Play Rummy for free
Rummy is the classic card game of sets and runs. You draw a card, lay down melds, and try to be the first to get rid of all your cards. Here on Kitchen Table Cards you can play it free in your browser against one, two or three friendly computer players. The cards are big, your hand is sorted into melds for you, and there is a Hint button and an Undo button.
How to play · Melds and laying off · Going out · Scoring · Tips · Questions
How to play Rummy
Rummy is played with one deck of 52 cards. With two players everyone gets ten cards; with three or four players, seven cards. The rest go face down as the stock, and one card is turned up to start the discard pile. The player after the dealer starts. On your turn:
- Draw one card: the top card of the stock, or the top card of the discard pile.
- Lay down melds if you like, and lay off cards on any meld on the table.
- Throw one card on the discard pile. That ends your turn. You may not throw back the card you have just taken from the discard pile.
Melds and laying off
- A set is three or four cards of the same rank, such as three Sevens.
- A run is three or more cards in a row in the same suit, such as the 5, 6 and 7 of Hearts. The Ace is low: A-2-3 is a run, Q-K-A is not.
- Laying off means adding cards to a meld already on the table: the fourth card of a set, or cards at either end of a run. You can lay off on any player's melds.
How to play on this site
| Drawing a card | Click the stock or the discard pile. Or drag the top card into your hand. |
|---|---|
| Laying down a meld | Click the cards in your hand to choose them, then click New meld on the table. Or drag them there. |
| Laying off | Choose the cards, then click the meld on the table they go on, or drag them onto it. The melds they fit are marked with a yellow line. |
| Throwing a card away | Choose one card and click the discard pile, or drag the card onto the pile. |
| Your hand | The melds in your hand are grouped together, with your other cards on the right. |
| Hint and Undo | Hint suggests your next move and explains it. Undo takes back a meld until you throw a card away. |
| Settings | Choose two, three or four players, a game to 100 or 50 points, how fast the others play and the table colour. |
Going out
The hand ends as soon as a player has no cards left. You can go out by throwing your last card on the discard pile, or by laying down or laying off all your cards. If you get rid of your whole hand in one turn, without having laid down any cards before, you have gone Rummy, and your score for the hand is doubled.
When the stock runs out, the discard pile (all but its top card) is turned over to make a new stock. If the stock runs out a second time before anyone goes out, the hand ends and nobody scores.
Scoring
| Card left in a hand | Points |
|---|---|
| King, Queen, Jack | 10 |
| 10 down to 2 | The number on the card |
| Ace | 1 |
The player who goes out scores the points of all the cards left in the other players' hands, doubled for going Rummy. The first player to reach 100 points wins the game. For a shorter game, choose 50 points under Settings.
Tips for winning at Rummy
- Get rid of high cards. A King that isn't in a meld costs you 10 points if someone else goes out.
- Keep cards that can grow. A pair, or two cards next to each other in a suit, needs only one more card to make a meld.
- Lay down melds early when other players are close to going out. Cards on the table can't count against you.
- Don't feed the next player. If they picked up a Seven from the discard pile, think twice before throwing them another Seven.
- Watch the table. A card that fits a meld on the table can be laid off by anyone, so it's a poor card to throw away.
Rummy questions and answers
Is this Rummy game free?
Yes. Rummy on Kitchen Table Cards is completely free to play in your browser. There is no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy.
Who am I playing against?
You play against one, two or three friendly computer players: Walter, Rosa and June. Choose how many under Settings. They remember the cards you pick up from the discard pile.
How many cards do you get in Rummy?
With two players, each player is dealt ten cards. With three or four players, each player gets seven cards.
What is a meld in Rummy?
A meld is a set of three or four cards of the same rank, such as three Sevens, or a run of three or more cards in a row in the same suit, such as the 5, 6 and 7 of Hearts.
Is the Ace high or low in Rummy?
In this game the Ace is low: Ace, Two, Three is a run, but Queen, King, Ace is not. An Ace left in your hand counts only 1 point.
What does laying off mean?
Laying off means adding cards from your hand to a meld that is already on the table, such as the fourth Seven to a set of three Sevens, or the 8 of Hearts to the 5, 6 and 7 of Hearts. You can lay off on anyone’s melds, not just your own.
Do I have to discard to go out?
No. You can go out by throwing your last card on the discard pile, or by laying down or laying off all your remaining cards.
What is going Rummy?
Going Rummy means getting rid of all your cards in a single turn, without having laid down any cards before. It scores double points.
How do you score Rummy?
The player who goes out scores the points of the cards left in everyone else’s hands: picture cards 10, Aces 1 and the other cards their number. The first player to reach 100 points wins the game.
What happens when the stock runs out?
The discard pile, apart from its top card, is turned over to make a new stock. If the stock runs out a second time before anyone goes out, the hand ends and nobody scores.
Can I take back a meld?
Yes. Until you throw a card on the discard pile, Undo takes back the melds you have laid down and the cards you have laid off this turn.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your current game is saved automatically on your device. If you close the page and come back later, you can carry on where you left off.
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