Traditional Rummy Rules

Rules of Traditional Rummy

In Traditional Rummy the aim of the game is to be the first to have no cards left in your hand; this can be achieved by Going Rummy or by Going Out. Sets or Runs of cards, known as melds can be placed down at any time of the game, and additional cards may be added to melds that have already been laid down by yourself or your opponents freely.

Creating Melds
Melds are collections of cards that may be placed down on the table and therefore are no longer in your hand; specifically they are Sets or Runs. A set is 3 or 4 of one particular card, for example three sixes; whilst a run consists of adjacent values in the same suit, for example the 6,7,8, of clubs. Again a run must be of at least 3 cards.

Card Values
In Traditional Rummy rules, the cards are equal in value to the number they show, with picture cards all being 10 points and the Aces being 11 points.

Play Traditional Rummy
• Each player is dealt 10 cards face down.
• The stockpile is created by placing the remaining cards in a pile face down in the middle of the table.
• The discard pile is created by taking the top card off of the stockpile and placing it next to it face-up.
• Each player in turn chooses whether he wishes to pick up the top card from the stockpile or the discard pile.
• Having picked up one card he must throw one card away so as the number of cards in his hand remains the same, he does this by placing the unwanted card face-up on the discard pile.
• If the picked up card contributes to the creation of a meld, he lays the meld face-up on the table. He does not need to throw away a card.
• The play continues around the table.
• On a players turn he may add to melds that have already been laid down as well as create new melds.

Winning and loosing

There are two ways of winning Traditional Rummy:

Going Out: gradually putting down all your cards in melds or adding to already showing melds until you have no cards left. If you loose to someone Going Out, you acquire the number of points that correspond the cards left in your hand at the time of the winner Going Out.

Going Rummy: Putting all your cards down at one go; for example in 3 melds all at once. If you loose to someone Going Rummy you acquire the number of points that correspond the cards left in your hand plus an extra 25 penalty points.

Learning the rules of Traditional Rummy is fairly easy to pickup and playing online rummy is one of the quickest ways of learning the game. All of the rummy sites on this page have extensive rules and demonstration sections to help.