no matter how deeply it is buried, provided that he immediately melds this card. He must also pick up all the cards that covered it, and add them to his hand. He may proceed to meld all the cards he wishes to; his turn ends when he discards.

Discards are not stacked in a pile, as in most Rummy games, but are spread out in an overlapping fan so that all the cards can be seen. It is of course important not to mix up the order in which they lie. When you "dig deep" into the discards, courtesy requires that you leave the cards on the table for a while, to give the other players a chance to see what you are getting, before you put them into your hand.

Melds are as in Basic Rummy. You may add cards to your own melds and also to those belonging to other players. Since all the cards you meld count for you, you should keep them in front of yourself, merely pointing out the melds to which they may be attached. For example, if somebody has melded 9-8-7 of clubs, you may lay down the 10 of clubs. Then later any player may lay down the Jack of clubs—still keeping possession of it.

Play ends when some player gets rid of all the cards from his hand. He may meld all his cards without making a final discard. If nobody goes out by the time the stock is exhausted, play continues so long as each in turn draws from the discard pile, but ends as soon as any player fails to do so.

SCORING: When play ends, each player counts up the difference between the cards he has melded and the cards left in his hand. This difference (which may be plus or minus) is added to his running total score, which is kept on paper.

The cards count as follows: Ace 15, unless it was melded in a low sequence (A-2-3), in which case it counts 1; face cards 10 each, other cards, their pip value.

The player who first wins 500 points wins the game.

SKILLFUL PLAY: Much more is won by melding than by going out. You should try to meld as much as possible, and to meld high cards rather than low cards. For this purpose, you want to get as many cards into your hand as you can. The deeper you have to dig into the discard pile, the happier you are!

If you are dealt a low meld, such as three deuces, discard one of them at first opportunity. Then, after the discard pile has grown to ten or twelve cards, reclaim your deuce to meld it—and so get some booty! Just remember not to be greedy; if you wait too long, somebody else may take the pile, for you can be sure that the others will "salt" the pile too, if they have the chance.

At the beginning of a game, try to avoid making it too easy for another player to take the discard pile. You may make it easy if you discard a card that pairs with another already in the pile, or that is in suit and sequence with one in the pile. Of course, there comes a time when you have no more safe discards. Then follow the principle of doing the least damage. Discard a card that may let another player take a few cards, rather than a great many.

As a rule, don't meld except when you have to in order to dig into the discard pile. Keeping a meld of high cards in your hand, especially Aces, puts the fellow who has the fourth Ace on the spot. If he discards it, he gives you a chance to pick up the pile; if he holds it, he may get stuck with it. If you meld your Aces, his troubles are over. If you are too lavish in melding, you may help another player go out.

You must be quick to change policy, however, when the stock is nearly gone or when another player reduces his hand to only a few cards. Meld your high cards then, to be sure that they will count for you instead of against you.

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