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Rummy 3-Pack

for 2 to 10 people

1 to 3 winners

Object
To "go out" and
to collect one or both RUMMY cards.

Cards Needed
three 52-like playing-card packs (156-like playing-cards)
plus 5 dependent and 12 optional cards

Dependent Cards, 5
RUMMY CAN'T LOSE
RUMMY CAN'T LOSE
WILDCARD
GROUP like ♡7 ◇7 GROUP
SEQUENCE like ♡5 ♡6 SEQUENCE

Everyone unanimously chooses:

1. the number of cards to be dealt to each person--2 to 10 cards.

2. none, any, or all 12 of the optional cards to use.

There are 4 optional cards below. Yet everyone may unanimously choose up to 3 of each to include with the other 156:

NO MELD Not meldable.
May "NOT" discard this card.

CAN'T GO OUT Not meldable.
May "NOT" discard this card.

WILDCARD
WILDCARD

A hand of cards played comprises an entire game.

Preliminary
1. Shuffle - Everyone may help shuffle the 3 packs. One person to shuffle last and deal must be unanimously agreed on. This person shuffles last.
2. Cut - The cards are cut by the person to the shuffler's right, only if they want to cut.
3. Deal - The dealer deals the person to their left a card or cards face up till a regular card, 1 of 52, turns up. The dealer continues clockwise till everyone has a regular card face up.

4. "The person who was dealt the highest regular card has to deal first." A king ranks highest, then Q, J, 10 to 2, A. To break a tie, spades are highest then clubs, diamonds, hearts. (To break a tie of 2 or 3 identical regular cards, more cards are dealt.)

5. The dealt cards are placed back with the undealt cards.

Shuffle, Cut, & Deal
1. Shuffle - Everyone may help shuffle the 3 packs. The dealer shuffles last.
2. Cut - The cards are cut by the person to the dealer's right, only if they want to cut.
3. Deal - The dealer, beginning with the person to their left, deals clockwise each person the "chosen number of cards to be dealt" face down, one at a time.

Stockpile & Discard Pile
The dealer places the rest of the cards face down between the players for the stockpile. The person to the dealer's left draws the top card of the stockpile to begin the first turn of the game.

Assuming the person does not "go out", they discard a card face up placing it next to the stockpile which begins a discard pile. With more than one card in the discard pile, the discard pile is to be kept neatly stacked. No one is allowed to look back at any previous discards.

Basic Play
1. Draw the top card of the stockpile or the top card of the discard pile.
2. "Go out" (if possible).
3. Discard a card face up (placing it carefully) on the discard pile.
4. People take turns clockwise.

Beginning Your Turn
The person to the dealer's left draws the top card of the stockpile to begin the first turn of the game. Then to begin your turn, you must either draw the top card of the stockpile or the top card of the discard pile.

A Meld is Simply a Group or Sequence
A meld is a group or sequence of 3 or more cards. A group is cards of the same rank, like 7, 7, 7.

A sequence is cards in a sequence of the same suit, like the 5, 6, 7 of hearts. For sequences, the cards rank--A, 2 to 10, J, Q, K, A. For example, A, 2, 3 of hearts and Q, K, A of diamonds are both valid. 2, A, K of hearts is not valid.

(Groups and sequences may not be combined. The "5, 6, 7 of hearts and 7, 7 of other suits" consist of either a sequence or a group.)

WILDCARDs (1 dependent, may use 0 to 6 more)
A WILDCARD may represent any regular card for a group or sequence, regardless of where the regular card is. Like 7, 7, WILDCARD. Or like ♡5, ♡6, WILDCARD.

A group or sequence may have any number of WILDCARDs. Like the group 7, WILDCARD, WILDCARD, WILDCARD, WILDCARD, WILDCARD, or 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, WILDCARD. A group of only WILDCARDs is valid.

GROUP Card
The GROUP card is like a WILDCARD for only a group. It may be melded with any WILDCARD(s), like 7, GROUP card, WILDCARD.

SEQUENCE Card
The SEQUENCE card is like a WILDCARD for only a sequence. It may be melded with any WILDCARD(s), like SEQUENCE card, WILDCARD, 7.

Two or more WILDCARDs with the GROUP or SEQUENCE card (and no other card(s)) is a valid meld. A meld is not valid with both the GROUP and SEQUENCE cards.

RUMMY CAN'T LOSE Cards (2 total)
If you have "both these cards" (dealt, drawn, or both), you are guaranteed to be the winner or one of two winners. (If you were dealt both and someone else possibly "goes out" before you even have a turn, you both win.) IF AT OR DURING YOUR TURN YOU LAY DOWN BOTH FACE UP, YOU WIN. (If you don't lay them down and accidentally discard, you must wait till your next turn. If you accidentally discard a RUMMY card, you probably lost it for good.)

If you have one of the two RUMMY cards, keep it. Keeping this card guarantees that you are a winner. You might end up being the only winner if you "go out" or draw the other RUMMY card.

A RUMMY card is "considered a meld in itself", though it may not be used like a WILDCARD. So after drawing, you could lay down a RUMMY card (considered a meld in itself) face up and "meld your other cards face up except maybe 1 card", and you've won 2 different ways.

All cards may be discarded to and drawn from the discard pile, except a NO MELD card and CAN'T GO OUT card.

"Going Out"
A person after drawing who "melds all their cards face up except maybe 1 card (any card except a CAN'T GO OUT card)", wins, and the game ends. There can be up to three winners--someone who goes out and anyone with a RUMMY card (regardless of having any other cards).

Stockpile Exhausted
If someone draws the last card of the stockpile and does not go out (discarding 1 card, of course), "the game ends"--unless the next person in turn and only that person does not have a RUMMY card and drawing lets them go out. There can be up to three winners--someone who goes out and anyone with a RUMMY card (regardless of having any other cards).

Dropping
A person may drop out of the game if they have something else to do. They may drop at any time, before, during, or after anyone's turn. They may drop after they draw with the extra drawn card(s), or may discard then drop. They must make it very clear they are dropping and lay their cards face down, not to be seen by anyone for the rest of the game.

Everyone could "unanimously" choose a tie game. Like if there was only 1 card left in the stockpile and everyone was reluctant to draw it.

Stockpile Not Countable
The number of cards in the stockpile (& discard pile) may never be counted by anyone. You are only able to look and estimate.

A Match
If playing a match, for each game after the first game, who plays (draws) first shifts clockwise.

The most a person may ever win for a game is 1 game point, so only if 3 people win are there 3 game points won. A match is played to 2 game points. If at the end of a game there is a tie of 2 game points, the people who tied play a tie breaking game, and so on. (The number of cards to be dealt, optional cards, and variations may be decided on before each game.)

(If playing a match and there's a tie game, the same person plays first for the next game.)

Variations

Go Out
The game is played till someone goes out. Anytime the stockpile is exhausted, and the last person who drew discards, the discard pile except for the top card is shuffled by the same shuffler and offered to the shuffler's right for maybe a cut. These cards become the stockpile.

Played without any CAN'T GO OUT cards.

Three-Card Draw
There must be at least two cards in the discard pile. After drawing the top card of the discard pile, you may take your time then also decide or not to draw "both" the next card from the discard pile and the top card of the stock pile. If you do not go out, you discard only one card.

Spread-Out Discard-Pile
The discard pile is to be kept neatly spread out so everyone can always clearly see all the cards. You may draw any card from the discard pile. If there are any cards in the discard pile above the card you are drawing, you must also take up and place the extra card(s) in your hand.

Seating
Under "Preliminary" the cards dealt determine who deals first, like usual, and "help determine seating":

The person with the lowest card chooses to remain where seated or chooses somewhere else to sit. The dealer must sit just to the right of this person and remain there.

Then the person with the next lowest card chooses an unchosen place to sit, and so on. If a person chose to squeeze between two others, it would have to be unanimous, or that person would choose again till that person chose a place. Only one place left is considered an unfortunate choice. (If playing a match, there is no change of seating after the first game.)

(Shuffle Option
If the cards are shuffled this way, they still need to be shuffled at least one other way. Deal clockwise in front of you, not to anyone else, 7 piles of cards, 1 card at a time. Then stack the 7 piles back into 1 pile.)

"Dropping out" above has nothing to do with school. If you did, find a way to keep studying. Or you "will be" sidetracked much.

Please begin to think and remember how such games do not favor a poor person for way too many reasons, "even if everyone is poor". Please don't gamble.

(c) 2022 John James Davidson. All rights reserved.