How to Play Rummy
Draw, meld sets and runs, lay off, and go out first.
Also known as Rum · Basic Rummy · Straight Rummy
Learn Rummy for 2–6 players: the 52-card deal, sets and runs with aces low, laying off on any meld, going out and the doubled rummy. Work through one hand, then play in your browser.
A two-player hand: meld, lay off, go out
With 2 players you hold 10 cards, among them 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ and 4♥ 5♥ 6♥. You draw the 7♥, meld the three 8s and the run 4♥ to 7♥, and discard. Next turn your opponent lays the 8♣ off onto your set. When you finally shed your last card they still hold K♣, Q♦, 9♠ and A♣: 10 + 10 + 9 + 1 = 30 points to you.
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ | A set: 3 of a rank; the 8♣ can be laid off later, but never a fifth card |
| 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ | A run: one suit in sequence; it grows at either end, A low, never past the K |
| Q♥ K♥ A♥ | Not a run: aces are low, so a run stops at the King |
| You take the K♣ from the discard pile | You may not discard it this turn, unless it is your last card |
| Opponent left with K♣ Q♦ 9♠ A♣ | 10 + 10 + 9 + 1 = 30 to you; 60 if you went rummy |
Melding is never compulsory, and anyone may lay off on any meld. The stock is rebuilt from the discard pile twice a hand at most; a third time ends the hand as a draw. The first player to the target, 100 by default, wins the game.
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
Be the first to get rid of all your cards by melding, laying off and discarding, and score the cards left in your opponents' hands. Play several hands; the first player to reach the target (100 by default) wins.
🃏 Rummy Setup & Rules
- 2 to 6 players, everyone for themselves, with one standard 52-card deck and no jokers. Each player gets 10 cards with 2 players, 7 with 3 or 4, and 6 with 5 or 6.
- The rest is the face-down stock, and its top card is turned face up to start the discard pile. The player to the dealer's left goes first, and the deal passes to the left each hand.
- At setup choose the target score: 100 by default, from 50 to 300.
▶ How to Play Rummy
- Start your turn by drawing the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
- A meld is a set of 3 or 4 cards of the same rank, or a run of 3 or more cards in sequence in one suit. Aces are low: A-2-3 is a run, Q-K-A is not. Lay down as many melds as you hold.
- Lay off single cards onto any meld on the table, yours or anyone else's: a set takes its fourth card, a run grows at either end but never past the King or below the Ace.
- End your turn by discarding one card face up. You may not discard the card you took from the discard pile this turn, unless it is the last card in your hand.
- If the stock runs out, the discard pile is turned over as it lies, without shuffling, to make a new stock; there is then no discard, so the next player draws from the stock. If the stock runs out a third time in one hand, the hand is a draw and nobody scores.
- You go out by shedding your last card, whether you meld it, lay it off or discard it. The hand ends at once.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Rummy
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Rummy, pick 2 to 6 seats and fill the empty ones with app opponents at Easy, Medium or Hard.
- Set the target score: 100 by default, from 50 to 300 in steps of 25. The first player to reach it wins the game.
- The app deals from one 52-card deck without jokers: 10 cards each with 2 players, 7 with 3 or 4, 6 with 5 or 6.
- The top card of the stock is turned up to start the discard pile. The player left of the dealer goes first, and the deal passes left each hand.
Melds and lay-offs
- A set is 3 or 4 cards of one rank, such as 8♠ 8♥ 8♦. One deck has only four of a rank, so a set never takes a fifth card.
- A run is 3 or more cards of one suit in sequence, such as 4♥ 5♥ 6♥. Aces are low: a run can start at the Ace but cannot continue past the King.
- Raise the cards and tap Meld to lay a meld on the table; you may lay as many as you hold, and you are never forced to.
- Raise one card and tap Lay off to add it to any meld on the table, yours or an opponent's. When it fits more than one meld, pick the meld you mean.
Each turn
- Draw the top card of the stock or take the top card of the discard pile.
- Meld and lay off as much as you like, then discard one card face up. The card you took from the discard pile cannot go straight back unless it is your last card.
- When the stock runs out, the discard pile is turned over as it lies to make the new stock, with no discard left: the next player must draw from the stock.
- The pile is turned over at most twice a hand. If the stock runs out a third time, the hand is a draw and nobody scores.
Going out and winning
- Shedding your last card, by melding, laying off or discarding, ends the hand at once.
- Each opponent counts what is left in hand: face cards 10, aces 1, number cards their face value. The player who went out scores the total.
- Going out in one turn with nothing of yours on the table before that turn is a rummy, and the score is doubled.
- The first player to reach the target wins. If two pass it in the same hand the higher total wins; a tie means another hand.
📊 Rummy Scoring
When someone goes out, each opponent counts the cards left in hand: face cards 10, aces 1, number cards their face value. The winner scores the total, doubled if they went rummy: going out in one turn without having melded or laid off anything earlier in the hand. The first player to reach the target (100 by default) wins; if two players pass it in the same hand the higher total wins, and a tie means another hand.
❓ Rummy — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Rummy?
Rummy is played with 2–6 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
How many cards are dealt in Rummy?
It depends on the seats: 10 cards each with 2 players, 7 each with 3 or 4 players, and 6 each with 5 or 6 players, all from a single 52-card deck without jokers.
What counts as going rummy?
Going out in a single turn when nothing of yours was on the table before that turn, whether your last card is melded, laid off or discarded. The hand's score is doubled. A player who melded or laid off on an earlier turn scores single.
Can you lay off on other players' melds in Rummy?
Yes. Any card that fits a meld on the table can be laid off on it, yours or anyone else's: the 4th card of a set, or either end of a run. A set never takes a 5th card, and a run never goes past the King or below the Ace.
What happens when the stock runs out in Rummy?
The discard pile is turned over as it lies, without shuffling, to make a new stock, and the next player must draw from it since no discard is left. This can happen 2 times in a hand; if the stock runs out a 3rd time, the hand is a draw and nobody scores.
