The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (160 page)

allowing A-2-3 and Q-K-A (but not K-A-2).

Play On your turn, play as fol ows:

1. Draw either the top card of the stock, or the upcard, and take

it into hand.

2. (If possible and desirable) Meld a set or sequence of cards

from the hand, or lay of individual cards to melds already on

the table, regardless ofwho made them. You may make

asmany melds and lay-of s as you wish.

3. Add a card face up to the discard pile. If you took the upcard,

your discard must dif er from it.

Wild cards Jokers are wild. For example, a sequence may consist of

3-4-

-6, and a set of 3- 3-

. You may steal a wild card

from any meld on the table provided that you can replace it from

your own hand with the natural card it represents.

End of stock If the stock runs out before anyone has gone out, turn

the discard pile to form a new one, and turn its top card face up to

start a new discard pile.

Most book rules say the stock should not be shuffled before being turned. This

favours the player with the best memory. Unless you want to turn it into a

memory game, a better rule is that this rule applies only if everyone agrees to it.

In case of dispute, shuffle it.

Ending and scoring Play ceases the moment someone goes out by playing the last

card from their hand, whether as part of a new meld, a lay-off, or a discard. That player wins, and scores (or is paid) by the other players according to the face

value of cards left unmelded in their hands. Numerals at face value, courts 10,

and Jokers 15 each. Ace counts 1 unless the Q-K-A sequence is allowed, in which

case it counts 11.

Basic Rummy variants

Of the fol owing named variants, many merely denote

modifications to the basic rules; they can be put together in almost

any combination the players fancy.

Block Rummy

As Basic Rummy, but: If the stock runs out, the discard pile is not

turned, and play ceases as soon as al players refuse to take the top

discard. Everyone pays or scores negatively according to the amount

of their deadwood. This optional extra may be applied to any

Rummy game.

Boathouse Rum

As Basic Rummy, but: A player who draws the upcard must also

draw the top card of stock. (Variant: Or the next upcard. The result,

either way, is to take two cards instead of one.) That player may

then meld and must discard one card only. Players may thereby

increase the number of cards they hold. Turn-the-corner melds are

valid, and a deadwood Ace counts 11 against. Nobody melds until

one player goes rummy by melding their entire hand, at which

point the others meld what they can and the winner scores in the

usual way (or, variant, one per unmatched card regardless of rank).

Cards may not be laid of .

Cal Rummy

As Basic Rummy, but: If a player discards a card that could be laid

of against a meld, any opponent may immediately cal ‘Rummy!’,

lay the discard of , and replace it with a discard from their own

hand. If two cal simultaneously, priority goes to the next in turn to

play.

Discard Rummy

As Basic Rummy, but: You can go out only if you can end your turn

by making a discard. Your final card may not be melded or laid of .

Double Rummy

Basic Rummy played with two packs.

One-meld Rummy (Cincinnati Rummy, Queen City Rum)

As Basic Rummy, but: You may may go out only by going rummy,

i.e. melding al your cards at once, with or without a discard, and

everyone pays you (or you score) the total face value of your melds.

Original Rum

(2-6p, 52c). The most primitive game appears in Donohue, 1905.

Deal ten each if two play, seven if three, six if more. Stack the rest

face down and turn an upcard. Each in turn draws one card, either

from stock or any discard, makes one discard (which must dif er

from the one taken if a discard was drawn), and may then either

make one meld (only) of three or more cards, or lay of one card

(only) to any existing meld, but not both. The game ends when

somebody melds, lays of , or discards their last card. The others

then pay the winner according to their deadwood, counting Ace 1,

numerals face value, Jack 11, Queen 12, King 13. If no one has

gone out when the stock is depleted, either shuf le the discards and

make a new stock, or designate as winner the player with least

make a new stock, or designate as winner the player with least

deadwood.

Variant 1 The discards may be squared up, leaving only the upcard

available.

Variant 2 The order of play may be draw-meld-discard instead of

draw-discard-meld.

Ramino (Rabino, Remigio)

General term for several Italian varieties of Rummy.

1. One version amounts to seven-card Basic Rummy for two or

more players, using 54 cards. Ace counts low or high in a

sequence, but not both. Having once melded, you may lay of

cards to your own melds, and may take a Joker from any

meld in exchange for the appropriate natural card. Deadwood

counts at the rate of Aces 1 point, numerals face value, courts

10, Jokers 20 (or 11 by agreement), doubled if the winner

went rummy. The first to 101 points loses, or, if more play,

drops out.

2. Another version uses two packs with four Jokers and awards

side-payments for the fol owing special melds:

Scala reale Seven in sequence regardless of suit

Sette di seme Any seven of one suit

Sette figure Any seven court cards

Pokerissimo Seven of the same kind

A third version is played as above, but with ten cards each. A

single agreed stake is won for going out with a mixed straight, a

double for going out with eight of a kind, or quadruple for a

double for going out with eight of a kind, or quadruple for a

straight flush.

Ramino Pokerato

As above, but preceded by a round of Poker-style bet ing.

Round-the-Corner Rummy (High-Low Rummy)

Any Rummygameinwhichsequencesmay turn the corner,i.e.

incorporate K-A-2. Ace always counts 11.

Scala Quaranta

(2p, 104c + 47). Italian variety of Basic Rummy. Deal thirteen

each. One’s initial meld must total at least 40 points (whence the

title), counting Aces 11 and Jokers 25. Many circles proscribe

Jokers in initial melds, and most forbid you to take a Joker for a

natural card unless you can meld it immediately.

Skip Rummy

As Basic Rummy, but: Only sets may be melded, not sequences.

As Basic Rummy, but: Only sets may be melded, not sequences.

Having once melded, you may in subsequent turns lay of the fourth

of a rank to your own or anyone else’s three of the same rank. If

left with a pair, you can go out without discarding when you draw

a third of the same rank. Play ceases when one player goes out or

when the number of cards remaining in stock equals the number

taking part. Al cards left in hand count against, even if they could

have been melded or laid of .

Two-meld Rummy

As Basic Rummy, but: No player may go rummy. Anyone able to do

so must hold back one meld to make on the next turn.

Consequently, melding with the apparent threat of going out on the

next turn may be used as a form of bluf .

Wild-card Rummy

As Basic Rummy, but: Deuces are wild, as are one or more Jokers

(optional). Nobody melds until someone can end the game by

going rummy. Wild cards left in hand count 25 against.

Loba

2-5 players, 108 cards

This is Argentinian Loba. In Central America the same name

(meaning ‘she-wolf’) denotes Contract Rummy, which in Argentina

is cal ed Carioca.