Rummy 500

How to play Rummy 500 (500 Rum)

Rummy 500, also called 500 Rum, is one of the most popular members of the rummy family and a favourite around kitchen tables for generations. It keeps the familiar rummy idea of collecting matched sets and runs, but adds two twists that make it deeper and more exciting: you may take more than one card from the discard pile in a single move, and you keep scoring hand after hand until somebody reaches 500 points. In this version you play against one to three computer opponents at three difficulty levels, and every game you win adds ranking points to your record. The computer thinks entirely on your device, so the whole game works offline once the page has loaded.

The goal

The aim is to be the first player to build up a cumulative score of 500 points or more, counted across as many hands as it takes. You earn points by melding your cards — laying down sets and runs on the table and laying single cards off onto melds already there — and you lose points for any cards still stuck in your hand when a hand ends. As soon as one or more players cross 500, the game stops and the player with the highest total wins, so a strong finish can overtake a rival who got there first.

Setting up a hand

Each hand uses one standard 52-card deck with no jokers. In a two-player game every player is dealt 10 cards; with three or four players everyone gets 7. The remaining cards form a face-down stock in the middle of the table, and the top card of the stock is turned face up to start the discard pile beside it. Play then passes clockwise. Because the bots keep their cards hidden, Rummy 500 here is a "you versus the computer" game only — there is no same-screen two-player mode, since two people sharing one screen would be able to see each other's hands.

Sets, runs and the ace

You score by forming melds. There are two kinds of meld, and both need at least three cards:

• A SET (also called a group or book) is three or four cards of the same rank — for example three Queens, or four Sevens. Because a single deck has only one card of each suit, a set can never be larger than four cards.
• A RUN (also called a sequence) is three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive rank order — for example 5-6-7 of hearts, or 9-10-J-Q of spades. All cards in a run must share one suit.
• The ace can sit at either END of a run but a run may not wrap around the corner. A-2-3 (ace low) is legal and Q-K-A (ace high) is legal, but K-A-2 is NOT — you cannot join the top of the deck to the bottom through the ace.

Taking your turn

• DRAW. Start your turn by taking one card from the top of the face-down stock, OR by taking one or more cards from the face-up discard pile using the special rule described below.
• MELD. If you can, lay down new sets and runs from your hand onto the table. There is no limit to how many melds you may lay in one turn, so a big planned lay-down is perfectly legal.
• LAY OFF. Add single cards from your hand to any meld already on the table — your own melds or an opponent's — as long as the card legally extends that set or run. Every card you lay off scores for you, even when it lands on a rival's meld.
• DISCARD. Finish your turn by placing one card face up on top of the discard pile. If your melds and lay-offs have already emptied your hand you may "go out" without a final discard.

The discard-pile take rule (the signature move)

This is what makes Rummy 500 special. Instead of only taking the top discard, you may reach into the pile and take ANY card you like — but there is a price. You must also take every card lying ABOVE your chosen card, and all of those cards go into your hand. More importantly, you must use the card you were reaching for IMMEDIATELY, on this same turn, by melding it into a new set or run or by laying it off onto an existing meld. The extra cards you scooped up along the way are yours to keep and to meld later, but they count against you if they are still in your hand when the hand ends. Digging deep can win you a valuable card that completes a big meld, yet it can also load your hand with dead weight — so weigh the reward against the risk before you scoop.

Laying off onto any player

Once a meld is on the table, anyone can extend it. If a set of three Kings is down, the fourth King can be laid off onto it; if a run of 4-5-6 of clubs is down, the 3 or the 7 of clubs can be added at either end. In Rummy 500 you may lay off onto ANY player's melds, not just your own, and the points always go to the player who lays the card off. That makes an opponent's big run a tempting place to unload your awkward high cards for extra points before you get caught holding them.

Scoring and reaching 500

When a hand ends — because someone went out or because the stock ran out — every player scores the total value of the cards they melded and laid off this hand, then subtracts the value of any cards still in their hand. Card values are simple: every ace is worth 15 points, each King, Queen and Jack is worth 10, and every number card is worth its face value (a 7 is 7, a 10 is 10). Because leftover cards are subtracted, a player can even finish a hand with a negative score. These hand results are added to a running total that carries from hand to hand. New hands are dealt and played until at least one player reaches 500; the player with the highest cumulative total then wins the whole game.

Playing the computer (ranked)

Choose how many computer opponents to face (one, two or three) and one of three difficulty levels. Easy draws from the stock, melds whatever it can right away, and throws away its highest loose card, so beginners can win. Normal takes useful cards from the discard when the rule allows, lays cards off to score, and avoids discarding cards that would help an opponent. Expert watches the discard pile, plans multi-meld turns, hoards cards for a big lay-down, and times going out to catch rivals with full hands. Beat the computer to a final score of 500 and win the game to earn ranking points — Easy +10, Normal +30, Expert +100 — then sign in to record your best result on the leaderboard.

Strategy tips

• Shed your high cards early. Aces are worth 15 and the courts are worth 10, so a hand full of them is a heavy liability if an opponent goes out. Meld them or discard them before you get caught holding a pile of points.
• Think before you scoop the pile. Taking a buried card also loads you with everything above it. It is worth it when the card completes a strong meld or lets you lay off several cards at once; it is a trap when you gain one card and three pieces of dead weight.
• Use opponents' melds. Because you may lay off onto anyone, a rival's long run or growing set is a free place to dump your extra cards for points. Watch the table and unload before the hand ends.
• Time your exit. Going out ends the hand and freezes everyone's leftover cards as minus points. If your opponents are still holding heavy hands, going out quickly can swing a big margin; if you have a huge lay-down waiting, it can be worth one more turn to cash it all in.

Frequently asked questions