Rummy: Rules and How to Play
Rummy is a card game for 2-6 players, about 20 minutes. Meld sets and runs, lay off on any meld, and empty your hand first to score the cards others hold. Free in your browser, no account.
Setup
- 2 to 6 players and a standard 52-card deck without jokers. Deal 10 cards each for two players, 7 for three or four, and 6 for five or six.
- Place the rest face down as the stock and turn the top card face up to start the discard pile.
- The player after the dealer goes first and play passes clockwise. The dealer moves one seat each round.
How to play
- On your turn: draw one card from the stock or the top of the discard pile, then meld or lay off any number of times, then discard one card.
- A meld is three or four cards of the same rank, or three or more consecutive cards of one suit. Aces are low: A-2-3 is a run, but Q-K-A and K-A-2 are not.
- Laying off means adding a card from your hand to any meld on the table, yours or another player's. You don't need a meld of your own first.
- A card taken from the discard pile cannot be discarded on the same turn.
Winning and scoring
- You go out when your hand is empty, whether your last card is melded, laid off, or discarded.
- The player who goes out scores the total of the cards left in everyone else's hand (aces 1, face cards 10, others at face value).
- Going out in a single turn without having melded or laid off before is called going rummy, and doubles the score for that round.
- Scores add up round by round. When someone's total reaches 100 (50 or 200 can be chosen), the game ends and the highest total wins.
- A setting switches to penalty scoring, common in Japan: players who don't go out take their leftover cards as penalty points, and the lowest total wins.
- If the stock runs out, the discard pile (except its top card) is reshuffled into a new stock and play goes on, with no limit. To keep a round from never ending, if the stock runs out again after 15 reshuffles in one round, the round ends with no score.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–6 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game ends at | The game ends in the round when someone's total reaches this score. | 100 points | Yes |
| ScoringScoringWith winner scoring, only the player who goes out scores, collecting the value of everyone else's cards, and the highest total wins. With penalty scoring, everyone who did not go out takes the value of their own cards, and the lowest total wins. Winner scoring swings big on each win; penalty scoring rewards keeping your hand small every round. | Winner scoring (the player who goes out collects everyone else's cards, highest wins) or penalty scoring (your leftover cards count against you, lowest wins). | Winner collects | Yes |
| Cards dealt | Deal by the number of players (10 for two, 7 for three or four, 6 for five or six) or seven cards to everyone. | By players | Yes |
| AcesAcesWith low only, aces fit only in A-2-3 and count 1 point if left in your hand. With Q-K-A allowed, they also fit in Q-K-A, making melds easier, but an ace left in your hand costs 15. Runs that wrap round, such as K-A-2, are never allowed. | Choose whether aces are low only or can also go above the king. With Q-K-A allowed, aces count 15. | Low only (A-2-3) | Yes |
| Meld before laying offMeld before laying offLaying off means adding cards from your hand to any meld on the table, including other players'. Normally you can do it without a meld of your own; with this rule you must lay down a meld yourself first. It makes it harder to shed cards by riding on other players' melds. | You must lay down a meld of your own before you can lay off cards. | Off | Yes |
| Melds per turnMelds per turnWith one only, you may lay down just one meld per turn, however many you are holding. It takes more turns to go out, giving other players time to catch up. Laying off is not limited. | Choose how many melds you may lay down in one turn. | Any number | Yes |
| Going outGoing outWith any way, you go out as soon as melding or laying off leaves you with no cards. If you must discard your last card, you always need to keep one card back to throw away, which makes going out a little harder. | Require a final discard to go out. | Any way | Yes |
| Going rummy doublesGoing rummy doublesGoing rummy means going out in a single turn without having melded or laid off before. With this rule, the round's scores are doubled. It rewards hiding your melds and laying them all down at once, though waiting for it tends to slow you down. | Going out in one turn without having melded before doubles the round's scores. | On | Yes |
| Reshuffling the discardsReshuffling the discardsWhen the stock runs out, the discards (except the top card) are shuffled into a new stock. Setting a limit ends a round nobody can finish; a round that ends this way scores nothing for anyone. | How many times the discard pile is reshuffled into a new stock. After the limit, the round ends with no score (with no limit, a round ends after 15 reshuffles). | No limit | Yes |
Terms
- Meld
- Three or four of a rank, or three or more in a row of one suit, laid face up on the table.
- Lay off
- Adding a card from your hand to any meld on the table.
- Go out
- Emptying your hand, which wins the round.
- Going rummy
- Going out in one turn without having melded or laid off before. Scores are doubled.
- Leftover points
- The value of the cards left in the hands of players who did not go out. The player who goes out scores them (with penalty scoring, they count against the holder).
FAQ
How is this different from Gin Rummy?
Gin Rummy is for two players: melds stay in your hand, and you knock when your unmatched cards total 10 or less. In Rummy, 2 to 6 players lay melds on the table, lay off on them, and race to empty their hands.
How is this different from Seven Bridge?
Seven Bridge is a Japanese rummy where a seven can be melded alone and anyone can grab a discard with pon or chi. Rummy has neither: you draw on your own turn and meld during it.
Can I lay off before I have a meld of my own?
Yes. You can add to any meld on the table. A setting makes you lay down a meld of your own first.
Do I have to discard my last card?
No. Melding, laying off, or discarding your last card all count as going out. A setting requires a final discard.
How is scoring done?
The player who goes out scores the cards left in everyone else's hand (aces 1, face cards 10, others at face value), and the highest total wins — the most widely played form. Penalty scoring, common in Japan, where your leftover cards count against you and the lowest total wins, is available as a setting.
What happens when the stock runs out?
The discard pile, except its top card, is reshuffled into a new stock and play continues (no limit by default; once or three times can be chosen). To keep a round from never ending, if it runs out again after 15 reshuffles in one round, the round ends with no score.
Is Q-K-A a run?
Not by default: aces are low. A setting allows Q-K-A too, and then aces are worth 15. K-A-2 never connects.
Can I play a fixed number of rounds?
This site always plays to a target score (50, 100, or 200); the game ends in the round when someone reaches it. For a shorter game, choose 50.
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Last updated 2026-09-26 · Run by Qdan, Inc.