How to play Rummy 500

Rummy 500 is the rummy game where the discard pile is open for business. You play against one, two or three computer players: Mabel, Hank and Opal. Lay down sets and runs, add cards to anyone's melds, and dig into the pile when a buried card is what you need. Melded cards count for you, the cards still in your hand count against you, and the first to 500 wins.

The deal

• One standard deck of 52 cards, no jokers. Head to head each player gets 13 cards; with three or four players, 7 each.
• One card is turned face up to start the discard pile. The rest is the face-down stock.
• The player after the dealer goes first, and the deal moves around the table each hand. In your first hand you always go first.

A turn

• Draw one card from the stock, or take cards from the discard pile. The pile is spread out so every card shows.
• You may take the top card of the pile, or dig for any card deeper down: you take it together with every card above it. The card you dig for must be melded or laid off in the same turn, so you can only dig for a card that fits.
• Meld: lay down a set (3 or 4 cards of one rank, like 8♠ 8♥ 8♦) or a run (3 or more in a row in one suit, like 4♥ 5♥ 6♥). The Ace is low in A-2-3 and high in Q-K-A, but K-A-2 does not count.
• Lay off: add cards to any meld on the table, yours or another player's. The points for each card go to whoever laid it down.
• Discard one card to end your turn. You cannot throw back the top card you just took from the pile.
• Tap cards in your hand to pick them, then tap Meld, Lay off or Discard. The table shows what you can meld first, with a gold edge.

End of a hand and scoring

• The hand ends when someone has no cards left, by melding or by the last discard. It also ends when the stock runs out.
• Every player adds up the cards they melded and laid off, then subtracts the cards left in their hand.
• Aces are worth 15 (only 1 when used low in A-2-3), 10s, Jacks, Queens and Kings 10, every other card its number.
• Scores carry over from hand to hand. The first player to reach 500 wins; if two players pass 500 with the same score, one more hand is played. In Settings you can play a shorter game to 250.

Tips

1. Dig when it pays. A deep card that melds right away can bring a handful of useful cards with it. A pile full of Kings you cannot use costs you if the hand ends soon.
2. Meld early. Cards in your hand are worth nothing until they are down, and they count against you when someone goes out.
3. Unload Aces and face cards. An Ace stuck in your hand costs 15.
4. Watch what others pick up. If the next player took a 9, do not hand them another 9 or the cards next to it.

Today's deal

The Daily Deal is one hand against Mabel, with the same cards for everyone. Your result is your score for the hand minus hers. Compare it with everyone else's today. Your first try of the day is the one that counts.

Questions

Is it the same as Gin Rummy? No. In Gin you knock with your cards still in hand and nobody melds until the end. In Rummy 500 you lay melds on the table as you go, you can add to anyone's, and you can take deep cards from the pile.

Are there jokers? Not in the classic game played here. Wild jokers are a house rule some families add.

How strong are the computers? Easy mostly looks at the top of the pile and sometimes holds its melds too long. Normal digs into the pile when it pays and melds right away. Sharp also weighs what the stock is likely to bring and how close the others are to going out, and is careful about what it throws.

Can I play with my family? Playing with friends over a link, each on their own phone, is coming soon. For now you play the computers.

Do I need an account? No. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.