5000 Rummy: Excellent Rummy
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© Copyright 1993-2003 John James Davidson. All Rights Reserved.
.......These rules have been registered with the Library of Congress.
5000 Rummy: Excellent Rummy
.......Two to five people may play. This game is for teenagers safe to say on up.
This is an elaboration of 500 Rummy.
.......The author usually thought of rummy being like 500 Rummy, with the discard pile spread out.
This game is an elaboration of 500 Rummy, and it's a simple game.
.......This game is an elaboration of 500 Rummy in a few basic ways:
Like it's always played using 104 cards.
There are wild cards, and you're able to trade for them.
Wild cards and aces are worth a lot. And you score extra points for going out.
5000 Rummy: Excellent Rummy
Preliminaries
The Card Deck
The Deal
The Play
The Main Object
The Play
Melding
The Discard Pile
Melds
Wild Cards and Aces
Groups
Sequences
Wild-Card Groups
Trading for Wild Cards
The End of a Hand
Going Out
Scoring
Supplementary Notes
Abbreviations and Symbol
Variations for 5000 Rummy: Excellent Rummy
House Rules
5000 Rummy: Excellent Rummy
.......Two to five people may play.
Preliminaries
The Card Deck.
You play with a card deck of 104 cards of 13 ranks and 4 suits. An ace may rank high or low for
a sequence.\ The other cards rank from a king, queen, jack (or princess), and 10 down to a 2.\
.......A joker (or Mother Nature) can be used as a replacement card if any other card gets
damaged or lost. Bridge-size cards (around 3 1/2 by 2 1/4") may be better to use than
poker-size cards (around 3 1/2 by 2 1/2") because of melding space and that they're
easier to hold if holding a lot.
The Deal.
The cards are shuffled and cut. The cards are then spread out face down. Then, each person
draws 1 card, yet not any of the 4 cards at either end of the deck. The person who draws the
highest card deals the first hand. An ace ranks highest in choosing the first dealer.
If there's a tie among the highest cards disregarding suits, the persons who drew these cards
draw another card.
.......You should write a miniature d on the paper the score is being kept, underneath
the person's name of who's the first dealer. This helps keep track of who'll be dealing each
hand.
.......Everyone who wants may shuffle or help shuffle the cards, although the dealer has the
privilege of shuffling last. Nearing the end of a shuffle, you should keep the bottom cards
from showing. The dealer then asks if anyone else wants to cut the cards, yet no one else must.
One or more persons, except the dealer, may cut. Yet if no one else cuts, the dealer must cut.
You must complete your cut, and both packets must contain at least 5 cards.
.......After the last person cuts, the dealer turns the top card face up to determine the rank
of the wild cards for the hand. The cards must then be shuffled again adequately and cut before
they're dealt. (Before the first hand is dealt, the cards are shuffled 1 time thoroughly and 2
times adequately and cut 3 or more times.)
.......This is part of a good shuffle, in which you can use a card deck to see how it goes.
Deal the cards that were just used into a number of piles (clockwise in 2 rows); the
"number" is to be the length of what was the longest meld plus 3 or more (the longest
meld could've been an addition of 4 or more cards). Then of what was the
stock pile is split up onto these piles.
.......Each person is dealt all his/her cards all at once. The person at the dealer's left is
dealt all his/her cards first; the deal then continues clockwise. Each person's first card is
dealt face up; this card shows the number of cards the person is dealt face down. For an ace,
11 more cards are dealt. For a face card or 10, 10 more cards are dealt. When a 9 to 2 is dealt
face up for someone, the numerical value of the card in cards is dealt to him/her face
down. If a 5 were dealt face up for someone then 5 more cards would be dealt to him/her face
down. Until all the cards are dealt, no one may pick up any of his/her cards and each person's
first card must stay showing.
.......After the deal, the undealt cards are set face down between the players and are called
the stock pile. The top card is turned face up and placed beside it as the
upcard, the first card of the discard pile.
.......The turn to deal passes clockwise.
The Play
The Main Object.
The main object is usually to make points by matching cards to make melds and by
going out. A meld is a group or sequence of 3 or more cards, or a 1- or
more card group or sequence addition. A group is made up of cards which are of
the same rank, or have the same index value, like a 3-card group of 5's. A sequence is a
consecutive order of cards in the same suit, like a 5, 6, and 7 of hearts.
.......Realize that when a hand ends points are subtracted from your score for any cards left
in your hand, especially for any wild cards and aces.
The Play.
The person at the dealer's left plays first; the play continues clockwise. To begin your turn,
you do 1 of 3 things:
.......1. You may draw a card from the stock pile.
.......2. You may draw a card below the top card of the discard pile if you meld it, and
take in or meld all the cards above it.
.......3. You may draw the top card of the discard pile without having to meld it. (You may
meld it, though, if you want. You could discard this same card if you want. There being
a stock pile and everyone 3 rounds in a row drew the top card of the discard pile without
melding, the hand would end with points reckoned after the last person discarded; with the
wording of these rules, you always draw only 1 card from the discard pile; however other cards
further up within it may help meld the card you're drawing.)
.......You may then meld or meld some more from your hand, if you want. You then discard
a card, which ends your turn.
Melding.
To meld, you lay down a card or cards in front of you face up when it's your turn; you may keep
melds in your hand, though, if you want. A wild card or wild cards may be used in place of
another card or other cards for a meld. Once a card is melded, it's supposed to stay melded
unless it's a wild card that gets traded for.
.......You may add to your own and other persons' melds with 1 or more cards when it's
your turn. When you add to another person's meld, you keep your card or cards in front of you
to score for yourself, not with the meld you're adding to, and must tell the others to which
meld you're adding (a wild card may be traded for).
The Discard Pile.
The discard pile is made up of discarded cards except for the very first card of
it, which is turned face up from the stock pile. Discarding is placing a card from your
hand face up at the top of the discard pile, which ends your turn. The discard pile is
kept spread out, so you can see all the cards in it.
.......To meld a card you draw from the discard pile, you could use a card or cards from your
hand and/or a card or cards above the card you draw and/or a meld (or 2 sequences).\ Below the
top card, you should always "show" you can meld the card you're drawing before you draw it. You
may then meld some more, if you want, from any cards that were in your hand and any cards you
took in (and any wild cards you trade for).
.......To properly draw a card below the top card of the discard pile, first you "show" how
you'll meld the card you're drawing, second you "detach" cards from the discard pile from
(including) the card you're drawing, third you simply "meld" the card, fourth you "take in" any
detached cards.
Melds
Wild Cards and Aces.
Wild cards are cards that may be used in place of other cards. A wild card may represent a rank
for a group (oga), or a rank and suit for a sequence (osa). To determine the rank of the wild
cards for the hand, the dealer turns a card face up (see "The Deal," 4th par.).
.......Wild cards are usually worth 100 points each. (For a wild card, you wouldn't also score
the regular point value of the card. For example, a wild 5 is worth 100 points, not 105
points.) Aces are worth 200 points each unless they're wild.
.......If aces, queens, or 10's are wild, the wild cards are worth more. All 8 queens or
10's would be worth 200 points each; all 8 aces would be worth 400 points each.
.......When melding a wild card, you must tell the others the ways it's being used.
Groups.
A person's group may be more than 8 cards long. Per rank, you may have only either 1
group or 1 group addition, yet what you have may be increased of course. A wild
card in a group (oga) must remain unless someone trades for it.
.......A group addition consists of a card or cards that have been added to another
person's group. A group addition is considered a group if it grows to 3 or more cards.
Sequences.
An ace may rank above a king or below a 2 for a sequence.\ The sequence, 2, ace, king isn't
allowed.\ A sequence (including entirely all the additions) may have up to 13 (not 14)
cards.
.......You may not split sequences (osas). And a wild card in a sequence (osa) must remain
unless someone trades for it.
.......Every sequence must be and stay in a "simple" consecutive order.\ If anyone's 8
of hearts were added to anyone's 5, 6, and 7 of hearts, then the next card added by anyone to
that end of the sequence must be a 9 of hearts or wild card representing a 9 of hearts (not
another 8).
.......A sequence addition consists of a card or cards that have been added to another
person's sequence or sequence addition. A sequence addition is also considered a sequence if it
grows to 3 or more cards and belongs to the same person.
.......You may connect, perhaps not physically, sequences and sequence additions while
you're adding a card or cards. You could add a 4, 5, and 6 of hearts from your hand and/or from
the discard pile to both a melded ace, 2, and 3 of hearts sequence and a melded 7 and 8
of hearts addition. If 2 sequences are your own and you want to connect them, you must
physically combine them, yet you don't have to add any extra cards.\ Trading for
a wild card at the very end of a sequence would be considered adding a card for connecting
sequences.\ (There's no disconnecting at all, like just because either of 2 sequences changed
in any way.\)
Wild-Card Groups.
A wild-card group consists of all wild cards. You can meld 3 or more wild cards as a
wild-card group or add a wild card or wild cards to anyone's wild-card group to keep
anyone from trading any natural cards for the wild cards or wild card.
.......You could meld 3 or more wild cards as a regular group, as like 3 aces. Your wild cards
could then be traded for. You could also meld 3 or more wild cards as a regular sequence
(designating a suit and ranks). Your wild cards could then be traded for.
Trading for Wild Cards
.......You may trade natural cards from your hand for wild cards in your own and
other persons' melds clearly after drawing (during your turn), not while drawing. If anyone had
a sequence of a 5 and 6 of hearts, wild card, you could trade a natural 7 of hearts from your
hand for the wild card. When you've traded for a wild card, you may use it anyway you want,
even keep it in your hand. Any natural card of a rank may be traded for a wild card in a group
(oga) of the rank.
.......You may only trade a natural card for a wild card, never a wild card for a wild card and
never any card for a natural card.
The End of a Hand
Going Out.
A person may go out by discarding (his/her last card) or by melding (his/her last card).
When someone goes out, the hand ends, and the points are reckoned.
.......You score 200 extra points for going out. You score 300 points for going out on your
first turn. You may go out on your first turn without drawing anything, and you wouldn't
discard either; you would meld your last card (you could still "go rummy" before your turn, and
trade for any wild cards); you score 500 points for this.
.......If the stock pile becomes exhausted, the hand ends with points reckoned if someone goes
out of course, or when someone doesn't (or wishes not to) draw from the discard pile (after the
person drawing the last card of the stock pile finishes his/her turn of course), or when
everyone in a row doesn't meld.
.......You may ask any other player(s) how many cards are in their hand(s) at any time. You may
also check how many cards remain in the stock pile at any time.
Scoring.
When a hand is over, you score points for going out if you went out and for your melds
laying down. You score 10 points for each face card, 10, 9, and 8; 5 points for each 7 to 2;
and for each wild card and ace see "Wild Cards and Aces," 2nd and 3rd paragraphs.
.......For any cards left in your hand, you subtract the same amount of points.
.......The game is played to 5000 points when 2 people play; 3000 points with 3 people; and
2000 points with 4 or 5 people. A running total of each person's score is kept on paper. At the
end of a hand, someone at or above the finishing point and with the highest score wins
the game. The winner wins from each other person the difference between their final scores. A
game would end in a tie if the top scores at the end of a hand were at or above the finishing
point and happened to be identical. If there's a tie, each non-winner would lose only a single
amount.
Supplementary Notes
(for 5000 Rummy: Excellent Rummy)
.......Everyone, except the dealer, has the option to cut. People tend to want to cut often
since the cards are dealt in piles. (See "The Deal," 1st, 3rd, and 6th paragraphs.)
.......Your melds should be melded neatly and usually in a standard way. Your groups and group
additions should usually be kept in a row, like AAA, 999, 7, 222 (from A to 2, from your left
to right). Your sequences should usually be kept in a row above your groups and group
additions, or to the left of them without much melding space, like AKQ, 987, 7654. And you
should usually really try to keep your sequence additions in very logical places.
Abbreviations and Symbol
oga or group addition
osa or sequence addition
osas or sequence additions
\ Any sequence referred to in the preceding sentence can pertain to a sequence
addition.
Variations for 5000 Rummy: Excellent Rummy
These rules coincide with the rules above.
1. Playing to Win.
The winner of a game wins 1 game point. The winner doesn't win from each other person the
difference between their final scores. If there happened to be a tie, each winner would split
the game point.
2. Must Go Out to Win.
The winner of a game wins 1 game point. The winner doesn't win from each other person
the difference between their final scores.
.......You must go out with a score at or above the finishing point to win. You can win
even if any other players end up with higher scores. Going out and not reaching the finishing
point doesn't count towards a win.
.......(This variation was found from John McLeod with many thanks from his
"500 Rum"
page which is on
the Card Games web site
at
http://www.pagat.com/
which is extremely vast.)
3. "Going Rummy with the Top Card."
This is a traditional variation and is mediocre compared with the next variation. If a player
discards a card that could've been easily melded (and isn't going out), another player
can call "Rummy" and meld the card like so. Then this second person discards a card. The game
continues with the "in-turn player," as if no one had gone rummy, unless the player who went
rummy went out or another rummy is called and so on.
.......When a card being discarded touches the discard pile, you may call rummy. You must call
rummy before the next player is drawing. If 2 or more players call rummy simultaneously, figure
the priority by going clockwise from the player whose turn it's about to be. And the only thing
a player who goes rummy may do, besides melding the rummy card, is connect 2 sequences using
the rummy card.\
.......If a natural card is discarded that could be traded for a wild card, that would be a
"rummy." If another person calls the rummy and trades, he/she would keep the wild card in their
hand for the time being and discard 1 card. However if you call rummy with a discarded wild
card, you must simply meld it not trade it; then you discard 1 card.
4. Going Rummy with Any Cards.
This is like the preceding variation except for the following. Like the preceding variation,
you may only call "Rummy" between turns (or after anyone has discarded from a rummy) and not
with a rummy you yourself just created. You may call "Rummy" though with any card or
cards in the discard pile that can be melded without the help of any cards from your hand, like
even a 5, 6, and 7 of hearts all within the discard pile.
.......If more than 1 rummy is called at a time any calls other than the first are disregarded
yet may be called again after the first rummy is completed by discarding a card. You would take
cards from the discard pile from (including) the bottom-most rummy card. And after you meld the
rummy card or cards, you continue your rummy as if it were a turn of yours, then discarding a
card unless you went out by melding.
.......If you create any rummys when melding any cards or when discarding a card, you
yourself may not call any of these rummies until the end of someone else's turn (unless at
least 1 of at least 2 cards in the discard pile of a sequence rummy was to get modified by
another person doing a rummy, like with an 8 and 9 for a 5, 6, 7, not like with a 7 and 8
for a 5, 6, wild card).\
.......You can trade any natural cards from the discard pile for any melded wild cards to do a
rummy and trade during a rummy.
.......(This variation was found from John McLeod with many thanks from his
"500 Rum"
page which is on
the Card Games web site
at
http://www.pagat.com/
which is extremely vast.)
5. Discarding an Unmeldable Card to Go Out.
To go out you must discard a card and it must be unmeldable. If you discarded the only
card in you hand and it was at that moment meldable (or tradable, a natural card for a wild
card) or if you meld the rest of your cards, you're considered floating (yet not out).
(With only 1 card, you could as usual trade.) (Disregard the discard pile except a card you may
have just discarded.) If you're floating, you may not draw only the top card of the
discard pile if it's unmeldable.
6. Melding All (Your Cards) to Go Out.
If you have 1 card in your hand and you discard it, you're considered floating (yet not
out).
7. Michigan Rummy.
When a player goes out, he/she scores the total points remaining in the other players' hands,
including of course what he/she has melded. For the cards left in the other players' hands,
points aren't subtracted from their scores. If a player for any reason says he/she can go out
and doesn't, each other player has 50 points immediately added to their score. Every deal is
played out as usual.
8. Polish Rummy.
For your draw, you may take the entire discard pile without having to meld the bottom
card.
9. Persian 5000.
Two players play against 2 players, and partners sit across from one another. One partner of
each partnership keeps all the partnership's melds in front of him/her; so each partnership's
melds are as one. At the end of each hand, each partnership's points are scored together. A
game is played to 2000 points.
.......You may not ask any other player(s) how many cards are in their hand(s) at any time. You
may not check how many cards remain in the stock pile at any time.
10. Extra Card Dealt.
Instead of an upcard being turned up after the cards are dealt, the dealer deals the player
to his/her left an extra card. This player then just discards for his/her turn. This mimimizes
his/her advantage of going first.
11. Exchanging Upcard.
The player at the dealer's left may draw the upcard and begin the hand as usual. If he/she
doesn't want the upcard then the next player may exchange the upcard with another card. If this
person doesn't want it either then the next player may exchange and so on. If the player at the
dealer's left didn't want to exchange and whether or not anyone else exchanged, the player at
the dealer's left would begin the hand by drawing from the stock pile.
12. Money Cards.
If you meld both a natural queen and 7 of hearts, you get 100 extra points. If you also
meld both the other natural queen and 7 of hearts, you get another 100 extra points.
When someone goes out, each natural queen of hearts caught in your hand is worth minus 50
points.
13. Doubling.
This variation is for 2 players only. Only play this just for fun! The amount lost is often
astronomical, and if you're good you would really be cheating someone! (A Backgammon's doubling
cube may be used.) Each played-out hand is initially for 1 point. You play 2 hands and again
just for fun.
.......When choosing the first dealer if the 2 cards drawn are the same rank, there's what's
called an automatic double which is automatically accepted by both players. Only 1
automatic double is permitted.
.......A player may double the stakes just before the other player draws. A player may not
double 2 times in a row; he/she must wait until maybe the other player redoubles. When a player
is doubled, he/she can except to play for the higher stakes or fold and lose what's already
been played for.
.......However if a player is doubled, he/she may redouble immediately, called a beaver,
and at the same time being the player allowed to double next.
.......If a hand is played out completely and if a player loses by 250 to 495 points, he/she is
gammoned and loses twice as much. If a player loses by 500 points or more, he/she is
backgammoned and loses 3 times as much. (A player may say "Wait" before the other player
draws to give themselves time to decide whether to double or not.)
14. Limit-Poker 5000.
This variation is for 2 players only. Only play this just for fun! There are no irregularities
for one thing! A game is 2 hands and again just for fun. Each player antes 1 chip (of the
smallest unit) before the cards are dealt. After the deal and after the upcard is turned face
up, there's a betting round, the only betting round of the hand.
.......The betting may begin with the player opposite of the dealer. He/she may pass or bet.
If someone bets folding, "equalizing," and raising begins (without being able to just pass if
you're already equalized). Of course you can equalize and raise at the same time.
.......You may bet or raise from 1 chip to the limit 10 chips. You may raise only twice per
hand. Technically there's only 1 bet and the rest are raises. However if you were the one to
bet, you may still raise twice. If neither bets anything at all during the first two turns to
do something, the betting ends there.
.......When the betting is over, the players begin to play out the hand. If you don't think you
have a chance of winning the hand at any time, you may give up and lose the pot.
.......When the hand ends, the points are reckoned to see who won the pot. If there's a tie,
the pot is split and returned to the players.
.......This game could be an excellent casino game in the future. The game is
pleasant and wild at the same time. It's like playing 500 Rummy with hundreds of points
constantly being acquired or lost within seconds. Many plays are tricky and can either work out
or backfire. So you constantly end up winning or losing hands by hundreds of points and games
by thousands of points.
.......Casinos could have 5000 Rummy: Excellent Rummy mini-books for their guests to pick up, and
the guests could go back and play.
House Rules
(for 5000 Rummy: Excellent Rummy)
You can add any house rules here.
You can send the author an email by clicking
here.
Or you could send an email to
Bonnie Blue,
the illustrator of the rummy cards.
Thanks.
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© Copyright 1993-2005 John James Davidson. All Rights Reserved.
