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All You Need To Know About 500 Rummy

Quite popular as 500 rum, 500 rummy variant also goes by several names: Pinochle Rummy, Michigan Rummy, Persian Rummy are common names for this game. Often played amongst 2 to 8 players, this game is best experienced when there are 3 to 5 players.

It is said that this variant gave rise to the game of Canasta and several other rummy versions. The details of the game go like this:

Which card deck is used?

The standard 52-card pack used in most rummy games. The card ranking goes thus:
Ace (high or low), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A.

What’s the objective?

The objective is to be the first player to:

• Make matched number sets of 3 or 4 cards.
• And/or sequences of 3 or more cards of the same suit.

Obtain 500 points in total.

Does play differ from regular rummy?

It is quite similar to regular rummy with no major differences. But its better to be conversant with the slight differences to ensure a win.

What’s the deal like?

Each player gets seven cards except when there are two players who will receive 13 cards each. The undealt cards are piled as the stock as usual. The top card is used face up to start the discard pile.

How is the scoring done?

• Just as in regular rummy games, players need to make valid sets or sequences. E.g.: Valid arrangement = Set of three or four 7s + Sequence of 4, 5, 6 of hearts.
• When a player declares, each player is credited with the sum total of the point value of all cards showing up on the table. The point value of cards remaining in their hand is subtracted from this figure.
• In order to begin scoring, all players must lay no less than 30 points for their first score.

Face cards count as 10 as does the 10 card. A-9 are 5 points, unless the Ace is used high, when it is 15. Jokers count as 15 points.

What are the play details?

Starting from the dealer’s left, each player draws from the stock pile or the discard pile.

There are a few rules though when drawing from a discard pile:

• The player has to pick all cards on top of the card they desire to use.
• The player must utilize the bottom card to create a meld during that turn.

The remaining cards may either be melded during that turn, or added to the player’s hand.

How to lay down melds?

Coming to laying down the melds, each player after drawing but before discarding, may lay down any matched set or may lay off any card that matches a set already on the table.

How to discard?

As for discards, each player’s turn ends when they place a card down on the discard pile. All melds must be completed before this is done. After the discard, play moves on to the next player.

After each round, scores are calculated and the rounds continue till a player wins 500 points.

What’s the winning criteria?

The first rummy player to touch a 500 plus mark is declared the winner. This player gets the difference between the final scores from each opponent.

In case of a tie, on the same hand, the one who scores highest is the winner.

What’s distinct about 500 rummy?

• Each player scores the value of the sets or cards they meld
• Going “around the corner” – Aces can be either high cards or low cards depending on whether going around the corner is allowed

There are some additional rules such as 30 points rule, Boathouse rule, Stock pile re-fill rule etc. Players need to double-check if any of these rules apply to the game before they enter.

That’s the exhaustive explanation on playing 500 rummy. Do explore and figure out how to ace it with this info! For tips on how to play rummy and its variations, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com.

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