Rummy 500

Full rules

1. Overview
2. Melds
3. Jokers
4. Card values
5. Setup
6. Playing a turn
7. End of a hand
8. Scoring
9. Winning the game
10. Tips for beginners
11. Variants

Overview

Rummy 500 (also called 500 Rum) is a rummy game in which you score points for every card you lay down and lose points for every card still in your hand when someone goes out. Its special feature: you may take cards from deep in the discard pile, not just the top one. The first player to reach 500 points over several hands wins.

• Players: 2–8.
• You need: one standard 52-card deck plus 2 jokers (54 cards). With 5 or more players, shuffle two decks with 4 jokers together (108 cards). Paper and pencil for the score.

Melds

A meld is a combination of cards you lay face up on the table in front of you. There are two kinds:

• Group (set): three or four cards of the same rank, e.g. 8♠ 8♥ 8♣. With two decks, the cards of a group must all be of different suits.
• Sequence (run): three or more cards of the same suit in a row, e.g. 4♦ 5♦ 6♦ 7♦. The Ace can be low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A), but not both at once – K-A-2 is not allowed.

Laying off means adding one or more cards from your hand to a meld already on the table – your own or someone else's – e.g. the 8♦ to the run above. Put laid-off cards in front of yourself (and say which meld they belong to), because they score for you.

Jokers

Jokers are wild: a joker can stand for any card in a meld. When you play it, say which card it represents – this can't be changed later.

Example: 6♣ 7♣ Joker is a run, and the joker is the 8♣. Later someone may lay off the 5♣ or the 9♣, but nobody can swap the joker or turn it into a 5♣.

A joker must represent a card that could actually exist in the meld – with one deck, four Kings plus a joker is impossible.

Card values

Setup

1. Choose a dealer at random; afterwards the deal passes to the left.
2. The dealer deals the cards one at a time, clockwise: 7 cards each with 3 or more players, 13 cards each with 2 players.
3. The rest of the cards go face down in the middle as the stock (draw pile). Turn the top card face up next to it to start the discard pile.
4. The discard pile is spread out in an overlapping row so that everyone can see every card in it.

Playing a turn

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

1. Draw – one of these: - the top card of the stock, or - the top card of the discard pile, or - any deeper card of the discard pile – but then you must take all cards above it as well, and you must use the deepest card at once in a new meld or by laying it off. The other cards you picked up go into your hand.
2. Meld and lay off – as many melds and lay-offs as you like (optional, except for the deep card above).
3. Discard one card face up onto the end of the discard pile. If you took only the top discard, you may not throw that same card back.

Example: The discard pile shows (oldest first) K♠ 3♥ 9♦ J♣ 5♠. You hold 9♣ 9♥. You take the 9♦ and everything above it (J♣ 5♠), lay down 9♣ 9♥ 9♦ at once, keep J♣ and 5♠ in your hand, and discard.

End of a hand

The hand ends when:

• a player gets rid of all their cards – by discarding the last one or by melding everything (no final discard needed), or
• the stock is empty and the player to move doesn't want to take from the discard pile.

Scoring

Every player adds up the value of the cards they have melded and laid off and subtracts the value of the cards still in their hand. The result (which can be negative) is added to their running total.

Example: Ben has melded 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ (24) and three Queens (30) and laid off an Ace (15) – 69 points. In his hand are a King and a joker (25). His score for the hand: 69 − 25 = 44.

Winning the game

Keep dealing new hands. When one or more players reach 500 points, the game ends and the highest score wins. If there's a tie, play further hands until there is a single winner.

Tips for beginners

• Aces and jokers are worth 15 – great to meld, expensive to be caught holding.
• Dig deep when it pays: taking a big part of the discard pile gives you lots of cards to meld – but everything you can't use costs you if someone goes out.
• Lay down early. Melds in front of you are safe points; cards in your hand can turn into minus points.
• Watch the discard pile. Don't throw a card that lets your neighbour grab a big stack below it.

Variants

Optional – agree before you start.

• Discard to go out: many players require you to keep one card to discard at the end.
• Always meld: whenever you take from the discard pile – even just the top card – you must use it at once.
• Rummy call: if a player discards a card that could be melded or laid off, any other player may call "Rummy!", take it and meld it.
• Win by going out: you need 500 points and must be the one who went out.
• Pip cards 5: some count all cards from 2 to 9 as 5 points.
• No jokers: the original game was played without them.