Rummy

Rummy is a group of matching-card games notable for similar gameplay
 based on matching cards of the same rank or sequence and same suit. The basic 
goal in any form of rummy is to build melds which consist of sets, three or four
 of a kind of the same rank; or runs, three or more cards in sequence, of the 
same suit. If a player discards a card, making a run in the discard pile, it
 may not be taken up without taking all cards below the top one. The Mexican 
game of Conquian is considered by games scholar David Parlett to be ancestral
 to all rummy games, which itself is derived from a Chinese game called Khanhoo.
[1] The rummy principle of drawing and discarding with a view to melding appears
 in Chinese card games at least in the early 19th century, and perhaps as early 
as the 18th century.[2]

Rummy games are popular in India. It is likely that Indian rummy is an extension of
 gin rummy and 500 rum, which originated from the United States.

Deal
Depending on the variation, each player receives a certain number of cards from either a 
standard deck of 52 cards, more than one deck or a special deck of cards used for specific
 games. The un-dealt cards are placed in a face down stack in the middle, which is known as 
the stock. In most variations, a single card is turned face up next to the stock where players 
discard or shed cards, and this is known as the discard pile. In 10 Cards Rummy, which is often 
played with two, three or four players, each player gets ten cards. In rummy games with five 
players, each player is given six cards. In 500 Rummy, each player is given seven cards. In
 Indian Rummy, 13 cards are dealt to each player.

Melds
A meld can either be a set (also known as a book) or a run. A set consists of at least three 
cards of the same rank, for example 4♥ 4♦ 4♠ or K♥ K♦ K♠ K♣. A run consists of at least three
 consecutive cards of the same suit J♣ Q♣ K♣ or 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ 7♥. Very few variations allow runs that
have mixed suits. In a few variations of rummy, other patterns may be allowed. In some variations
 the melds (sets and runs) must be 3 or 4 cards, while other variations allow larger melds through 
the use of longer runs, for example: 8♠ 9♠ 10♠ J♠ Q♠ or, if multiple decks or wild cards are used, 
5♦ 5♦ 5♥ 5♠ 5♠ or Q♥ Q♦ Jkr Q♣. Wild cards (such as a joker) may be used to represent any card in a 
meld. The number of wild cards in a meld may be restricted.

Gameplay
Depending on the variation of the game, players take turns adding and shedding cards from their hands.
 There are numerous and quite different ways of doing this though it usually involves picking a card 
from the stock and discarding a card to the discard pile. In some variations melds are revealed to
 all players by placing them face up on the table, in other variations each player keeps their 
hand hidden until the show. Some variations permit picking up the entire discard pile. A few 
variations permit stealing cards from their opponents melds.

Show
In most variations a player must put all of their cards into at least two melds (though they may 
be allowed to shed one card to the discard pile before showing). Once the player has melded all
 their cards they reveal their entire hand and the player submits their hand to validation. All 
other players reveal their melds and deadweight. The action of submitting the cards is called Showing.

Scoring
After a successful show, the winner or all players score their hand. In most variations
 numbered cards have certain assigned points and the royal cards (J-Q-K) have assigned points 
and the A often has a different point value. Scoring often involves each player adding up points
 in their melded cards (sets and runs) and deducting points from cards that have not been melded.
 The winner may also receive a bonus for winning. Some special or difficult melds may also give
 extra points to a hand. A player may have a negative score if their unmelded cards total more 
than their melded ones. Usually play continues until one player passes a threshold, for example 
1,000 points.

Basic rummy

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There are many variations of the card game. Basic rummy is also called sai rummy. Another type is 
called Sanka rummy. The version of rummy prevalent in India is called Indian rummy. They all share
 a common set of features found in the basic game. A standard deck of 52 cards is used. The cards
 rank from 2 (low) to A (high). Rummy can be played to a certain score, or to a fixed number of
 deals. All rummy games are about card-melding, i.e., forming valid combinations of sequences
 and/or sets. Players pick and discard a card on their turns to achieve the goal. The one who 
successfully melds his/her cards before all others, is the winner in that game of rummy.[3]

Shuffle and deal
Each player draws a card. The player with the lowest card deals first. The deal then proceeds 
clockwise. The player on the dealer's right cuts (this is optional).

The number of cards dealt depends on the number of players. If there are two players, each player
 gets ten cards. In three or four player games, seven cards are dealt to each player. Five or six
 players may also play, in which case each player receives six cards.

Number of players	Number of cards dealt
2 players	10 cards
3 or 4 players	7 cards
5 or 6 players	6 or 7 cards
Starting with the player to the dealer's left, cards are dealt clockwise, face down, one at a time. 
The dealer then puts the rest of the deck, face down, between the players. This forms the stock 
pile. A single card is then drawn and placed face up next to the stack. This is called the discard pile.

Playing
Play begins with the player on the dealer's left and proceeds clockwise. On their turn, each player 
draws the top card from the stock or the discard pile. The player may then meld or lay off, which 
are both optional, before discarding a single card to the top of the discard pile to end their turn.

Melding
If a player has three cards of the same suit in a sequence (called a sequence or a run), they may
 meld by laying these cards, face up, in front of them. If they have at least three cards of the 
same value, they may meld a group (also called a set or a book). Aces can be played as high or low 
or both, for example Q♠ K♠ A♠, A♠ 2♠ 3♠ and K♠ A♠ 2♠ are legal. Melding is optional. A player may 
choose, for reasons of strategy, not to meld on a particular turn. The most important reason is to
 be able to declare "Rummy" later in the game. If a run lies in the discard pile, such as 2-3-4, you
 cannot call rummy without taking all cards below the top card of said run.

Laying off
A player may also choose to "lay off" some cards on an existing meld. This means that if a player
 can add to a sequence or a group that is in front of them or any of the other players, they may do
 so. Another variation is that they cannot "lay off" unless they have already played a set of 3 or 
a run. For example: if another player had a sequence consisting of A♥ 2♥ 3♥ in front of them, the
 player would be able to add the 4♥, or 4♥ 5♥, and so on, thereby continuing the sequence. Some 
variations allow players to play the K♥ and wrap around.

Discarding
Finally, after any melds or lay offs, the player must discard a single card to the discard pile,
 face up. If the player drew from the discard pile instead of the stock on this turn, they may not
 replace the same card on top of the discard pile but must discard a different card.

Exhausting the stock
If, while playing, the stock runs out, the next player may choose to draw from the discard pile or
 to turn the discard pile over to form a new stock. The discard pile is not shuffled in the process.
 After forming the new stock, the top card is drawn to form the new discard pile, just like after the
 deal. The player can call rummy if a point is discarded into the discard pile. They cannot however 
call rummy if the card becomes a point while in the discard pile.

Going out
When a player has gotten rid of all of their cards, they win the hand. There are two variations. Either 
the player must discard the last remaining card in their hand on the last turn, or they need not. 
Playing with this rule makes ending a hand slightly more difficult.

For example, if a player has only 7♦ 8♦ left in their hand, and they draw 9♦ (forming a sequence), 
then whether they win the hand or not depends on if they are playing the discard rule variation. If
 they are playing this variation, they can not win the hand at this point, because they have to finish
 the turn by discarding one of the three cards in their hand, causing them to no longer have a 
sequence. However, if the player is allowed to lay off this sequence without a final discard, then
 the game ends when the player lays down the sequence. And a player can lay down cards afterwards. 
A player may win if rummy is discarded as the last card. You may also pick up from the discard pile
 and discard only if it is with a different card. The player that goes out first gets an extra 10 points.

Declaring rummy
If a player is able to meld all of their cards at once, they may say "Rummy" on their turn and go out. 
To declare rummy, a player must not have melded or laid off any cards prior during the hand. If playing
 with the discard rule, they must also discard after melding. If a player goes rummy when a card can be
 played, that player is out for that turn. Game players are still in game but the hand goes dead. Playing
 for rummy is more risky, but it carries the reward of double the score. Each player must wait until 
their second turn to go out. If there is a rummy lying in the pile, the player who called "rummy" can
 play that card while the player who laid the rummy must then draw 2 cards from the stock pile or pick 
up the entire discarded pile. In a closed discard joker, A player can Declare the card at his first 
attempt itself. Here the point system follows the same as above.

Scoring
After a player goes out, the hand ends, and the players count up their cards. Any cards left in each
 player's hand are counted up and added to the winner's score. The face cards count as 10 each, number
 cards as their face value, and aces as one. There are many variations. Common ones include counting
 an ace as 11 or 15.

Variations

Melding with a joker
In some instances, jokers are used as wildcards and can represent any card value when melding.[4] They
 can be used in sets or runs but can not be replaced when 'melded', nor can a player lay off a card to
 replace it by themselves or their opponent. Jokers are not counted during the scoring.

In other variations, such as rummy 500 and treppenrommé, discards are placed so that all the cards are 
visible. At the beginning of his or her turn, a player may take any card from the discard pile, so long
 as they also pick up all the cards that are on top of it, and the last card picked up is played 
immediately. If only picking up the top card, the player must keep it and discard a different card 
from their hand.

In a variation called block rummy, players do not continue after going through the pack once – if no
 players are out, they all lose the points in their hands after the pack has been gone through once.
 Round the corner rummy, also called continuity rummy, is a variant where an ace may be simultaneously
 high and low to "wrap around" in a run, as in the following meld: Q-K-A-2.