CONTRACT RUMMY — Rummy card game rules
Contract Rummy
This game is also known as Joker Rummy, Liverpool Rummy and Shanghai Rummy. It is best suited for 3 or more persons playing individually.
Number of players
3 to 8
Deck used
Standard 52 card pack: A(high/low), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Joker(wild)
3 to 4 players, 2 decks with 1 joker or a total of 105 cards
5 to 8 players, 3 decks with 2 jokers or a total of 158 cards
Card values
| Cards |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
J |
Q |
K |
A |
Joker |
| Value |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
15 |
15 |
Shuffle and cut
Procedure with a double pack — Dealer shuffles and the player to his right, cuts.
Procedure with a triple pack — Dealer and one other player shuffles a portion of the pack. The dealer has the right to shuffle each portion last and then combine them. The player to the dealers right cuts.
Deal
Players draw from a spread pack and low card deals first, ace being low on this draw. The game consists of 7 deals. The turn for each deal passes to the left.
The first 4 deals, each player receives 10 cards.
The last 3 deals, each player receives 12 cards.
The remainder of the pack is placed in the center of the table as the stock face down, with the first card placed next to the stock, face up. This is the discard pile.
Object of the game
Each player tries to form matched sets (3 or 4 of a kind) or sequences (3 or more of the same suit), in accordance with the Basic Contract rules that follow.
Basic Contract
First deal —
2 matched sets or (books) — The matched sets must be laid down at the same time before any other cards can be laid off.
Matched set:
  
Matched set:
  
Second deal —
1 matched set and 1 sequence
Matched set:
  
Sequence:
  
Third deal —
2 sequence
Sequence:
  
Sequence:
 
Fourth deal —
3 matched sets
Matched set:
Matched set:
Matched set:
Fifth deal —
2 matched sets, 1 sequence
Matched set:
 
Matched set:
  
Sequence:
 
Sixth deal —
1 matched set, 2 sequences
Matched set:
 
Sequence:
 
Sequence:
 
Seventh deal —
3 sequences — No cards can be laid down until a player can lay down his entire hand, matched in sets. The game ends after the seventh deal.
Sequence:
Sequence:
Sequence:
  
When 2 or more sequences are required, they must be in different suits or if in the same suit, not in consecutive order.
Valid sequence with different suits
Sequence 1:
Sequence 2:
Valid sequences with the same suit
Sequence 1:
Sequence 2:
 
Invalid sequences with the same suit
Sequence 1:
Sequence 2:
The above invalid sequences must be counted as one sequence
Valid sequence:
Play
The player to the dealer’s left must draw from the top of the stock pile or the discard pile. Before discarding, and after the basic contract has been laid down, the player may lay off any cards that match a set already on the table, but no more matched sets.
If a player does not want the top card of the discard pile, any other player following him in order may draw the card and if desired, draw the top of the stock as a penalty, and not discard. Next the original player draws the top card on the stock pile and play continues.
Because the ace counts as high or low, it can be laid off as low or high card in a sequence. Two aces can be used to form a 14 card sequence.
A sequence cannot contain more than 14 cards.
Wild card
The joker can be used to stand as any card in a matched set or sequence. If a joker has been used in a sequence, any other player, provided he has laid down the basic contract, may take the joker by substituting a card it represents. If more than one player is able to do this, the player with the next turn has precedence.
If a joker is used in a sequence, any card not in the sequence my be laid off on it, and the joker moved to either end.
Scoring
In each deal play ends for that hand when a player gets rid of his last card. Players then calculate the value of the cards remaining in his hand. At the end of the seventh hand, the player with the lowest score wins.
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