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Rummy 500 Rules
Rummy 500 ignores a few of the limitations of other Rummy games. It can be played with 2 to 8 players. Learn Rummy 500 rules here, or check out how to play Rummy 500.
Rummy 500 Rules
For games of 4 or fewer players, 1 standard deck with 2 Jokers is used. For 5 or more players, 2 standard decks and 4 Jokers are used (108 card in total). Each player receives 7 cards with the rest of the deck placed in the middle as a stock pile. The top card from the stock is turned over and forms the discard pile.
The players take turns drawing, melding, and discarding until 1 player goes out. Melds may consist of groups of cards from the same rank (for example, 8-8-8) or sequences of consecutive cards in the same suit (for example, J-Q-K of clubs). Players can lay off their melds, or cards which build upon other players’ melds, at any point during a hand as long as it is their turn.
The Objective Of Rummy 500
Each player attempts to maximize their own score while penalizing other players’ scores. One of the differences between Rummy 500 and other Rummy variations is the way scores are totaled. When a player goes out, the value of the cards in her melds are added to her score. In addition, the cards remaining in her opponents’ hands are applied as penalties to their scores. That includes cards that form melds but have not yet been played.
Numbered cards (2’s through 10’s) represent their face value. Face cards are 10 points each while Aces and Jokers are 15 points each. The first player to reach 500 points wins the game.
“Rummy!”
Another important distinction of Rummy 500 is the treatment of the discard pile. Other Rummy variations only allow the top card of the pile to be retrieved. Rummy 500 allows any player to call “Rummy!” if a card that could have been melded is discarded. Further, if the discard pile contains a complete group or sequence, a player can retrieve the entire meld. Doing so requires retrieving all of the cards that were discarded after the first card in the meld.
Also, if a player has at least 2 cards in her hand to form a meld and notices another melding card within the discard pile, she can retrieve it on her turn. But, she must lay off the meld immediately.
Many people actually play Rummy 500 while mistakenly calling it Gin Rummy. In fact, Gin Rummy is played with a different set of rules than Rummy 500 (see Gin Rummy Rules.)
Check out Rummy Royal for online Rummy games and tournaments! Learn other the rules of other Rummy variations like Michigan Rummy rules, Oklahoma Gin Rummy rules, and how to play Tonk.
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