Rummy rules

This page is the reference version. If you have never played, start with how to play rummy and come back here for the details.

The pack

• Two standard decks of 52 cards, plus two printed jokers: 106 cards.
• Two to six players. Six players use the same pack; the closed pile is simply shorter.
• Card order is A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K.
• The ace is both low and high. A-2-3 is valid and Q-K-A is valid. K-A-2 is not.

The deal

• Thirteen cards to each player, face down.
• The remainder forms the closed pile, face down.
• One card is turned face up to begin the open pile.
• One card is cut at random to nominate the wild joker for the deal.

If the cut card is itself a printed joker, then aces normally take over as the wild card for that deal. House rules vary here; Kash Rummy uses the ace convention and states it on screen when it happens.

Jokers

There are two kinds, and they behave identically once play starts.

• Printed jokers — the two joker cards in the pack.
• Wild jokers — every card of the rank cut at the start of the deal, in all four suits, across both decks. Eight cards.

Rules that apply to both:

• A joker may replace any card in a set or in an impure sequence.
• A joker may never appear in a pure sequence. That is what makes it pure.
• Jokers count zero when the hand is scored.
• A joker held in a wild-card rank can also be played as its natural card. If sixes are wild, the six of hearts can be used as an ordinary six inside a pure run of 5-6-7 of hearts — because there it is not acting as a joker at all.
• A group may contain more than one joker, as long as the group still has at least two natural cards. Joker, joker, king of spades is not a valid set.

Sequences

Three or more consecutive cards of the same suit.

Pure sequence	No joker of any kind. 4♠ 5♠ 6♠. Required in every winning hand.
Impure sequence	Uses one or more jokers to fill a gap. 4♠ 5♠ joker. Valid as the second sequence and beyond.

• Minimum length is three cards. There is no maximum.
• All cards must be of one suit. Mixed suits make the group invalid.
• A pure sequence may be longer than three, and often should be.

Sets

Three or four cards of the same rank, each in a different suit.

• Minimum three cards, maximum four — there are only four suits.
• No two cards in a set may share a suit. Because two decks are in play, the queen of hearts appears twice, and using both in one set is invalid.
• A joker may replace a missing suit.
• A set of four using a joker means five cards, which cannot happen: four is the ceiling either way.

What makes a valid declaration

All thirteen cards must be grouped, and the groups together must include:

• at least two sequences, and
• at least one pure sequence.

Any remaining cards may be arranged into sets or further sequences. Four sequences and no sets is valid. Two sequences and two sets is valid. Anything without a pure sequence is not.

Scoring

Winner	0 points
Ace, King, Queen, Jack	10 points each
Number cards	Face value: a seven is 7 points
Jokers	0 points
Maximum in one hand	80 points

How the count is applied depends on what you managed to build:

• No pure sequence: every card in your hand counts, capped at 80.
• Pure sequence but no second sequence: the pure sequence is excused and everything else counts, capped at 80.
• Two sequences with one pure: all valid groups are excused, and only the ungrouped cards count.

The drop

First drop	20 points. Before you have taken your first turn.
Middle drop	40 points. After you have picked up at least one card.
Last drop or leaving the table	Counted as a full 80 points in most pool formats.

In points rummy the drop is settled immediately. In pool rummy it is added to your running total, and in deals rummy it is deducted from your chip count for that deal.

Invalid declarations

A declaration is invalid if any group breaks a rule, if there is no pure sequence, or if the cards do not total thirteen. The penalty is the full 80 points, and the rest of the table plays on to find a real winner. The most common causes, in order:

1. Two cards of the same suit inside a set.
2. A joker accidentally counted as part of the pure sequence.
3. A sequence of only two cards.
4. A run that turns the corner through K-A-2.
5. Fourteen or twelve cards on the table instead of thirteen.

Edge cases

Can I use two jokers in one sequence?

Yes, provided at least two natural cards remain and the run is still consecutive. 5♥ joker joker 8♥ is a valid four-card impure sequence.

Does the wild joker rank still exist as a normal card?

Yes. If sixes are wild, a six can be played as a six inside a pure run of its own suit. It only behaves as a joker when you choose to use it as one.

Can a set contain four cards plus a joker?

No. A set can never exceed four cards, joker or not.

What if the closed pile runs out?

The open pile is turned over, apart from its top card, and becomes the new closed pile. Play continues.

Can I pick the open pile card and discard the same card?

No. The card you draw from the open pile cannot be thrown back on the same turn.

Is the discard visible to everyone?

Yes, and it should be. Watching what your opponents throw is half the information in the game.

These rules apply across every format on the variants page; what changes between formats is how the deals are counted, not how a hand is built. Kash Rummy follows the rules on this page exactly, is free to play, and has no real money in it at any point.