Koum Kan

Full rules

1. Overview
2. Melds
3. Setup
4. Playing a turn
5. Going out
6. Scoring
7. Getting burnt and coming back
8. Tips for beginners
9. Variants

Overview

Koum Kan (Greek Κουμ Καν) is a rummy game that was hugely popular in Greece in the 1960s and 1970s. Everyone holds ten cards and tries to arrange them into melds – sets and runs – and lay them on the table. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the round; the others score penalty points for the cards left in their hands. Whoever goes over 100 is "burnt" – but may come back into the game. The last player left wins.

• Players: 2–6, each for themselves; with 7–10 players use a third deck (see Variants).
• You need: two standard 52-card decks and 2 jokers (106 cards), shuffled together, and a score pad.

Melds

A meld is a group of at least three cards:

• Set: three or four cards of the same rank, e.g. 3♥ 3♠ 3♦.
• Run: three or more cards of the same suit in sequence, e.g. 4♦ 5♦ 6♦ 7♦. The Ace can be low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A).

Jokers are wild: they can stand for any card in a meld. When you lay down a joker, say which card it stands for – it stays that card.

Setup

1. Dealer: choose one at random; the deal passes clockwise.
2. Deal: the dealer shuffles and deals two cards at a time, clockwise, until everyone has 10 cards.
3. The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile. The rest go face down beside it as the stock (draw pile).

Playing a turn

The player to the dealer's left begins; play goes clockwise. On your turn:

1. Draw one card: the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
2. Meld (optional): lay down one or more melds from your hand, face up in front of you.
3. Lay off (optional): once you have at least one meld of your own on the table, you may add cards from your hand to any meld – yours or another player's – as long as it stays a correct set or run.
4. Discard one card face up onto the discard pile. Every turn ends with a discard.

You don't have to lay down a meld as soon as you have one – you can keep your melds in your hand and lay everything down at once at the end.

Example: Ben has laid down J♥ Q♥ K♥. On her turn, Anna draws the 3♣ and lays down 3♣ 3♥ 3♠ – now she has a meld of her own, so she may lay off her 10♥ on Ben's run: 10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥. Then she discards the 8♠.

Taking a joker: a joker on the table stands for a named card. If you have at least one meld on the table and hold that card, you may, on your turn, put it in the joker's place and take the joker into your hand to use as you like.

Example: Carla laid down 5♠ joker 7♠, naming the joker as the 6♠. Dan has his own meld on the table and holds the 6♠. He puts it into Carla's run and takes the joker.

Going out

You go out when you have melded or laid off all your cards and discarded your last card. The round ends at once.

If the stock runs out before anyone goes out, the round ends and everyone counts the cards in their hand.

Scoring

Everyone except the player who went out writes down the value of the cards left in their hand:

Example: Carla goes out. Anna still has K♣ 7♦ joker: 10 + 7 + 20 = 37. Ben has A♠ A♦ 4♣: 1 + 11 + 4 = 16.

Getting burnt and coming back

Keep a running total for each player. As soon as your total goes over 100, you are burnt.

• If at least two players are still in the game, you may come back in: your total is set to the highest total among the players still in. Mark a hat (kapelo) next to your name each time you come back.
• The game ends when, in one round, everyone but one goes over 100 – there is nobody left to come back at. The last player left wins.
• If everyone goes over 100 in the same round, that round doesn't count and is played again.

Example: Anna 64, Ben 88, Carla 102, Dan 71. Carla is burnt; three players are still in, the highest total is Ben's 88. Carla comes back with 88 and a hat.

Tips for beginners

• Get rid of high cards that don't fit anywhere – a stranded King costs 10, a joker 20.
• Lay down one meld early. Without a meld on the table you can't lay off or take jokers.
• But don't show everything too soon. Melds on the table can be extended by everyone – that helps the others go out.
• Watch the discard pile. The cards your left-hand neighbour picks up show what they are collecting.
• Keep an eye on the scores. Close to 100, going out fast matters more than a big hand.

Variants

All optional – agree on them before you start.

• More players: the Greek Wikipedia allows up to 10 players with more decks – with 7 or more, add a third deck and a third joker.
• Other card values: joker 25 instead of 20; Aces 10 each; or an Ace counts 1 if it is your only one, but 11 each if you hold more.
• Limit 101: you are burnt only over 101.
• 11 cards: according to pagat.com, each player is dealt 11 cards.
• Hats for chips: agree what each hat costs; at the end every player pays the winner that many chips for each of their hats.