Rummy box front

Games Public domain, 1900

Rummy

Draw, discard and lay down sets and runs before anyone else empties their hand.

2–6players
30–60minutes
8+ages
Light-medium

About the game

Rummy is a family of games played with a standard deck, built around matching cards. A “set” is three or four cards of one rank; a “run” is three or more cards of one suit in sequence.

On your turn you take a card, either from the top of the deck or from the discard pile, and then throw one away. At any point you may lay down the sets and runs you have made, and later add to the ones already on the table.

The round ends when one player gets rid of their last card. Everyone else counts the cards left in hand, and the lowest total after the agreed number of rounds wins.

A round, in order

  1. 1

    Draw

    Take the top card of the deck or the top card of the discard pile.

  2. 2

    Meld

    Lay down sets and runs, or add to the melds already on the table.

  3. 3

    Discard

    Throw one card away to end your turn; empty your hand to end the round.

Credits

Design
Traditional
Publisher
Public domain, 1900
On this table
Live
Cover
Cover: Mixolydian, after the traditional French deck.
  • Hand management
  • Set collection