Printable Rummy rules

Rummy in one page

2–6 players · 1 deck · pencil and paper

Deal 10 cards each for 2 players, 7 each for 3 or 4, or 6 each for 5 or 6. On your turn, draw one card from the stock or the discard pile. Lay down any sets (3 or 4 of a kind) or runs (3 or more in suit sequence), add to melds already on the table, then discard one card. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the hand and scores the value of the cards left in everyone else's hands.

In brief

• Deal: 2 players 10 each, 3–4 players 7 each, 5–6 players 6 each
• Turn: draw 1 (stock or top discard), meld, lay off, discard 1
• Set: 3–4 of a kind. Run: 3+ in a row, same suit
• Ace is low: A-2-3 yes, Q-K-A no
• Lay off on any meld; never rearrange melds
• Can't discard the card you just took from the pile
• Go out: get rid of every card
• Winner scores opponents' cards: face 10, ace 1, others pip
• Going rummy (whole hand at once): double
• Stock empty: flip the discard pile, no shuffle

Setup

1. Use one standard 52-card deck without jokers. Cards rank A (low), 2, 3 through 10, J, Q, K. Cut for deal.
2. 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.
3. Place the next card face up to start the discard pile. Put the rest of the deck face down beside it as the stock.
4. 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.

On your turn

1. Draw one card, either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. If you get rid of your last card by melding, laying off, or discarding, you go out and the hand ends immediately.

Scoring

Winning

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.