Learn How to Play Rummy 500 Online

Rummy 500 is another interesting variant of rummy. Considered to be a mix of Gin rummy and Kalooki rummy, Rummy 500 online ups the mystery quotient with every draw or discard of cards. Also, known as Pinochle Rummy, Michigan Rummy, or 500 rummy, it makes for an unusual combination of skills – analytical and creative. The objective of 500 rummy card game is to lay off all the cards in hand. The player who achieves this goal first is considered to be the winner. Let’s take a broad look at the rules on how to play rummy 500.

Players and cards

The game is played between 2 to 8 players. A standard deck of 54 cards (52 playing cards + 2 jokers) are used for the game.

Number of players	Decks used	Cards dealt to each player
2	1 deck	13
3 – 4	1 decks	7
5 or more	2 decks	7

 

How to play Rummy 500

A dealer is decided who starts dealing the cards clockwise starting from the player to his left. Requisite numbers of cards are dealt to each player. The remaining cards from stock pile face down. The top card is picked and placed face up next to the stock file, this becomes the ‘upcard’. In rummy 500 online, the players have to meld valid card game sequence and sets. A sequence is a group of 3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit; while a set is 3 or 4 cards of the same rank from different suits. Melded cards have to be placed in the designated meld area.

Drawing and discarding of cards                                      

On a player’s turn, he/she can take the top card from the stock pile without showing it to the other players. Alternatively, the player can pick the card from the discard pile where all the cards are fanned out. But the rule is, if the player intends to pick a card from the discard pile, then he/ she has to pick all the cards above it. E.g. If the discard pile has the cards 7 Hearts, 10 Diamonds, 3 Hearts, 4 Spades and 6 Clubs as the upcard, and the player needs the card 3 Hearts, then, he has to pick 3 Hearts, 4 Spades and 6 Clubs. Now, the new arrangement of discard pile would be 7 Hearts, 10 Diamonds. The player could use 3 Hearts to complete the sequence, and the remaining two cards 4 Spades and 6 Clubs will be in hand. Each player has to compulsorily discard a card to the discard pile on his turn unless he/ she have melded those cards. According to the rules to play rummy 500, a player can lay off the melded cards in the meld area. Other players can add to the melds but cannot change the order of the melded cards. It is not compulsory for the player to lay of the cards on his/ her turn. Ending the game The game of 500 rummy online continues until there are no cards left in the stock pile or a player is left with no cards. If the score of the unmelded cards is more than the melded ones, it leads to a negative score. The winner is declared based on the score.