- What sets 500 Rum apart from ordinary rummy
- Cards, card values and the deal
- How a turn works, start to finish
- Taking buried cards from the discard pile
- Calling Rummy on a careless discard
- Working out the score each hand
- House rules worth knowing before you shuffle
- My verdict on Rummy 500
- Frequently asked questions
Rummy 500 is a rummy game for 2 to about 8 players where you score points for every card you meld and lose points for every card still in your hand when someone goes out. You play hand after hand, and the first player whose running total reaches 500 wins, using a standard 52 card deck (pagat.com adds two jokers as wilds).
If you already know basic rummy, you're nearly there. The big difference is the discard pile. In ordinary rummy you can only take the top card. In Rummy 500 you can reach down into the pile for a buried card you need, as long as you take everything on top of it and use that card straight away. That one rule changes the whole feel of the game, and it's why people who try it rarely go back.
What sets 500 Rum apart from ordinary rummy
- You score for melds, not just for going out. Everyone scores every hand, so a player who never goes out can still win.
- The discard pile is spread so every card shows, and you can dig into it.
- Cards you lay off on someone else's meld stay in front of you and count for you.
- The game is long: you play to 500 over several hands rather than settling it in one.
Pagat.com notes the books call it 500 Rum or even Pinochle Rummy, while most people at the table say Rummy 500 or 500 Rummy. The version with jokers is sometimes called Joker Rummy, and some families just call it Rummy, which causes no end of arguments when a cousin turns up expecting gin rummy.
Cards, card values and the deal
| Detail | Rummy 500 |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 to about 8 |
| Deck | 52 cards plus 2 jokers (pagat.com); Bicycle uses the plain 52 card pack. With 5 or more players, shuffle two decks together (108 cards) |
| Cards each | 7 each, or 13 each in a two player game |
| Number cards 2 to 10 | Face value |
| Jack, queen, king | 10 points each |
| Ace and joker | 15 points each, but an ace melded low in ace, 2, 3 scores only 1 |
| Target | 500 points |
After the deal, the rest of the cards go face down as the stock. Turn the top card face up beside it to start the discard pile, and overlap the discards slightly as the game goes on so everyone can read every card in the pile.
How a turn works, start to finish
- Draw. Take the top card of the stock, or take one or more cards from the discard pile.
- If you take a buried card, you must also take every card above it, and you must meld that deepest card on this turn.
- Meld. Lay down any sets (three or four of a kind) or runs (three or more in suit) you hold.
- Lay off. Add cards to any meld on the table, yours or anyone's, keeping those cards in front of you and saying which meld they extend.
- Discard one card face up onto the pile. If you took only the top discard, you can't throw that same card straight back.
- Play passes to the left. The hand ends when someone has no cards left, or when the stock is empty and the next player doesn't want the discard pile.
Aces can be high or low but not both, so queen, king, ace and ace, 2, 3 are fine, but king, ace, 2 isn't. Bicycle says the same: sequences can't go round the corner.
Taking buried cards from the discard pile
This is where Rummy 500 is won and lost. Say the pile has a 4 sitting five cards down, and you hold a pair of 4s. You can take that 4 and every card discarded after it, meld your three 4s, then keep the rest in your hand. Pagat.com's example shows exactly that: grab the run of cards, meld the one you came for, and discard something you don't need.
The catch is the cards you drag up with it. Every one of them is a penalty if it's still in your hand when someone goes out. A big scoop looks greedy and clever, and it often is, but only if you've got turns left to use those cards. Late in a hand, a small draw from the stock is usually the safer play.
Calling Rummy on a careless discard
Pagat.com describes a rule a lot of house games use. If a player discards a card that could have been melded, or leaves a playable card sitting in the pile, any other player can shout "Rummy!" before the next draw, take the pile down to that card, meld it, and finish the turn. Play then carries on from the caller's left.
Some tables only allow the call when the newest discard fits a meld on the table, and many books don't mention calling Rummy at all. Agree it before the first deal, because nothing starts a row faster than a surprise shout.
Working out the score each hand
When the hand ends, every player adds up the cards they've melded or laid off, then subtracts the cards left in their hand. The difference goes onto their running total, and yes, it can be negative. Bicycle gives a neat example: 87 points on the table and 90 points in hand means you lose 3 points from your score.
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This is the rule people get wrong. Once someone goes out, play stops dead. You can't put down the set you were saving, even if it's sitting complete in your hand. It counts against you. So holding melds back for a bigger turn later is a race against the clock.
Keep playing hands until someone passes 500. Pagat.com says the highest score then wins, with extra hands to break a tie. Bicycle adds that if two players reach 500 on the same hand, the higher one wins.
House rules worth knowing before you shuffle
- No jokers: pagat.com says the game was originally played without them.
- Card values 5, 10, 15: number cards 2 to 9 count 5 each, tens and faces 10, jokers 15.
- Must meld to draw: many books say any card you take from the pile must be melded, even the top one.
- Discard to go out: some players insist you keep one card to throw away on your last turn.
- Floating: you may meld everything and keep playing with no hand until your next turn.
- Must go out to win: you only win if you reach 500 and you're the one who goes out.
My verdict on Rummy 500
Rummy 500 suits a family table with three or four players who like a game that lasts a whole evening. I'd teach it with no jokers and the must meld rule, so beginners learn to read the pile before they start chancing big scoops. The mistake to avoid is sitting on complete melds. Put them down as soon as they're safe, because points in your hand are points you lose. If you've only got two of you, my list of card games for two has more ideas once you've had your fill.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you deal in Rummy 500?
Deal 7 cards each when there are three or more players, and 13 each in a two player game.
Can you pick up more than one card from the discard pile in Rummy 500?
Yes. You can take a buried card as long as you also take every card above it and meld that buried card on the same turn.
How do you score Rummy 500?
Add up the cards you've melded or laid off, then subtract the cards left in your hand. The difference goes onto your running total.
What is an ace worth in Rummy 500?
An ace is worth 15 points, except when it's melded low in an ace, 2, 3 run, where it scores just 1.
Is Rummy 500 the same as gin rummy?
No. In gin rummy you knock to end a hand, while in Rummy 500 every player scores their melds each hand and you can take buried cards from the discard pile.
