Contract Rummy is a rummy style game for three to eight players. Be first to play your cards into specific melds based on the round number in order to help you win this game! Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play contract rummy below.
In addition to, or instead of, the rules for Contract Rummy the following items are relevant for 12-Step Rummy: Players may draw either the top card from the stock pile or the top card from the discard pile, but 1 card must be picked up before commencing play and 1 card must be discarded at the end of his or her turn. Contract Rummy is played with two standard decks of 52 cards, including the jokers. The number of jokers in play is determined by the number of players, and should always be one less than the number of players in the game. Contract Rummy is played with three to five players, but the best games are played when there is an equal. Contract Rummy is played for seven deals and the rules for each deal are different. There are many variations of the rules, so this article explains the general rules that are used commonly to play the game.
Contract Rummy Tutorial
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Needed
Three to eight players; Two 52 card decks with a joker for three or four players. You will need a third deck and another joker for five to eight players.
Deal
The game is played over seven deals. For the first four deals, each player will receive ten cards. In the last three deals, each player will receive 12 cards.
After the deal, the remaining deck is placed into the middle, and the top card is flipped over to form a discard pile.
Objective
The object of the game is to score the least amount of points during the game. Each round, the goal is to create specific types of melds with your cards depending on the deal you are in.
A meld can be a group with three cards of the same rank or a sequence with three cards in a row of the same suit. Each deal has a specific combination of melds for the players to try and get.
Melds
- First Deal: Two groups
- Second Deal: One group and one sequence
- Third Deal: Two sequences
- Forth Deal: Three groups
- Fifth Deal: Two groups and one sequence
- Sixth Deal: One group and two sequences
- Seventh Deal: Three sequences (with no unmatched cards)
Game Play
The player left of the dealer is first to play. The player has the option to take the top discard or the top card from the deck. If the player wants the top card from the deck, all other players have the option to take the top card from the discard pile.
If a player draws a discard out of turn, the player must also draw a card from the deck as a penalty. After drawing out of turn, the play returns to the original player to draw from the deck.
After drawing, a player can make a meld, if possible. The first meld a player makes must be the specific meld combination for the round. Finally, a player's turn will end by discarding one card.
After a player has made the initial meld, they are able to lay off cards onto their own or other players' melds.
Once a player has melded all their cards, the round is over.
Scoring
At the end of the round, players will score points for the amount of cards left in their hands.
Aces/joker = 15 points
Kings/Queens/Jacks = 10 points Hoosier lotto numbers.
10s to 2s = face value
The scores are recorded. The deal moves clockwise left to the next player, and all players will try for the next deal combination in the round.
Winning
The player with the lowest score after the seventh deal wins the game!
Rules
For rounds one through six, the initial meld of a group or sequence is three cards. In round seven, a player needs to use all their cards in three sequences of cards for their initial meld. This means when a player makes the first meld, the game is over.
Only the specific round's meld combination can be melded by each player. All other cards in hand must be laid off and cannot be used to create another separate meld.
The joker is a wild card and can be used in a group or a sequence. When used is a sequence, the player with the card the joker is being used for can lay it off to replace the joker and move the joker to either end of the sequence.
Anytime a deal calls for multiple sequences, the sequences must be separate. A sequence of six cannot be used as two sequences of three. When the initial sequence melds are separate, a connecting card can be laid off later, but the sequences remain separate.
The ace can be in a sequence below the 2 or above the king, but king, ace, 2 is not a valid sequence.
OBJECTIVE OF CONTRACT RUMMY: Get rid of our cards by melding, laying off, or discarding by satisfing each rounds contract.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-5 players; 4 is optimal
NUMBER OF CARDS: 52-card deck + 1 joker
RANK OF CARDS: A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A (low)
TYPE OF GAME: Rummy
AUDIENCE: Adult
INTRODUCTION TO CONTRACT RUMMY
Contract Rummy is the name given to a family of Rummy variants with the similar features: the game is comprised of a particular number of deals and each deal is defined by a contract, that is the pattern of melds that must be achieved in order to lay down your cards.
The first version of Contract Rummy is believed to be Zioncheck, created by Ruth Armson. Popular Contract Rummy variations are: King Rummy, Continental Rummy, Shanghai Rummy, Liverpool Rummy, Progressive Rummy, and Carioca Rummy.
THE CARDS & THE DEAL
Contract Rummy games with greater than 5 players are played with 2 decks + 2 jokers. Jokers act as wild cards and may be used to substitute any card.
To choose the first dealer, shuffle and cut the deck. Each player will then draw a card, the person who draws the lowest value card deals first. The deal moves to their left.
There are seven deals total in Contract Rummy. In the first four deals, players receive 10 cards each. In the remaining deals, players receive 12 cards each. The dealer starts to their left and moves clockwise. Cards are dealt one at a time, face-down. Once all the cards for the deal are dealt, the remainder of the deck forms the stock pile. The top card of the stock is flipped over and placed beside it to form the discard pile.
THE CONTRACTS
Deal 1: 10 cards, 2 sets
Deal 2: 10 cards, 1 set and 1 sequence
Deal 3: 10 cards, 2 sequence
Deal 4: 10 cards, 3 sets
Deal 5: 12 cards, 2 sets and 1 sequence
Deal 6: 12 cards, 1 set and 2 sequences
Deal 7: 12 cards, 3 sequences
Fulfill the contracts by setting down the appropriate melds for that deal.
If the contract requires multiple sequences, they may not be from the same suit.
The seventh round/deal typically requires all cards be melded at once, this means a meld can be greater than 4 cards.
THE PLAY
The play begins with the first player to the left of the dealer and moves clockwise. A turn has three parts:
- Players may draw the top card from the stockpile, keeping it secret from other players, and adding it to your hand. Players may also draw one or more cards from the discard pile. You can take cards from within the discard pile if (not on top of it): the card is immediately melded (see below) and you take all the cards above the card you choose to meld.
- Players may meld combinations of cards in their hand by placing them face-up on the table. Players may also ‘lay off’ their cards on pre-existing melds, whether it is their own or other players. Melded cards are scored for the player who melded them, so, if you wish to add your card to someone else’s meld place it in front of yourself. Rules for melding are outlined below.
- Players may discard. Unless every card in your hand was used to meld you must discard one card face-up on top of the discard pile. If you drew a single card from the top of the discard pile you are not permitted to discard that card. However, if you drew multiple cards from the discard you may choose one of those to discard again.
How to form a Meld:
- A meld can be a set of 3 or 4 cards of equal value. For example, King of Hearts, King of Spades, and King of Diamonds. In games with more than one deck, the meld can not have 2 cards in a group from the same suit. For example, you can not have 2 five of diamonds and one five of hearts, they must be all different.
- A meld can be a sequence of 3 or more cards that are both consecutive and from the same suit. For example, if all the cards are spades, 3-4-5-6 is a valid meld.
Melds can be added onto if it extends the sequence. This process is called ‘laying off.’ Jokers act as wild cards and can be used to substitute any card in a meld. The rank of the Joker must be announced and remain unchanged through the course of the game.
JOKERS
Jokers, as mentioned above, are wild cards that may be used to substitute any card needed to complete a meld. Players must state the suit and rank of the card they wish to replace it with.
If a player has met their contract on a previous turn, if another player uses a joker in a sequence to substitute a card they have in hand, while they lay off they may exchange those cards and take the joker. The joker, however, must be used during that turn and cannot be saved for later.
Jokers played in sets are dead and cannot be reclaimed.
SCORING
A player ‘goes out’ if they have fulfilled the contract of that round and played all their cards. If this happens, the hand is over for all players, and hands are scored. Players collect penalty points for cards in hand.
Face Cards (K, Q, J): 10 points each
Aces: 15 points each
Joker: 15 points
Number Cards: Face Value
The game ends after all 7 deals. The player with the lowest number of points is considered the winner.
Contract Rummy With 2 Players
REFERENCES:
Contract Rummy Online For Free
http://www.rummy-games.com/rules/contract-rummy.html
Contract Rummy Online
https://www.pagat.com/rummy/ctrummy.html