How to Play Rummy 500: Rules, Scoring and Strategy

Most rummy games only let you take the top card of the discard pile. Rummy 500 spreads the whole pile out and lets you dig as deep as you dare, as long as you can use the card you dig for. Every card you meld scores points, every card stuck in your hand costs you, and the first player to 500 wins. Here are the Rummy 500 rules from the deal to the final hand, plus scoring examples, common variations and strategy.

What you need

The basic Rummy 500 card game uses one standard 52-card deck. Many players add two jokers as wild cards, which makes 54 cards, while the game was originally played without them. With five or more players, two decks are shuffled together. You also need pen and paper, because scores carry over from hand to hand until someone reaches 500.

Card books usually call the game 500 Rum, and you will also hear 500 Rummy and Pinochle Rummy. Wikipedia’s 500 rum article also lists Michigan Rummy and Persian Rummy among its names and relatives. It is a separate game from Gin Rummy, even though some people mix the names up.

The deal

The dealer shuffles and deals one card at a time, clockwise, starting with the player on their left:

• 2 players: 13 cards each.
• 3 or more players: 7 cards each.

The rest of the deck goes face down as the stock, and the top card is turned face up to start the discard pile. The deal passes to the left after each hand.

The discard pile is not a neat stack. Each discard overlaps the one before it, so every card in the pile stays visible.

How to play Rummy 500: a turn

Play starts with the player to the dealer’s left and goes clockwise. Each turn has three steps.

1. Draw. Take the top card of the stock, or take cards from the discard pile (see the next section).
2. Meld and lay off. Put down any sets or runs you want, and add cards to melds already on the table. All of this is optional, apart from the card you are required to meld when you dig into the pile.
3. Discard. Place one card face up on the discard pile, overlapping the last one. If you just took only the top discard, you can’t throw that same card back.

Sets and runs

A set is three or four cards of the same rank, such as three 9s. A run (or sequence) is three or more cards of the same suit in order, such as 5-6-7 of hearts.

The ace can be low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A), but not both in the same run. Runs can’t wrap around the corner, so K-A-2 is not a legal meld under the standard rules. Some house rules allow it, so agree on this before you start.

Laying off

Laying off means adding cards to a meld that is already on the table. You can add the fourth card to a set, or extend either end of a run. In Rummy 500 you can lay off on any player’s melds, not just your own, and the card scores for you. Players usually keep laid-off cards in front of themselves so the scoring stays clear.

Taking from the discard pile

You may always take just the top card of the discard pile. You can also take a card further down, with two conditions:

• You must take that card and every card above it.
• You must meld the deepest card you took on that same turn, either in a new meld or by laying it off.

The other cards you pick up go into your hand. If you took more than one card, you may discard any card at the end of the turn, including one you just picked up.

An example: the pile reads, oldest first, 4♦, 9♣, J♠, 3♥, K♦. You hold 9♠ and 9♥. You can dig down to the 9♣ and take four cards: 9♣, J♠, 3♥ and K♦. You must meld the 9♣ this turn, so you lay down 9♣ 9♠ 9♥. The jack, three and king join your hand. They might help you later, but if someone goes out first, they cost you 23 points.

Rummy 500 scoring

Card values are the same for melded cards and for cards left in your hand:

Card	Points
Ace	15 (but 1 when melded low in A-2-3 of a suit)
King, queen, jack, 10	10
2 through 9	Face value
Joker (if used)	15

When the hand ends, each player adds up the cards they melded and laid off, then subtracts the cards still in their hand. The result can be negative, and so can a running total.

For example, say you melded Q-K-A of spades (10 + 10 + 15 = 35) and three 7s (21), and you are left holding a 4 and a jack when an opponent goes out. Your hand scores 35 + 21 − 14 = 42. If you had melded A-2-3 instead of Q-K-A, the ace would count only 1.

How a hand and the game end

A hand ends when one player has no cards left. Under the standard rule you can do that by melding your whole hand, or by melding all but one card and discarding the last one. Going out has no bonus of its own. The payoff is that you keep your melded points while everyone else is caught holding cards.

A hand also ends when the stock runs out and the player whose turn it is does not want to take from the discard pile. After that, nobody can meld anything else.

Scores are added to running totals. The game ends at the end of the hand in which someone reaches 500 or more points, and the player with the highest total wins. If two players tie for the lead, more hands are played until one of them is ahead.

Common variations

The Rummy 500 rules above are the standard ones, but the game is played many ways around kitchen tables. The most common changes are:

• Discard required: you must always finish with a discard, so you can never meld your entire hand.
• The top card must be melded: even a single card taken from the top of the pile has to be melded that turn.
• Calling “Rummy”: if someone discards a card that could be melded, another player can call “Rummy” and claim it before the next draw. Many groups skip this rule.
• Floating: a player who melds their whole hand keeps “floating” until their next turn instead of ending the hand at once.
• Jokers: two jokers are added as wild cards. A melded joker must be declared as a specific card, and that choice can’t change later.
• Going out to win: some players require the winner to reach 500 and also be the one who went out.

Longer versions such as 1500 Rummy and 5000 Rummy stretch the same idea over a bigger target.

Strategy tips

Dig with a plan. A deep grab from the pile can set up several melds at once. But every card you can’t use is a penalty if someone goes out soon, so count what you would be stuck with before you take ten cards for one meld.

Watch the other hands. When an opponent is down to two or three cards, the hand could end any turn. Meld what you can and get rid of high cards, especially aces worth 15.

Discard with care. Every discard stays visible, and a card that fits a meld on the table hands the next player free points. Low cards that connect to nothing are the safest throws.

Use other players’ melds. Since you can lay off on any meld, an opponent’s long run is a place to unload cards for points. Keep an eye on the ends of every run on the table.

Play Rummy 500 online

The fastest way to learn the spread discard pile is to try it. Our free Rummy 500 game runs in your browser against one, two or three computer players and follows the rules above: 13 or 7 cards, digging into the pile, laying off on anyone’s melds and racing to 500. You can switch on the “discard required” and “top card must be melded” variations from the start screen.

For a two-player rummy duel with knocking instead of table melds, play Gin Rummy against the computer, or read our guide to basic Rummy rules to see where the whole family starts.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards do you get in Rummy 500?

With two players, each gets 13 cards. With three or more, everyone gets 7. The remaining cards form the stock, and one card is turned up to start the discard pile.

Can you pick up the whole discard pile in Rummy 500?

Yes, if you can use the bottom card. You can take any card in the pile as long as you take every card above it and meld that deepest card the same turn. Taking the entire pile works the same way, with the very first discard as the card you must meld.

Is the ace high or low in Rummy 500?

Either one. The ace can sit below the 2 or above the king, but not both in one run, and runs don’t wrap around. It scores 15 points, except when it is melded low in A-2-3, where it scores 1.

Do you have to discard to go out in Rummy 500?

Under the standard rules you don’t. You can go out by melding every card, or by melding all but one and discarding it. Some groups play that a final discard is required.

What happens if two players pass 500 in the same hand?

The higher total wins. If they are exactly tied, play continues with more hands until one player is ahead. Some house rules give the win to whoever went out.

Conclusion

Rummy 500 takes the draw-and-discard loop of basic Rummy and adds two twists: a spread discard pile you can dig into and scoring that rewards every card you put down. Learn the deepest-card rule and the ace values and you can play a full game to 500 tonight. When you need a break between hands, the Chrome Dino game on our homepage is one tap away.