Quick Rules
Rummy is the card game half the country learned at a kitchen table: draw a card, make groups, throw a card away, and try to empty your hand before anyone else. This is the basic game, sometimes called Straight Rummy, played with one ordinary deck.
- The deal. Two players get 10 cards each; three or four players get 7. The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile, and the rest of the deck is the stock.
- Draw. Start your turn by taking the top card of the stock, or the top card of the discard pile.
- Meld. Lay down any sets (three or four cards of one rank, like three 8s) and runs (three or more in a row in one suit, like 5♥ 6♥ 7♥). Aces are low: A-2-3 is a run, Q-K-A is not.
- Lay off. Add single cards to any meld on the table, yours or someone else's.
- Discard. End your turn by throwing one card face up on the discard pile. You can't throw back a card you just took from it.
- Go out. The first player to get rid of every card wins the hand and scores the cards left in the other hands: court cards 10, Aces 1, everything else its number.
- Rummy! Going out all in one turn, without having melded before, scores double.
- Winning. The first player to 100 points wins the game.
How to Play on This Page
Your hand stays sorted by suit, and any melds you already hold are grouped together and labelled, such as Run: 5♥ 6♥ 7♥. At the start of your turn, tap the stock or the discard pile to draw. When you have a meld, a Lay Down button appears below your cards; you can also tap cards one by one to build a meld yourself.
Tap a single card and every meld on the table it fits lights up with a thick outline and the words Lay off here. To end your turn, tap a card and then Discard. The box above the table always says what to do next. Not sure? Tap Hint, and tap Why? beside any computer move to see what it was thinking.
Tips for Winning
- Throw high cards early. A King or Queen that fits nothing costs 10 points if someone goes out on you.
- Watch the discard pile. When the other player picks up a 9, think twice before throwing another 9 or a card next to it in the same suit.
- Keep pairs and near-runs. Two 7s, or the 6 and 7 of spades, are halfway to a meld. A lone card is not.
- Don't forget to lay off. Before you discard, check whether any of your cards fit the melds already on the table.
- Know when to hold back. Melding early protects you, but holding melds a turn or two can win you a double-score rummy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rummy free to play here?
Yes. Play as many games as you like for free, with no account, no download and no ads over the game.
Is this the same as Gin Rummy or Rummy 500?
They are close cousins. This is basic Rummy, sometimes called Straight Rummy: you put your melds on the table as you go, you may add cards to anyone's melds, and the first player to get rid of every card wins the hand. In Gin Rummy your melds stay in your hand until someone knocks, and in Rummy 500 everyone scores the cards they meld.
Does the computer cheat?
No. A computer player sees only its own cards, the melds on the table, the discard pile and how many cards everyone holds. It never sees your hand or the stock. On Hard it remembers which cards you picked up from the discard pile, just as a sharp player at the kitchen table would. After every hand you can open Show All Hands to see what everyone was dealt, and every game has a deal number you can replay to check the shuffle. Tap Why? beside any computer move to read its reason.
What is a meld?
A meld is a group of three or more cards that belong together. A set is three or four cards of the same rank, such as three 8s. A run is three or more cards in a row in the same suit, such as the 5, 6 and 7 of hearts. The game groups the melds in your hand and labels them for you.
What does laying off mean?
Laying off is adding a single card from your hand to a meld that is already on the table, yours or anyone else's: the fourth 8 to a set of 8s, or the 8 of hearts to a run of 5, 6 and 7 of hearts. Tap the card and every meld it fits gets an outline and the words Lay off here.
Why can't I discard the card I just picked up?
That is a standard Rummy rule. If you take the top card of the discard pile, you must keep it at least until your next turn; otherwise you could take a card just to look at it and throw it back. The only exception is when it is the last card left in your hand.
How is the game scored?
When a player goes out, they score the value of the cards left in the other hands: 10 for a King, Queen or Jack, 1 for an Ace and the number on the card for everything else. Going out all at once, without having melded on an earlier turn, is called rummy and scores double. The first player to reach 100 points wins, unless you choose 250, 500 or a single hand in Settings.
Can I play against more than one computer player?
Yes. Open Settings and choose one, two or three computer players. With two players everyone gets 10 cards; with three or four, 7 each. You can also choose Easy, Normal or Hard. The change starts with your next game.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your game is saved in your browser after every move, so you can close the page and continue later on the same device.
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