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How To Play Shanghai Rummy
People who are first learning how to play Shanghai Rummy find the game more complex than most popular Rummy games. Not only is the scoring different, but the goal of each round changes by the round. 2 decks (including Jokers) are used and each player is dealt 11 cards. Played between 3 and 5 players, many of the rules are similar to those used for Contract Rummy. Below, we’ll describe each round’s contract, “buying,” use of Jokers, and other items (for the rules, check out Shanghai Rummy rules.)
Shanghai Rummy Contracts
Each game consists of 10 rounds. Each round has a corresponding contract that must be met before a player can go out. The contracts for each round are as follows:
Round #1: 2 books of 3 same-rank cards
Round #2: 1 book of 3 and 1 run of 4
Round #3: 2 runs of 4
Round #4: 3 books of 3
Round #5: 1 book of 3 and 1 run of 7
Round #6: 2 books of 3 and 1 run of 5
Round #7: 3 runs of 4
Round #8: 1 book of 3 and 1 run of 10
Round #9: 3 books of 3 and 1 run of 5
Round #10: 3 runs of 5
Jokers can be used in both books and runs. Only 1 Joker can be used to complete a book. Runs offer more flexibility. 1 Joker can be used to form a run of 4 cards. 5-card runs can use 2 Jokers, 7-card runs can use 3 Jokers, and 10-card runs can use 4 Jokers. Also, when more than 1 run is required by contract, the runs must be in different suits.
A player can choose to “buy” by taking a card from the discard pile out of turn. However, they must also take a card from the stock. Neither card can be played until that player’s turn. And the number of buys is limited by contract.
Scoring And Blind Bonuses
Once a player has met a round’s contract, he can begin laying off on existing melds, including his own or those of other players. However, he cannot form new melds. Once he has laid off all of his cards and has discarded the last one, he has gone out. All other players must add the points in their hand as penalty points. The player with the lowest number of penalty points at the end of the tenth round is the winner.
If a player can discard all of his cards during the same turn, going out in the process, it’s called “going out blind.” That player earns 25 bonus points, which are subtracted from any accrued penalty points. Though the game is slightly complicated, learning how to play Shanghai Rummy is both fun and exciting.
Rummy Royal hosts Rummy games and tournaments online, so check them out!
To learn how to play more Rummy games, check out the following pages:
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