"Rummy" is a whole family of matching games built on one simple idea: draw and discard cards until your hand is organised into melds — sets and runs — then be the first to get rid of it all. This page covers basic Rummy (also called Traditional or Standard Rummy), the version most people learn first, and points you to the popular variants. The most famous variant, Gin Rummy, you can play here free against the computer.
What is Rummy?
Rummy is played by two to six players with a standard 52-card deck (larger groups often use two decks shuffled together). Aces are usually low. The aim is to form your cards into valid combinations and "go out" before anyone else, leaving your opponents stuck with unmatched cards that count against them.
The deal
Each player is dealt a hand — 10 cards for two players, 7 each for three or four, 6 each for five or six. The remaining cards form a face-down stock, and the top card is turned face up to begin the discard pile.
Melds: sets and runs
A meld is a valid group of three or more cards:
- Set: three or four cards of the same rank — say three Eights.
- Run: three or more cards of the same suit in sequence — say the 5-6-7 of clubs.
Your turn: draw and discard
On your turn you:
- Draw one card — the top of the stock or the top of the discard pile.
- Meld or lay off if you can (optional — see below).
- Discard one card face up to end your turn.
Unlike Gin Rummy, in basic Rummy you put your melds face up on the table as you make them rather than keeping them hidden.
Laying off
Once a meld is on the table — yours or, in many house rules, anyone's — you may lay off matching cards onto it: adding the 8 of clubs to a 5-6-7 of clubs run, or a fourth Eight to a set of three. Laying off is how you shed cards quickly toward going out.
Going out and scoring
You go out when you get rid of your last card — having melded or laid off everything, usually finishing with a final discard. The hand ends immediately, and each opponent is penalised for the cards still in their hand: face cards count 10, aces typically 1, and number cards their face value. Those points go to the winner (or against the losers, depending on the variant). Games are played to a target score, such as 100 or 250, or for a set number of deals.
Popular variants
- Gin Rummy: the two-player classic — melds stay concealed, and you "knock" once your unmatched cards (deadwood) total 10 or fewer instead of melding your whole hand. See Gin Rummy vs Rummy for the full contrast, or the Gin Rummy rules.
- Rummy 500: you score the value of the cards you meld (rather than penalising leftovers), can draw multiple cards from the discard pile, and play to 500.
- Canasta, Contract Rummy and others add wild cards, required contracts, and team play — but all share the same set-and-run core.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards are dealt in Rummy?
For two players, ten cards each is standard. With three or four players it’s usually seven each, and with five or six players, six each. The rest of the deck forms the stock, with its top card turned up to start the discard pile.
How do you win a hand of Rummy?
You win a hand by "going out" — getting every card in your hand into valid melds (sets and runs), usually ending with a final discard. The other players are then penalised for the unmatched cards left in their hands.
What’s the difference between Rummy and Gin Rummy?
Gin Rummy is a two-player member of the Rummy family with two key twists: you keep your melds concealed until you end the hand, and you can "knock" once your unmatched cards total 10 or fewer instead of melding everything. See our Gin Rummy vs Rummy comparison for the full breakdown.
Keep going
The most popular Rummy variant is playable here right now — play Gin Rummy against the computer. Learn its rules in the Gin Rummy rules, see exactly how it differs in Gin Rummy vs Rummy, browse more in the best free card games roundup, or head to the guides hub.