Rummy 500

Objective

Lay down sets and runs to bank their point value, and be holding as little as possible when the hand ends. First to 500 points across several hands wins.

The deal

1. With three or more players, deal seven cards each. With two, deal thirteen each.
2. Place the rest face down as the stock and turn one card face up beside it to start the discard pile.
3. Play passes to the left. Each player keeps their own melds face up in front of them.

Sets and runs

• Set — three or four cards of the same rank. 9♠ 9♥ 9♦
• Run — three or more consecutive cards in one suit. 5♣ 6♣ 7♣

The Ace can go either end of a run — A♠ 2♠ 3♠ or Q♠ K♠ A♠ — but never round the corner. K A 2 is not a run.

Your turn

Three steps, in order: draw, then optionally meld and lay off, then discard.

1. Draw one card from the stock, or take from the discard pile (see below).
2. Meld any sets or runs you can, face up in front of you.
3. Lay off — add cards to anyone's melds, including your opponents'. A card added to their run still scores for you.
4. Discard one card face up. Your turn ends.

Taking from the discard pile

The rule the whole game is built around.

The discard pile is spread out so everyone can see every card in it, not stacked. You may take the top card — or you may reach deeper.

To take a card from lower down, both of these must be true:

1. You immediately use that card — either in a new meld, or laid off onto a meld already on the table.
2. You also take every card above it into your hand.

Ending the hand

A hand ends the moment either of these happens:

• A player gets rid of every card — melding their last cards, or melding all but one and discarding it.
• The stock runs out and the player whose turn it is chooses not to take from the discard pile.

There is no bonus for going out first. Going out simply stops everyone else from banking anything more — which is usually reason enough.

Scoring

Each player totals the cards melded in front of them, then subtracts the value of the cards still in their hand. The difference is their score for the hand, and it can easily be negative.

Keep a running total across hands. The first player to 500 or more wins. If two players cross 500 in the same hand, the higher total takes it.

Card library

Melded cards pay you; the same cards in your hand cost you. The Ace is worth fifteen at the top of a run and one at the bottom.

Short drills on the rules people get wrong. Nothing is saved anywhere but this browser.

House rules & variations

Every table plays a little differently. These are the common variants — agree on them before you deal.

Strategy hints

1. Count the cost before you dig. Taking six cards to reach one 8 is only worth it if most of those six have a future — otherwise you have bought 40 points of deadwood.

2. Lay melds down early rather than hoarding. Points on the table are banked; points in your hand vanish the moment somebody else goes out.

3. Watch what your opponents lay down — every meld on the table is somewhere you can lay off later.

4. Be careful what you discard next to a meld. Discarding a 7♦ when someone has 4♦ 5♦ 6♦ showing is a gift.

5. Holding a lone Ace late is a 15-point liability. Either meld it or throw it before the hand ends.

6. With two players the thirteen-card deal makes for long hands and a deep pile — the discard pile becomes the main source of cards rather than the stock.

Frequently asked