How to Play Rummy 500

Overview & Objective

Rummy 500 — also called 500 Rum, 500 Rummy or Pinochle Rummy — is a member of the rummy family, so the basic shape will be familiar if you know Gin Rummy: draw a card, try to form your hand into sets (three or four of a rank) and runs (three or more in sequence in one suit), discard a card. Three things make it its own game. Melds are laid face up on the table as soon as you make them, and either player may add cards to any of them. The discard pile is kept spread out, and you may take any card in it — with everything above it — as long as you meld that card at once. And scoring is two-sided: every card you meld counts for you, every card left in your hand counts against you.

The objective is to be the first player to reach 500 points over a series of hands. On CardCouch you play the two-player game head-to-head against the computer.

The Deal

• Players: 2 on CardCouch (the game is also played by three to eight with a seven-card deal).
• Deck: a standard 52-card deck, no jokers.
• Hands: 13 cards each, face down.
• Discard pile: the next card is turned face up to start the pile. From then on the pile is spread so every card in it is visible.
• Stock: the remaining 25 cards, face down.
• First turn: the non-dealer plays first, and the deal alternates each hand. The computer deals the first hand, so you go first in hand 1.

Taking a Turn

A turn has three parts, always in this order:

1. Draw. Take the top card of the stock, or take a card from the discard pile (see the next section).
2. Meld and lay off — as much as you like. Put down any sets or runs from your hand, and add any single cards that fit to any meld already on the table. You may do this several times, or not at all — with one exception: the card you took from the discard pile must be melded now.
3. Discard. Put exactly one card from your hand face up on the end of the spread pile. Your turn is over.

On CardCouch you tap the stock to draw or a pile card to take it, tap cards in your hand to select them, then press Meld, tap a highlighted meld to lay a selected card off on it, or press Discard with one card selected. A chip reminds you when a taken card still has to be melded.

Taking from the Discard Pile

This is the rule that makes Rummy 500 what it is. The discard pile is spread out, and on your draw you may take any card in it, not just the top one. Two conditions apply:

• You must take every card above the one you want as well. Dig four cards deep and all four go into your hand.
• The card you dug for — the deepest one — must be melded this turn, either in a new meld together with cards from your hand (or from the cards you just took) or laid off on a meld already on the table. You cannot take it just to hold it.

The other cards you picked up along the way are yours to do with as you like: meld them, keep them, or discard one of them. Taking only the top card is the same rule in miniature — it too must be melded at once. If the card you want cannot be melded, you may not take it; on CardCouch only the pile cards you can legally take light up, and hovering over one shows you exactly which cards would come with it.

Melds and Lay-offs

There are two kinds of meld:

• A set: three or four cards of the same rank, such as 9♠ 9♥ 9♣. Four is the limit, since there are only four of each rank.
• A run: three or more consecutive cards of one suit, such as 5♦ 6♦ 7♦ 8♦. An Ace may sit at the bottom (A-2-3) or the top (Q-K-A) of a run, but a run may not go “around the corner” (K-A-2).

Melds go face up on the table in front of the player who made them. From then on either player may lay off on them: add the fourth card to a set of three, or extend a run at either end. A lay-off scores for the player who makes it — if you add the 4♦ to your opponent's 5♦ 6♦ 7♦, the 4 counts for you. A meld or lay-off must be legal at the moment it is made; you cannot, for example, put down two cards and promise the third later.

Melding is optional (except for the pile card), and there is a real decision in it. A meld on the table is safe from being caught in your hand, but it also gives your opponent somewhere to lay off their odd cards. The strategy guide covers when to hold and when to put down.

Going Out and the End of the Stock

A hand ends in one of two ways. A player goes out the moment their last card leaves their hand — whether it is melded, laid off or discarded. If you meld your last card you do not need a final discard; the hand is over at once.

Or the stock runs out. When a player's turn begins and there is nothing left to draw, they may still take from the discard pile if they can meld the card they take, and play continues. If they cannot — or would rather not — the hand ends there and is scored as it stands. The discards are never reshuffled into a new stock.

Scoring a Hand

Both players score every hand. Add up the value of the cards you melded and laid off, then subtract the value of the cards still in your hand:

Example: you melded 9♠ 9♥ 9♣ (27) and 5♦ 6♦ 7♦ (18) and laid off a K♥ on the computer's Kings (10), but were caught holding A♠ and 4♣ (19). Your hand scores 27 + 18 + 10 − 19 = 36. A hand can score below zero — a player who melds nothing and is caught with 13 cards loses a lot. The scoring guide has more worked examples.

The Game to 500

Hands are played, with the deal alternating, until a player's running total reaches 500. The game ends at the end of that hand, and the player with the higher total wins — so if both cross 500 in the same hand, the higher score takes it. CardCouch keeps the score sheet hand by hand in the sidebar and shows what each side melded and held at the end of every hand.

Popular Variations (not used here)

Rummy 500 has as many house rules as any card game. CardCouch plays the standard two-player game described above; these are the variations you are most likely to meet elsewhere:

• Jokers as wild cards: two jokers are added and stand for any card, usually worth 15 and often scoring extra when melded.
• Seven-card deal: with three or more players each gets seven cards; some tables deal seven for two players as well. The 13-card deal used here is the standard for two.
• Must discard to go out: a player may only go out by discarding, so a hand cannot end on a meld.
• Persian Rummy: a partnership version with jokers, where all four Aces melded together score 100 and no lay-offs are allowed on the opponents' melds.
• Reshuffled stock: some houses turn the discard pile over to form a new stock instead of ending the hand.
• Going-out bonus: a bonus (often 25) for the player who goes out, or double points for going out in one turn.
• Boathouse rules: a player who takes from the discard pile must also draw the top card of the stock, and an Ace may run around the corner (K-A-2).

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep learning