Simple rummy: go out in one move

As in every rummy, you draw a card and discard one. The difference: in Simple, nobody lays down any meld during the round. Everything happens in your hand, out of sight. The first player who manages to arrange all their cards but one into valid melds lays them down in one go, discards their last card and wins the round.

The result is a game that is very easy to follow for beginners, yet full of suspense, since you never know how close your opponent is to going out.

The dealer starts without drawing: they sort their 14-card hand and discard. During this very first round of turns, until play returns to the dealer, nobody can go out.

When your hand is ready, you lay down: all your cards but one go onto the table, in melds. You are left with your closing card, which you discard to end the round. You choose freely which card to keep for closing.

Example, with 14 cards after drawing: a run (5♥ 6♥ 7♥ 8♥), a set (J♠ J♥ J♣), a run (2♣ 3♣ joker 5♣) and a set (A♠ A♦ A♣) make 14… one too many! You must keep one to close: for instance, lay the heart run down without the 8♥ (5♥ 6♥ 7♥) and discard the 8♥.

For going out to be accepted, your melds must include at least one Suivi, or run (cards in sequence in one suit, such as 9♦ 10♦ J♦), and at least one Tria, or set (cards of one rank in different suits, such as 4♠ 4♥ 4♦). A hand made only of runs (8♠ 9♠ 10♠), or only of sets (9♠ 9♥ 9♦), cannot go out.

The other meld rules are the same everywhere: Ace low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A) but never K-A-2, sets such as (5♠ 5♥ 5♦) of 3 or 4 cards with no repeated suit, one joker per meld. All the details are in the rummy rules.

In Simple, jokers are allowed in all your runs (6♦ 7♦ 8♦) and sets (8♠ 8♥ 8♣), including the required run (8♠ 9♠ 10♠) and set (9♠ 9♥ 9♦). No “pure run” needed. The only limit: one joker per meld. Careful, though: a joker thrown on the discard pile is never taken back. At the end of a round, keeping a joker in hand costs nothing extra: in Simple, each loser takes a fixed 100 points, whatever their cards.

Unlike Rummy 51, you can take the face-up discard without having to lay it down that turn: it simply joins your hand. Two limits: you can’t discard it again in the same turn, and with one card in hand you draw from the stock (neither the discard pile nor the tournante). A discarded joker is never taken back.

As in Rummy 51 and Rummy 71, the dealer’s first discard is set aside: this is the tournante. During the very first round of turns, until play returns to the dealer, each player may take it instead of drawing, like a drawn card, with no obligation to use it. They may also look at it, give it back, then draw from the stock. If nobody keeps it, it slides under the discard pile when play returns to the dealer.

Two exceptions: a joker is never the tournante (discarded first by the dealer, it goes onto the discard pile and there is no tournante that round), and a player holding a single card cannot take it.

In Simple the scoring is fixed: when a player goes out, each loser takes 100 points, whatever cards they still hold (even if only small ones are left, even if they hold a joker). In 1 vs 1 the loser takes 100. In 2 vs 2 both opponents take 100 each, so 200 for the losing team; the winner and their partner stay at 0. The game is lost at 600 in 2 vs 2 and at 300 in 1 vs 1: in practice, the side that loses its third round loses the game (600 ≥ 600 in teams, 300 ≥ 300 in a duel). To keep score: the rummy score sheet.

• Secure your set (6♠ 6♥ 6♣) early: it is often the hardest meld to finish, because all suits must be different.
• Keep cards with two uses: a 7♥ can finish a run (5♥ 6♥) or a set (7♠ 7♥ 7♣). Those are the most valuable cards.
• Don’t keep an isolated card out of habit: in Simple, a losing hand costs 100 no matter what, so card values don’t matter. Only speed counts: throw away whatever will never help you go out.
• Use the discard pile: in Simple it is free. A card that completes your hand beats a random draw.
• Watch what your opponent picks up: if they collect hearts from the discard pile, stop feeding them hearts.

Ready for more? Rummy 51 adds the opening and laying down during the round, and Rummy 71 turns it into a real challenge. More tips in rummy strategy.