Playcard games

Rummy 500: questions and answers

Short answers to the questions people ask most about Rummy 500. Everything else is in the full rules.

How many cards do you get in Rummy 500?
Thirteen each with two players, and seven each with more. One card is turned up to start the discard pile, and the rest is the stock.
How does the discard pile work in Rummy 500?
It is spread out so every card is visible. You may take the top card as usual, or any card deeper in the pile — but then you take every card above it too, and you must use the card you reached for straight away, in a meld or laid onto one.
How is Rummy 500 scored?
At the end of each hand everyone scores the cards they have laid down and subtracts the cards still in their hand. Aces are 15, court cards 10, number cards their face value. A hand can leave you below zero.
Can you lay off on other players' melds?
Yes. You may add cards to any meld on the table, your own or anyone else's, and the points for the card go to you — not to whoever started the meld.
Are aces high or low in Rummy 500?
Either, but not both in the same run: A-2-3 and Q-K-A are runs, K-A-2 is not. An ace is worth 15 points either way, on the table or in your hand.
How does a hand of Rummy 500 end?
When one player lays down or lays off everything but one card and throws that last card. You always need a card to throw, so you cannot go out by melding your whole hand. If the stock runs out first, the hand ends there.
How long is a game of Rummy 500?
Until someone reaches 500 points; the highest score wins. The table here also offers a shorter game to 200.
What is the difference between Rummy 500 and ordinary rummy?
Two things. The whole discard pile is in play rather than just its top card, and the score runs across the whole game: you score what you meld, rather than only the player who goes out scoring what the others hold.