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How To Play Three Person Rummy
Depending upon the Rummy variation, most are well-suited for 2 players. A third player can be accommodated, but it often changes the dynamic of the game. However, there are a few Rummy games that are specifically designed for 3 players. They’re based upon rules for Gin Rummy and include Cutthroat, Chouette, and Battle Royal. Below, I’ll describe how to play each of these three person Rummy games.
Cutthroat Rummy
While designed for 3 players, only 2 actively participate while the third person sits out. To start the game, all 3 players draw cards. The 2 players with the highest cards participate in the first round. The person who loses that round sits out during the next round while the winner plays the third player.
The 3 players continue in this manner until 1 of them reaches 100 points. If 1 of the 3 players fails to win any of the hands in which he participates, the winner of the game collects additional bonus points (usually 100).
Chouette Rummy
Another three person Rummy game is called Chouette. Like Cutthroat, all 3 players draw cards to determine who assumes the third person role. The player who draws the highest card is called the “man in the box.” The other 2 players form a team and the person who drew the next highest card serves as the team’s captain.
The “man in the box” plays each round while the other 2 players participate based upon their success. That is, as long as the captain wins, he continues playing with his teammate serving as adviser. Once he loses a round, he passes the captain’s mantle to his teammate and becomes the adviser. 2 scores are tallied; 1 for the “man in the box” and 1 for the team.
Battle Royal Rummy
Battle Royal allows for all 3 players to participate at the same time. Each player is dealt 10 cards and follows the normal rules of Rummy. However, during turns, a player can choose to retrieve either of the discards from his 2 opponents (rather than being limited to the top discard). Also, while players can lay off builds upon a knocker’s melds, they cannot lay off builds upon builds. For example, a player can lay off a 9 of hearts on the knocker’s 6-7-8 of hearts, but the third player cannot lay off a 10 of hearts.
Three person Rummy games are nearly identical to traditional Rummy. There are small differences to accommodate the third person, but they are otherwise easy to learn and play.
Rummy Royal hosts Rummy games and tournaments, so check it out!
To learn how to play more Rummy games, check out the following pages:
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