How To Play Russian Rummy
- Russian Rummy Rules
We do not have a great deal of
information about Russian Rummy other than that it is a form of Contract Rummy
and probably evolved over many
years in Russia as a result of western originating influences and has slightly unconventional
rules. This game is best played
whilst consuming copious amounts of Vodka!
Players & Deck
Russian Rummy can be played
by 3 to 8 players. A single deck of 54 cards is used (including jokers) for
every two players, rounded up for odd numbers, but 13
cards are dealt to each player no matter how many people are playing.
|
Number of players |
Number of
decks |
Number of cards dealt |
|
2 Players |
1 deck |
13 cards each |
|
3 or 4
Players |
2 decks |
13 cards each |
|
5 or 6
Players |
3 decks |
13 cards each |
|
7 or 8
Players |
4 decks |
13 cards each |
The Deal
The dealer shuffles all the
decks together and deals each player 13 cards
face down. The next card from the deck is turned face up which indicates that
it is the start of the discard pile. The rest of the deck is positioned face
down and becomes the stock pile.
Object Of The Game
The purpose of the game is
to go out at the end with the lowest score. To complete a hand with most or all cards formed into sets
(or books)
and/or runs (straights) according to the hand requirement of that game. A run
or straight is comprised of four cards of the same suit
and in consecutive order, such as:
|
Example of a Valid Straight |
Example of an Invalid Straight |
3 4
56 |
3 4
5 |
4
5 6
7 |
4
5 6
7 |
A book or set is formed of
three cards that are identical rank but most crucially, in Russian Rummy the
suits are irrelevant so that a book may contain two or sometimes three cards
of the same rank and suit, such as for example:
|
Example of a Valid Book |
Example of an Invalid Book |
3
3 3 |
A A
9 |
|
9 9
9 |
K K Q |
A card can be
used only once – either in a set or in a run. You cannot use the same card for
both a run and a set. Also note that an Ace is always the last card in a
straight and it can go on the top or bottom but aces are low and do not go
around the corner.
How Russian Rummy Is
Played Turn By Turn
The two main elements
observed during a single turn of Russian Rummy are simply the draw and the discard:
Drawing (Compulsory)
- The first player to the left of the dealer draws first and must take just
one card either from the discard pile or the stock and add this card to the 13
cards of his hand. The person whose turn it is has the option to take the card
on the discard pile but if they do not want it, the first person to say "I
want it" in Russian, gets that card but must also take a card from the stock
(known as a "penalty card").
If another player takes a
card from the discard pile in this way, then the person whose turn it is draws
a card from stock. The discard pile is face up and the stock pile is face
down. If that player chooses to take from the stock, his opponent will not see
the card.
Discarding (Compulsory) - After drawing, you must examine your
cards and decide which one is the card you need to get rid of. It will be a card that
is probably not in sequence with the rest or is the only one of its kind
making it impossible to add to a meld. You must then take this card
and place it on the discard pile, face up.
Play then moves to the
person on their left. Play continues in this way until one player has got rid
of all their cards and any cards left in the hands of other players count
against them in scoring.
The Requirements For Each
Deal
In Russian Rummy, as
in Liverpool Rummy and Contract Rummy, every hand has a requirement but in
Russian Rummy there are just five individual deals with five basic contracts.
For example in deal 1, players are required to form two books (ie
two sets), for example: a book of
3
3 3
and a book of 7
7 7
|
Deal |
Basic Contract |
Example of
Meld
1 |
Example of
Meld
2 |
Example of
Meld 3 |
|
Deal 1 |
2 Books |
Q Q
Q |
333 |
Not Required |
|
Deal 2 |
1 Straight |
4
5 6
7 |
Not Required |
Not Required |
|
Deal 3 |
2 Books, 1
Straight |
2
2 2 |
777 |
J Q
K A |
|
Deal 4 |
3 Books |
A A
A |
QQQ |
Q77 |
|
Deal 5 |
2 Straights,
1 Book |
7 8
9 10 |
3 4
56 |
K K
K |
The Role of Joker Wild
Cards
Jokers are wild cards in
Russian Rummy and they may be substituted to take the place of any card. Once
a joker has been placed on the table, another player may replace the joker
with the card it was declared to be representing but only during his or her
turn and only after they have laid down their books and straights. The
actual manner and method of this play is unclear.
How and When To Go Out
There is no knocking in
Russian Rummy. Therefore, if the player manages to meld all his cards into
straights or books required for the specific deal and has a zero deadwood
count ie no cards left to discard, only then can that player go out and only
during their turn. They do so by placing their melds on the table, face up.
The other players then count their hands to add to their score.
A person may not lay down
any more books or straights than are required for that hand, but after they
have laid theirs down, they may play on other players' books and straights but
only during their turn. The exact nature of the way in which this element
works in practice, is a little unclear.
What If The Stock Pile
Runs Out?
If there is just one card
left on the stock pile and the player, whose turn it is, does not want the card on
the discard pile, then the discard pile is taken, shuffled and turned over to
start a new stock pile.
Some Notes On Scoring
Face cards (Jack, Queen,
King) score 10 points. Aces score 15 points. Jokers are worth 25 points. All the rest of the deck score
5 points each. For example, a 6
would be worth 5 points, a 10
is worth 5 points, etc.
|
Cards |
Value |
Example 1 |
Example 2 |
|
Jokers |
25 points |
 is
worth 25 points |
is
worth 25 points |
|
Aces |
15 points |
A
is worth 15 points |
A
is worth 15 points |
|
Faces |
10 points |
Q
is worth 10 points |
K
is worth 10 points |
|
Others |
5 points |
5
is worth 5 points |
9
is worth 5 points |
Aces are high and the cards
rank in this order: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Jack Queen King Ace. Although the
Ace is always high in Russian Rummy, A
2 3
4
is not a valid straight and nor is K A
2 3
(Aces do not go around the corner) but on the other hand J Q
K A
is valid and Aces are always the last card in a straight.
Once a player has melded
their hands by laying them on the table or by discarding their last card, that
hand is over and they have won the game. Each player or a designated
party ie the dealer will have to tally up the value of each players unmatched
cards (ie deadwood) and players are scored.
Cards laid down in melds do
not score anything at all, only the deadwood scores are counted and the player
with the lowest score wins. Players keep dealing
the cards for subsequent games until the five hands are complete. The actual point at which play ends is
a little unclear.
Other House Rules:
Variations to the standard
Russian Rummy rules are mostly related to scoring although it is important to
note that a large number of people play a version of Russian Rummy which uses rule (2)
below.
(1) Some play this game
with jokers valued at 15 points instead of 25.
(2) Some house rules provide
that other cards score their pip value.
We would like to know more
about Russian Rummy and we would like to urge our Russian Rummy players to get in touch if
you are familiar with the official rules of this game. If you have some feedback or
can suggest some corrections, we would appreciate you letting us know. Please contact us via email at the address below:
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