How many cards do you deal in rummy?

Deal 10 cards each for 2 players, 7 cards each for 3 or 4 players, and 6 cards each for 5 or 6 players. After the deal, turn one card face up to start the discard pile and place the rest face down as the stock. Rummy 500 uses 13 cards each for two players instead.

Is the ace high or low in rummy?

In standard rummy the ace is low. A-2-3 of a suit is a valid run, but Q-K-A and K-A-2 are not, and an ace counts 1 point. Many families play aces high or low as a house rule, often counting a high ace as 15 points, so agree before you deal.

Do you have to discard to win in rummy?

No. In standard rummy you can go out by melding or laying off your last cards, with or without a final discard. Some people play the house rule that you must end by discarding your last card, which means you need one spare card when you finish.

Can you add to other players' melds in rummy?

Yes. Laying off lets you add cards from your hand to any meld on the table, including an opponent's, as long as the meld stays valid. You could add the 10♠ to someone's 7♠ 8♠ 9♠ run. You can't rearrange or split melds already on the table.

What does it mean to go rummy?

Going rummy means laying down your entire hand in one turn without having melded or laid off any cards earlier in the hand. It is a gamble because you hold everything until the end, but under Bicycle's rules every opponent pays you double the value of the cards in their hand.

What happens when the deck runs out in rummy?

If the stock is empty and the next player does not want the top discard, turn the discard pile face down, without shuffling, to make a new stock and continue. Play keeps going until someone goes out, so a hand can't end in a draw this way.

What is the difference between rummy and Rummy 500?

In basic rummy only the player who goes out scores, collecting the value of the cards other players still hold. In Rummy 500 every player scores the cards they have melded minus the cards left in hand, you can pick up deeper into the discard pile, and the first to 500 points wins.

Rummy Rules: How to Play and Score | Games Rules Explained

1Object of the game

Be the first to get rid of every card in your hand by melding them on the table, laying them off on existing melds, and discarding. When someone goes out, the cards still held by the other players count as points for the winner. Over several hands, the first player to reach the target score you agreed on, or the leader after an agreed number of deals, wins the game.

2Setup

Use one standard 52-card deck without jokers. Cards rank A (low), 2, 3 through 10, J, Q, K. Cut for deal.
Deal cards one at a time, face down. With 2 players each gets 10 cards; with 3 or 4 players each gets 7; with 5 or 6 players each gets 6.
Place the next card face up to start the discard pile. Put the rest of the deck face down beside it as the stock.
With two players, the non-dealer plays first and the deal alternates each hand. With more players, the player to the dealer's left starts and the deal passes clockwise.

3The play

Draw one card, either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
Meld if you want to: lay face up in front of you a set of 3 or 4 cards of the same rank (such as 9♣ 9♦ 9♥) or a run of 3 or more consecutive cards in the same suit (such as 4♠ 5♠ 6♠). Melding is optional; you can hold cards back.
Lay off if you want to: add cards from your hand to any meld on the table, yours or another player's, as long as the meld stays valid. You could add the fourth 9 to a set of 9s or the 7♠ to 4♠ 5♠ 6♠. You may not rearrange melds already on the table.
Discard one card face up on the discard pile to end your turn. If you took the top discard this turn, you must discard a different card.
If you get rid of your last card by melding, laying off, or discarding, you go out and the hand ends immediately.

4End of a hand

The hand ends the moment a player goes out. Everyone else adds up the cards left in their hands, and the total goes to the winner. If the stock runs out before anyone goes out and the next player does not want the top discard, turn the discard pile over (without shuffling) to form a new stock and keep playing. Then gather the cards and pass the deal: it alternates with 2 players and moves clockwise with more.

5Scoring

Only the winner of each hand scores. They collect the value of all cards still held by the other players. Melded cards on the table don't count for or against anyone in basic rummy.

For	Points
King, queen, jack	10 each
10 through 2	Face value
Ace	1
Going out	Total of all opponents' hands
Going rummy (all cards melded in one turn, nothing melded before)	Double

Aces are low in the standard game: A-2-3 is a run, but Q-K-A and K-A-2 are not. Going rummy means you lay down your whole hand in a single turn without having melded or laid off anything earlier in the hand; Bicycle's rules have every opponent pay double. Pagat.com leaves the target open: play to a points target agreed before the game or for an agreed number of deals.

6Winning

Keep a running score for each player. The game ends when someone reaches the target you agreed on before the first deal, or after the agreed number of deals, and the player with the highest total wins. Some families skip running totals and simply count who won the most hands. If two players tie at the end, play one more hand to break it.

7A worked hand

Three players, 7 cards each. You hold 4♥ 5♥ 9♠ 9♦ 9♣ J♣ K♦, and the 6♥ is on top of the discard pile. You take the 6♥, which gives you 8 cards, and meld two combinations: the run 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ and the set 9♠ 9♦ 9♣. That leaves the J♣ and K♦. You discard the K♦, since a stray king is worth 10 against you, and hold a single card. Meanwhile an opponent melds J♠ J♥ J♦. On your next turn you draw the 2♠ from the stock. You lay off the J♣ on your opponent's set of jacks, then discard the 2♠. Your hand is empty, so you go out and the hand ends. Player A still holds K♣ 7♦ 3♠, which is 10 + 7 + 3 = 20. Player B holds A♥ 9♥, which is 1 + 9 = 10. You score 20 + 10 = 30 points. If you had instead held all your cards and laid down the whole hand in a single turn without melding earlier, that would be going rummy, and under Bicycle's rules both players would pay double, for 60 points.

8House rules

The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.

Rummy 500: Deal 13 cards each with 2 players and 7 each with 3 or more. You may take a card from deeper in the discard pile if you take every card above it and meld that bottom card at once. Melded cards score for you (numbers at face value, face cards 10, aces 15, but an ace in A-2-3 counts 1), cards left in hand count against you, and the first to 500 wins.
Aces high or low: Some families let an ace sit at either end of a run, so Q-K-A is allowed, and count an ace as 15 points when it is high. Pagat.com lists this as a common variant; the standard game keeps aces low.
Must discard to go out: Some play that you can only go out by discarding your last card, so you can't meld or lay off every card and finish with an empty hand. It makes going out a little harder.
Going rummy pays double: When a player goes out in one turn without having melded anything before, opponents pay double. Bicycle's rules include this, and many families treat it as the standard bonus.
Two decks for big Rummy 500 games: Pagat.com's Rummy 500 rules call for two decks shuffled together when 5 or more people play, so the stock lasts. Some families do the same in basic rummy with 5 or 6 players, though one deck is standard there.

9Mistakes people make

You can't discard the same card you just picked up from the discard pile. Take it only if you will use it or keep it.
A run has to be in one suit. 5♠ 6♥ 7♠ is not a meld.
Laying off can't break up or rearrange melds that are already on the table. You can only add cards to the ends of runs or complete a set.
In basic rummy only the winner scores, and melded cards are not worth points. Counting melds for points is the Rummy 500 variation.

10Playing better

Get rid of high cards you can't use. A stray king costs 10 points if someone goes out while you still hold it.
Watch the discard pile and what other players pick up. If the next player took the 8♦, don't throw them the 7♦ or another 8.
Holding back melds can set up a rummy for double points, but it is risky: if someone goes out first, every card you held counts against you.
Lay off onto other players' melds whenever it helps you shrink your hand. Laying off is often the fastest way out.
Keep cards that can join a meld in two ways, like a 6♣ when you hold 6♦ and 7♣.
When an opponent is down to one or two cards, dump your highest cards first to limit the damage.

Rummy: questions people ask

How many cards do you deal in rummy?: Deal 10 cards each for 2 players, 7 cards each for 3 or 4 players, and 6 cards each for 5 or 6 players. After the deal, turn one card face up to start the discard pile and place the rest face down as the stock. Rummy 500 uses 13 cards each for two players instead.
Is the ace high or low in rummy?: In standard rummy the ace is low. A-2-3 of a suit is a valid run, but Q-K-A and K-A-2 are not, and an ace counts 1 point. Many families play aces high or low as a house rule, often counting a high ace as 15 points, so agree before you deal.
Do you have to discard to win in rummy?: No. In standard rummy you can go out by melding or laying off your last cards, with or without a final discard. Some people play the house rule that you must end by discarding your last card, which means you need one spare card when you finish.
Can you add to other players' melds in rummy?: Yes. Laying off lets you add cards from your hand to any meld on the table, including an opponent's, as long as the meld stays valid. You could add the 10♠ to someone's 7♠ 8♠ 9♠ run. You can't rearrange or split melds already on the table.
What does it mean to go rummy?: Going rummy means laying down your entire hand in one turn without having melded or laid off any cards earlier in the hand. It is a gamble because you hold everything until the end, but under Bicycle's rules every opponent pays you double the value of the cards in their hand.
What happens when the deck runs out in rummy?: If the stock is empty and the next player does not want the top discard, turn the discard pile face down, without shuffling, to make a new stock and continue. Play keeps going until someone goes out, so a hand can't end in a draw this way.
What is the difference between rummy and Rummy 500?: In basic rummy only the player who goes out scores, collecting the value of the cards other players still hold. In Rummy 500 every player scores the cards they have melded minus the cards left in hand, you can pick up deeper into the discard pile, and the first to 500 points wins.

Sources

Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

Rummy, pagat.com. Read September 28, 2026.
How to Play Rummy (Rum), Bicycle Cards. Read September 28, 2026.
500 Rum, pagat.com. Read September 28, 2026.
How to Play 500 Rum, Bicycle Cards. Read September 28, 2026.

Also on the table: Gin Rummy, Canasta, Hand and Foot, Phase 10.