Rummy 500 instructions

Rummy 500 is basically an offshoot of Straight Rummy, though it is a bit more complex. Also known as Pinochle and Persian Rummy, players score points for melds and are deducted them for deadwood. Rummy 500 is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, plus two jokers. This figure doubles when five or more people play. As few as two and no more then 8 players can participate at one time.

Each player in a Rummy 500 game is dealt seven cards. The only exception is two player games. When there are only two competitors, each player receives 13 cards. Cards are dealt in a clockwise direction, beginning with the player seated to the left of the dealer. All remaining cards will make up the stock and discard piles. Both are placed in the middle of the table. The stock pile will be placed face down. The top card is taken from this pile and placed face up on the table. This is the beginning of the discard pile. It is situated next to the stock pile.

During each round, a player has to draw a card. They may do so from either the discard or stock pile. When they do so from the former, they will be able to see the card drawn. However, because the stock pile is face down, no one at the table, including the person who draws the card can see what it is. Obviously the player will eventually be able to view the card after they place in their hand. Individuals who choose to draw from the discard pile can pick any card that they wish. They don’t have to settle for the card on the top of the pile. However, if they choose a card deep within the pile, they have to take all of the cards on top of it. Cards taken from within the card (not the upcard) must be melded immediately. The other cards do not have to.

Individuals can get rid of their cards by melding, laying them off or discarding them. Discarding is mandatory. Every player must discard a card every time they take a turn.

Melding involves players creating card combinations made up of either runs are sets. A run includes at least three cards that are in consecutive order but from the same suit. An example of this would be 5,6,7 of hearts. A set is a group of three or more cards that have the same numerical value but are from varying suits, such as 7 of diamonds, 7 of spades and 7 of hearts.

Laying off is a player’s third option. When this occurs, a player is taking cards from their hand and adding them to their competitor’s melds (runs and/or sets). For example, if Player A has a 7 of spades in her hand, she can add it to Player B’s meld of 4,5,6 of spades. When a person is laying off cards, they can only used unmatched ones. Cards from already established melds can not be used to form new melds. Jokers are considered wildcards and can be added to any meld. They take on whatever value their owner determines. However, once that value has been established, it can’t be changed.

A game can end a number of ways. A hand is over once the stock pile runs out and a player wants to draw from it. It is also over when a person has melded or laid off all of their hands. At this point, regardless of which of the above two reasons the hand ended, cards can no longer be melded. All deadwood or unmatched cards are counted against the player who holds them. An individual can even accumulate a negative score if the value of their unmatched cards is greater then their melds. The first person to accumulate 500 points wins.

Scoring is an important part of any Rummy game. Without understanding how to correctly score a hand, it is impossible to determine a winner. Fortunately, 500 Rummy scoring is pretty straight forward. Face cards are worth 10 points, Aces and Jokers, 15 points each. There is one exception, when an Ace is part of a suit that includes a 2 and 3, its value drops to 2. Cards numbered 2 and 9 are counted according to their face value.