Michigan rummy is a three stage family game for 2 to 9 players (best with 4 to 7) using one 52 card deck, a printed board and a pile of chips or counters. Each deal, you collect chips for holding pay cards, play one round of poker for the pot, then race to get rid of your cards in a stops game, and the player with the most chips when you stop wins.
Despite the name, Michigan rummy isn't really a rummy game. You never draw or discard. Pagat.com files it with the stops games and explains that it's a modern form of the old European game Poch. If you've got a battered board in a cupboard with hearts printed round the edge, this is the game it's for.
One game, a lot of names
Pagat.com says boards for this game are sold in North America as Tripoley, Rummoli, Michigan Rummy and Royal Rummy, that it's called Calliente in Australia, and that German shops still sell boards under the old name Poch. Wikipedia adds that Rummoli is Canadian, first marketed in Toronto, and that Tripoley appeared earlier in Chicago.
The confusing bit: plain Michigan, the stops game on its own with no poker round, is known in Britain as Newmarket and elsewhere as Boodle or Stops. And pagat.com warns that some books use Michigan Rum for a version of 500 Rum, which is a different game entirely.
Setting up the board and chips
Pagat.com's Tripoli layout has nine spaces. Before each deal, every player puts one chip on each space. Chips that nobody won last deal stay put, so the pots grow.
| Board space | Who collects it |
|---|---|
| Ace of hearts | Whoever holds it |
| King of hearts | Whoever holds it |
| Queen of hearts | Whoever holds it |
| Jack of hearts | Whoever holds it |
| Ten of hearts | Whoever holds it |
| King and queen of hearts | Whoever holds both |
| 8, 9, 10 in one suit | Whoever holds that run, in any suit |
| Pot | The winner of the poker round |
| Kitty | The first player out in the stops round |
Your own board might differ. The Rummoli board on Wikipedia uses different pay cards, such as the ace and king of diamonds and a 7, 8, 9 run. Play whatever your board shows.
The deal and the spare hand
Deal every card one at a time, clockwise, into a hand for each player plus one extra spare hand. Some players get one more card than others, and that's fine. The dealer may swap their whole hand for the spare without looking at it first, or offer the unseen spare to the other players for chips. You keep the same cards for all three stages.
The three stages of a deal
- Pay cards. Anyone holding a pay card shown on the board takes the chips from that space. Unclaimed spaces carry over to the next deal.
- Poker. Everyone picks five cards from their hand and plays one round of poker. Chips go into the pot space, and the best hand left in takes them.
- Stops. Pick your whole hand back up. The poker winner leads the lowest card they hold in any suit. Whoever holds the next card up in that suit plays it, and so on.
- When nobody can play the next card (it's in the spare hand, or the ace has been played), that's a stop. The player who played last leads again in a different suit.
- The first player to run out of cards takes the kitty, plus one chip from each player for every card they still hold.
Playing the stops round well
You always have to lead the lowest card you hold in the suit you choose, but you pick the suit. That's where the skill sits. Leading a suit where you hold a long unbroken run lets you play several cards in a row and get rid of them fast.
If every card you hold is in the suit that was just played, you can't lead, so the turn to start passes to your left. Pagat.com says that if nobody at the table has another suit, the play ends and everyone puts a chip in the kitty for each card left in their hand, ready for the next deal's winner.
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Remember the spare hand. Cards in it are invisible stops, so a run you think is safe can suddenly die. Bicycle also has a penalty in plain Michigan: start a suit without your lowest card in it and you pay a chip to every opponent.
Variations you might meet
- Collect in play: pagat.com's popular variation skips stage one, so you only win a pay card's chips by playing that card in the stops round. Rummoli is played this way.
- Different run: some boards use 6, 7, 8 or another sequence instead of 8, 9, 10.
- No spare hand swap: everyone plays the hand they were dealt.
- Last deal: when you finish the evening, deal five cards each and play one last poker hand for everything left on the board.
My verdict: why Michigan rummy works for mixed ages
This is one of my favourite games for a big family table because everyone has something to do in every stage, and luck keeps it level between adults and children. If younger children are playing, skip the poker round and play the pay cards and stops rounds only. Use counters, buttons or sweets, and agree a small chip limit before the poker round so nobody gets wiped out in one hand. The mistake to avoid is leading your lowest card in your shortest suit. Lead from your longest suit instead. If you're planning a whole evening, my guide to board games for family game night by age has plenty to pair it with, and Yahtzee is another easy one for mixed ages.
Frequently asked questions
Is Michigan rummy the same as Tripoley?
Yes, they're the same family. Pagat.com says the game is sold as Tripoley, Rummoli, Michigan Rummy and Royal Rummy, with small differences in the board.
How many players can play Michigan rummy?
Pagat.com says the game is possible for 2 to 9 players and best with 4 to 7.
What are pay cards in Michigan rummy?
Pay cards are the cards printed on the board, such as the high hearts. Hold or play one and you take the chips piled on that space.
Do you need a board to play Michigan rummy?
It helps, but you can make a layout by setting out the matching cards from a second deck, or by drawing the spaces on a sheet of paper.
What happens to chips nobody wins?
They stay on the board and grow with each deal, so the hardest spaces to win often hold the biggest piles.
