Rummy 500 rules: the complete guide

Rummy 500 at a glance

If you only remember one thing, remember this: in Rummy 500 the cards you put on the table are worth points to you, and the cards left in your hand are worth points against you. That one idea is what makes it different from Gin Rummy, where only the leftovers matter.

Setting up the game

You need one deck, a pencil and a score sheet with a column for each player. Our free Rummy 500 score sheet adds up each hand for you, or prints a blank one. Choose a first dealer any way you like; after each hand, the deal passes one seat to the left.

Dealing

The dealer shuffles and deals one card at a time, clockwise, starting with the player on their left:

• Two players: 13 cards each.
• Three or four players: 7 cards each.

The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile, and the rest of the deck goes face down as the stock.

Spread the discard pile

This is the detail that gives Rummy 500 its character. The discard pile is not a neat stack. Each new discard is placed slightly overlapping the one before, so every card in the pile stays visible, oldest on one end and newest on the other. Everyone can see — and dig into — the whole history of the hand.

Melds and card values

A meld is a group of at least three cards laid face up in front of you:

• Sets: three or four cards of the same rank, such as Q♠ Q♥ Q♣.
• Runs: three or more cards in a row in the same suit, such as 6♦ 7♦ 8♦ 9♦.

An Ace can be low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A), but under standard rules a run can’t go “around the corner,” so K-A-2 is not a run.

An Ace left in your hand at the end always costs the full 15.

Playing a turn

Play goes clockwise, starting with the player on the dealer’s left. Each turn has three parts.

1. Draw

Choose one:

• Take the top card of the stock.
• Take the top card of the discard pile.
• Take a card further down the discard pile. You must also take every card above it, and you must use that deepest card right away — in a new meld or by laying it off — during the same turn.

That last option is the heart of the game. A big pickup can hand you a meld and a fistful of useful cards. It can also leave you holding a pile of high cards that count against you if someone goes out soon.

2. Meld and lay off

You may lay down as many new melds as you like, or none. You may also lay off: add a card to any meld already on the table, yours or anyone else’s — the fourth card of a set, or the next card at either end of a run. The points for a card you lay off go to you, not to the player who started the meld.

3. Discard

End your turn by placing one card face up on the discard pile, overlapping the others.

Example. Four players, so you hold 7 cards: 9♥ 9♦ J♦ 10♣ Q♣ 5♠ 3♥. The discard pile, oldest to newest, is 4♣ K♥ 9♠ 7♦ J♣ 2♥. The 9♠ is the card you want, but taking it means taking 7♦, J♣ and 2♥ too. You do it, and immediately meld 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ (27 points). The J♣ you picked up completes 10♣ J♣ Q♣ (30 points), so you meld that as well. You discard the J♦, your most expensive loose card, and finish the turn with 57 points on the table and four low cards in hand: 7♦ 5♠ 3♥ 2♥.

Going out and ending a hand

A hand ends in one of two ways.

A player goes out. When you get rid of your last card — by melding it, laying it off or discarding it — the hand ends immediately. Nobody else gets another turn. (Many families require that the last card be a discard; see the variations below.)

The stock runs out. Once the stock is empty, play continues as long as each player takes from the discard pile. As soon as a player who needs to draw doesn’t — or can’t — take from the discard pile, the hand ends.

Scoring

At the end of each hand, every player works out:

Points melded and laid off − points still in hand = score for the hand.

Scores can go below zero, and they carry over from hand to hand.

Example. Two-player game. You have melded A♠ 2♠ 3♠ (1 + 2 + 3 = 6, since the Ace is low), K♥ K♣ K♦ (30) and laid off the 4♠ on your own run (4) — 40 points on the table. Then your opponent goes out while you still hold the A♦ and the 8♣. They cost you 15 + 8 = 23, so you score 40 − 23 = 17. Your opponent melded 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 10♥ (34) and Q♠ Q♦ Q♥ (30), then went out by laying off the J♥ on their hearts (10). With nothing left in hand, they score 74.

Notice how much that Ace hurt. Melded low it would have been worth only 1; left in your hand, it cost 15.

Winning the game

Hands are played until at least one player reaches 500 points. The highest total wins. If two players pass 500 in the same hand, the higher score wins; if they tie for the lead exactly, many tables play one more hand.

Edge cases and rule disputes

Can you take a deep card just to collect the cards above it? No. The deepest card you take has to be played that same turn. If you can’t use it, you can’t take it.

Do you have to use the other cards you pick up? No. Only the deepest card has to be played right away. The others simply join your hand.

Can you lay off before you have a meld of your own? Yes. There’s no requirement to meld first; you can lay off on anyone’s meld from your first turn.

Can you discard the card you just took from the top of the pile? Tables disagree. Many forbid it, since taking a card and throwing it straight back amounts to passing your turn. Others don’t mind. Agree before you start.

Can a set have five cards? Not with one deck. There are only four of each rank.

Can the Ace be high and low at once? No. With standard rules, a run holds an Ace at one end only. Q-K-A is fine, A-2-3 is fine, K-A-2 is not.

Who scores a laid-off card? The player who laid it off — never the owner of the meld.

Can you go out on your first turn? Yes, if your cards allow it. It’s very rare with 13 cards and only a little less rare with 7.

Common variations and house rules

• Must discard to go out. Your last card has to be a discard. You can never meld or lay off your entire hand — you always keep one card to throw away. This makes big pickups riskier late in the hand.
• Round-the-corner runs. Runs may wrap past the King, so Q-K-A-2 and K-A-2-3 are legal. With this rule, an Ace in the middle of a run is usually worth 15.
• Calling “Rummy!” If a player discards a card that could have been laid off on a meld, the first player to call “Rummy!” may take it and lay it off themselves. It keeps everyone watching the table.
• Aces always 15. Some families never drop a low Ace to 1 point. Others count every Ace as 1. Write your rule on the score sheet.
• Shorter games. Playing to 250 instead of 500 cuts the game roughly in half.
• Jokers as wild cards. Some groups shuffle in Jokers that can stand for any card in a meld. Their point value is a matter of house rules.
• Two decks for big groups. With five or more players, many families shuffle two decks together.

On BieGames you can play with two, three or four players, choose a game to 250 or 500 points, allow around-the-corner runs, and switch on “You must discard to go out” — all in Settings. You can also pick Easy, Normal or Hard computer players. The game outlines in gold the discard-pile cards you’re allowed to take, so you won’t make an illegal pickup by mistake.

Rummy 500 terms

• Stock — the face-down draw pile.
• Discard pile — the spread-out row of face-up cards anyone may draw from.
• Meld — a set or run laid face up on the table.
• Set — three or four cards of the same rank.
• Run — three or more cards in sequence in one suit.
• Lay off — add a card to any meld already on the table.
• Going out — getting rid of your last card, which ends the hand.
• Deep pickup — taking a card from below the top of the discard pile, plus everything above it.
• Around the corner — a run that wraps from King to Ace to 2.

Quick questions about the rules

Is Rummy 500 the same as 500 Rum? Yes. Rummy 500, 500 Rum and 500 Rummy are the same game. It’s sometimes confused with the trick-taking game 500, which is unrelated apart from the name and its descent from Euchre.

How many cards do you deal in Rummy 500 with two players? Thirteen each. With three or four players, deal seven.

Do you lose points for cards in your hand? Yes. Every card you’re holding when the hand ends is subtracted from what you melded.

What’s the difference between Rummy 500 and Gin Rummy? Rummy 500 scores what you put on the table and lets you dig into the discard pile; Gin keeps melds hidden and scores the gap in deadwood. See Gin Rummy vs Rummy 500 for a full comparison, or read the Gin Rummy rules.

Where can I practice? You can play Rummy 500 free in your browser against one, two or three computer players. The points for each meld pop up as you play, so you can see the scoring at work.