Rummy 500 rules and score keeper

How to play Rummy 500

Cards and the deal

Pagat plays with one standard deck plus two jokers, and two decks shuffled together (108 cards) for five or more players. Bicycle uses a plain 52-card deck. The dealer deals seven cards each, one at a time, or thirteen each in a two-player game. The rest is the face-down stock. Turn its top card face up to start the discard pile, and keep that pile spread out so everyone can see every card in it.

Melds

• Set (group): three or four cards of the same rank, such as 9 9 9. With two decks, Pagat says a group may not hold two cards of the same suit.
• Run (sequence): three or more cards in a row in one suit, such as 5 6 7 of hearts. An ace can be low (A 2 3) or high (Q K A), but not both: K A 2 is not a run.
• Jokers (Pagat) are wild in any meld. When you put one down, say which card it stands for; that cannot change later.

A turn

1. Draw the top card of the stock, or take from the discard pile (see below).
2. Meld any sets or runs you like, and lay off single cards on melds already on the table, yours or anyone's.
3. Discard one card face up on the pile, overlapping so the cards beneath still show.

Laying off on other players' melds

You may add a card to anyone's meld: the fourth card of a set, or the next card at either end of a run. Because melded cards score for whoever put them down, Pagat has you keep a laid-off card in front of you, not with the meld you added to. When a card could fit two melds, say which one you mean; Pagat says that choice is final.

When the hand ends

The hand ends as soon as one player has no cards left, by melding everything or by discarding their last card. On Pagat's page it also ends when the stock is empty and the next player does not want to take from the discard pile. Then everyone scores.

Taking cards from deep in the discard pile

This is the rule that sets the game apart. You are not limited to the top card. You may take any card in the pile, as long as you do two things in the same turn:

1. Take every card above it as well (every card discarded after it).
2. Use the card you dug for straight away: meld it in a new set or run, or lay it off on a meld already on the table.

The other cards you picked up can be melded now or kept in your hand. A big pickup can fill your hand with points, so it is a gamble on scoring them before someone goes out. Pagat also says that after a pickup of more than one card, you may discard any card, even the one that was on top of the pile.

Calling "Rummy!" On Pagat's page, if a player discards a card that could have been melded, any other player may call "Rummy!" before the next player draws, take the pile down to that card and meld it. Pagat notes that most card game books do not mention this rule.

Card values and scoring

An ace counts low only when it is melded with the 2 and 3 of its own suit, so an A-2-3 run is worth 6, while Q-K-A is worth 35. Three aces in a set are worth 45. An ace still in your hand at the end always costs the full 15.

Scoring a hand

Each player adds up the cards on the table in front of them (their own melds and the cards they laid off) and subtracts the cards still in their hand. Bicycle's example: 87 on the table and 90 in hand is a score of minus 3 for that hand. Add the result to your running total, which can drop below zero.

Winning

Keep playing hands until at least one player has 500 or more. Under Pagat's and Bicycle's rules the highest total wins. If the top totals are tied, Pagat plays more hands until one player is ahead.

Where the sources differ

• Card values. Pagat's main values are face value for 2 to 10, 10 for picture cards and 15 for aces and jokers, with the A-2-3 ace at 1. Pagat's 5/10/15 variation counts 2 to 9 as 5 and the low ace as 5. Wikipedia counts ace to 9 as 5 unless the ace is played high. Bicycle's page gives no card values.
• An ace left in hand. Pagat's variation keeps it at 15. Wikipedia's wording could be read as 5. The keeper charges 15 in both systems, which is our reading.
• Jokers. Pagat's main game has two; it says the game was first played without them. Bicycle uses 52 cards, and Wikipedia makes jokers optional.
• Two players reach 500 together. Pagat and Bicycle: the higher score wins. Pagat: a tie means more hands. Wikipedia: the player who went out wins. Pagat also lists a "must go out to win" variation. All three are keeper settings; if nobody who reached 500 went out, the Wikipedia setting falls back to the higher score (our reading).
• Taking the top discard. Pagat lets you take the top card and keep it. Pagat notes that most books make you use any card taken from the pile at once, and Bicycle says the same. Wikipedia goes further: the card must go into a new meld of three or more, not just be laid off.
• Stock runs out. Pagat: the hand ends and cards in hand count against you. Wikipedia: if nobody can play, nobody loses points for their hand. That is a keeper setting.
• Going out. Pagat's main rule lets you meld your last cards and go out with no discard. Pagat and Wikipedia both describe the common variation that you must end with a discard.
• Other Wikipedia variations: a first meld must be worth at least 30, and some players let an ace go "around the corner" (K A 2). Pagat and Bicycle do not allow K A 2.

Anything else, such as a time limit or the 250-point short game in the keeper, is a house rule. Agree on it before the first deal.

Tips for scoring more each hand

1. Read the whole discard pile. It is spread out for a reason. Before you draw, check whether a buried card fits something you hold.
2. Meld early when the pile is fat. Cards on the table are safe points. Cards in your hand are a debt if someone goes out.
3. Watch what others lay off. Laid-off cards sit in front of different players, so it is easy to miss that a run now reaches your card.
4. Get rid of aces you cannot use. At 15 points each, an ace stuck in your hand is the most expensive card to be caught with.

Rummy 500 questions

How do you score Rummy 500?

When a hand ends, each player adds up the cards they have on the table (their own melds and the cards they laid off) and subtracts the cards still in their hand. The result goes onto a running total, and it can be negative.

What are the card values in Rummy 500?

On Pagat: 2 to 10 at face value, jacks, queens and kings 10, aces and jokers 15. An ace melded low with the 2 and 3 of its suit counts 1. Some players count every card from 2 to 9 as 5.

Can you pick up more than one card from the discard pile in Rummy 500?

Yes. You may take a card from deep in the pile if you meld it straight away, but you must also take every card on top of it. The extra cards can be melded now or kept in your hand.

What happens if two players reach 500 on the same hand?

Pagat and Bicycle say the higher score wins, and Pagat plays more hands if the top scores are tied. Wikipedia gives the win to the player who went out. The keeper has both.

Do you have to discard to go out in Rummy 500?

Not in Pagat's main rules: melding every card ends the hand. Pagat and Wikipedia both describe a common variation where you must keep one card to discard at the end of your turn.

How many cards do you deal in Rummy 500?

Seven each with three or more players, and thirteen each with two, according to Pagat and Bicycle. Pagat uses two decks shuffled together for five or more players.