Rummy: play online for free (solo & multiplayer)

Rummy is the classic melding card game, played here by 4 players. It's loads of fun and easy to learn! Unlike Gin Rummy, the two-player variant, classic Rummy is a free-for-all where everyone plays for their own score. The game is all about forming melds, either sets of matching cards or runs in the same suit. With just the right mix of skill and luck, every round brings new opportunities to outsmart your opponents! If you enjoy melding games, try Canasta too.

Play free Rummy online against the computer or against real players. No signup required to get started. You can either join a public table or create your own private table to play with friends and family.

Rules

Here's everything you need to play your first game. If you want the full reference or prefer learning by doing, our guide on how to play Rummy has the complete rules and an interactive tutorial that walks you through a real game.

Objective

Rummy is a race to 200 points. Only the player who goes out scores, and going out means getting rid of every card in your hand before your opponents do. The first player to reach 200 points wins the game.

The deal

Four players each get 7 cards from a standard 52-card deck. The rest of the deck goes face down in the middle as the draw pile. One card is turned face up beside it to start the discard pile. Play moves clockwise from the dealer.

The play

On your turn you draw first. You can take the top card of the draw pile or the top card of the discard pile. If you take the top card of the discard pile, you can't discard that same card in the same turn. After drawing, you may lay down melds or add cards to melds already on the table. A meld is either a set, which is three or four cards of the same rank, or a run, which is three or more consecutive cards in the same suit. Aces work as high or low in runs, so both A-2-3 and Q-K-A are valid. Each card can only belong to one meld. You end your turn by discarding one card face up onto the discard pile. If you meld or lay off all your cards, you go out without a discard.

Scoring and winning

Face cards are worth 10 points each, Aces are worth 1, and number cards are worth their face value. When a player goes out, only that player scores. They collect the points for every card left in the other players' hands. Melds on the table don't score, and nobody loses points. If you go out in a single turn without melding or laying off any cards earlier in the hand, you go rummy and your points are doubled. If the draw pile runs out, the discard pile is turned over once to make a new one. If it runs out again, the hand ends and nobody scores. Hands are played until someone reaches 200 points, and the highest score wins. If two or more players tie for the highest score, they share the win.

How to win at Rummy

These tips come from real games on this site. The two big skills are deciding which cards to keep and timing your melds.

Managing your hand:

• Shed your face cards early unless they're close to completing a meld. At 10 points each, they're exactly what the winner wants to find in your hand.
• When a discard decision is close, favor keeping cards that could grow into runs. A partial run like 5-6 can be completed at either end. A finished run can keep growing card by card, while a set stops at four.
• Meld when you can. Every card you lay on the table is a card that can't score for whoever goes out first. Holding your melds back to go rummy doubles your points, but it only pays when you can go out soon.
• Watch what your opponents take from the discard pile. A player who takes the up card wants it for a set or a run, so every pickup tells you what they're building.
• Use that information when you discard. Avoid throwing cards that match the rank an opponent picked up or that sit next to their runs.

Playing to win:

• Runs can be longer than three cards. Stretching one run to five or six cards is often the fastest way to empty your hand.
• Add spare cards to melds already on the table. Each one brings you a card closer to going out.
• Take the up card only when it clearly improves your position, for example when it completes a meld. Taking it shows everyone what you're collecting, and you can't throw it straight back in the same turn.
• Pay attention as the hand gets long. When an opponent is down to a card or two, throw your high cards first unless they're about to complete a meld of your own.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take the top card of the discard pile?

Yes. At the start of your turn you can take the top card of the discard pile instead of drawing from the draw pile. You don't have to meld it right away, but you can't discard that same card in the same turn, so you must discard a different card or go out. You can discard it on a later turn.

How does scoring work in Rummy?

Only the player who goes out scores. They get the points for all the cards left in the other players' hands: 10 for each face card, 1 for each Ace and face value for the other cards. Going out in one turn without having melded earlier in the hand is called going rummy, and it doubles those points. The first player to reach 200 points wins.

What happens when the draw pile runs out?

The first time, the discard pile is turned over without shuffling to make a new draw pile, and the top card stays face up. If the draw pile runs out again in the same hand, the hand ends with no score for anyone and a new hand is dealt.

What is the difference between a set and a run?

A set is three or four cards of the same rank, like three 7s. A run is three or more consecutive cards in the same suit, like the 5, 6 and 7 of Hearts. Both count as melds and each card can only be part of one meld.

Is the Ace high or low in Rummy?

In runs it can be either. An Ace can sit before the 2 (A-2-3) or after the King (Q-K-A). For scoring, an Ace is always worth just 1 point.

How do I play Rummy with friends?

Host a private table and invite your friends. Click the round yellow Play button at the table's top left to open the Play menu. Choose "Host table", turn on "Private table" and type a table name. At your new table, click "Invite players" and copy the link for your friends. Friends can also choose "Join private" in the same menu and type the same name.

Can I play Rummy against the computer?

Yes. This page starts you in a game against three bots right away, which is a good way to learn the game before facing live players. For another game, click the round yellow Play button to open the Play menu and choose "New game".

Can 2 people play Rummy?

Rummy is a 4-player game here, so two people can't play it alone. You and a friend can share a private table and fill the two remaining seats with bots.

Is Rummy free to play here?

Yes. Rummy is free in your browser with no download and no signup. You only need an account if you want to keep long-term stats or play ranked games.

What games are similar to Rummy?

If you enjoy Rummy, try the site's other rummy games, such as Canasta, Hand & Foot and Gin Rummy.