How to Play

May I? is a seven-round Contract Rummy variant for 3-8 players using two decks plus jokers. Each round has a required meld contract (books and runs); players draw, meld, and discard, and can call 'May I?' to buy out-of-turn discards (with a stock penalty card). Lowest cumulative score across all seven rounds wins.

May I? is the classic North American seven-round Contract Rummy variant whose single distinguishing feature is the 'May I?' buy: when another player discards a card you want out of turn, you may call 'May I?' to claim it, take the card, and draw a penalty card from the stock. Across the seven rounds each player must lay down a specific required meld combination (the round's 'contract') before they can play any cards; subsequent cards can be laid off onto any meld on the table once you have played your contract. The contracts start simple (two sets, or 'two books' in round 1) and grow harder (three runs with no discard in round 7). Rounds 1-4 deal 10 cards and rounds 5-7 deal 12 cards. Jokers are wild throughout. The player with the lowest cumulative penalty score across all seven rounds wins the game. It is the family-game version of Contract Rummy, and the 'May I?' social buy is the reason multi-generational American households know it under this name.

Players

3 to 8 players, each playing for themselves. The 'May I?' buy mechanic works best with 4 to 6 players; two players can play but the out-of-turn call rarely triggers. For 7 or 8 players, use three combined decks instead of two. Deal rotates clockwise each round; pick the first dealer by high-card cut.

Card Deck

Use two standard 52-card decks shuffled together plus four Jokers (108 cards total) for 3-6 players; add a third deck (162 cards plus 6 Jokers) for 7 or 8 players. Card ranking in runs, low to high: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K. Ace is low only for runs in the base game (A-2-3 yes; Q-K-A may be allowed as a house rule; runs do not wrap K-A-2). Jokers are wild and substitute for any card in a meld. Penalty values: Joker = 15 points; Ace = 15 points; face cards (K, Q, J) = 10 each; 2-10 = face value.

Objective

Over seven rounds of escalating contracts, finish with the lowest cumulative penalty score. Each round you aim to complete the round's required contract on the table, then lay off the rest of your hand so you can go out (discard your last card) and score 0. Every card left in a losing player's hand counts as penalty points.

Setup and Deal

1. Choose the first dealer by high-card cut; shuffle all 108 cards thoroughly.
2. For rounds 1-4 deal 10 cards to each player face-down. For rounds 5-7 deal 12 cards face-down.
3. Place the remaining cards face-down as the stock and turn the top card face-up as the start of the discard pile.
4. Announce the current round's contract aloud before play begins (see Gameplay).
5. The player to the dealer's left takes the first turn; play passes clockwise.
6. After the round ends (someone goes out or the stock runs out), deal for the next round; deal rotates clockwise.

Gameplay

1. Contracts by round (you must meld these exactly before you can lay off any other cards): Round 1: 2 books (two sets of 3+). Round 2: 1 book + 1 run (a set of 3+ plus a suited run of 4+). Round 3: 2 runs (two suited runs of 4+). Round 4: 3 books. Round 5: 2 books + 1 run (now 12 cards). Round 6: 1 book + 2 runs. Round 7: 3 runs and no final discard (you must empty your hand completely).
2. Books (sets): Three or more cards of the same rank, any suits.
3. Runs (sequences): Four or more cards in the same suit in consecutive rank order. Jokers are wild in runs as well as sets.
4. On your turn, draw one card: the top of the stock or the top of the discard pile.
5. If you have the current round's complete contract in hand you may lay it down face-up on the table. You may only lay down your contract after drawing on your own turn, and you may only do so once per round (the first time you meet the contract).
6. After your contract is down, you may lay off additional cards onto any of your own or any opponent's melds on the table, if the new card extends a set or run legally.
7. Discard one card to the discard pile to end your turn (except on the round 7 go-out where no discard is made).
8. 'May I?' buy rule: When it is not your turn and the active player discards, any other player may call 'May I?' to claim the just-discarded card. The first claimant in turn-order precedence (closest to the active player clockwise) takes the discard and draws one penalty card from the top of the stock. Their hand grows by 2. After the buy, the active player still completes their own turn (draws a replacement from the discard pile if they had intended to and the top is now a new card they turned, or from the stock). The game then continues clockwise from the active player.
9. Each player is limited to three 'May I?' buys per round; after the third, further buys are refused. A buy during your own upcoming-turn window (the player immediately clockwise of the discarder) still counts as a buy.
10. Going out: Once your contract is laid down and all other cards are either laid off onto melds or discarded, you end the round by discarding your last card (except in round 7, where you must meld the last card into a valid run). You score 0 for that round.

Scoring

• The player who went out scores 0 for the round.
• All other players count cards left in hand: Joker = 15, Ace = 15, K/Q/J = 10, 2-10 = face value.
• Totals are kept on a running score sheet across all 7 rounds.
• Stock exhaustion: If the stock runs out before anyone goes out, shuffle the discard pile (minus its top card) to form a new stock. If the stock runs out a second time in the same round, the round ends immediately and every player (including players who had laid down their contract) counts hand points.
• After round 7, sum each player's round scores. Lowest total wins. Tie-breaker: the tied player with more rounds going out takes the tie; if still tied, play a one-round tie-breaker with contract = 2 runs, 10 cards.

Winning

The game is complete after seven rounds. The lowest cumulative penalty score wins. Typical winning totals for a 4-player game land between 60 and 120 points; losing totals often exceed 250 points when a player fails to make their contract in one or two of the hard late rounds.

Common Variations

• No 'May I?' buys: Play straight Contract Rummy (the parent game, id 206) without the out-of-turn buy. Fewer disruptions, slower hand turnover.
• Unlimited 'May I?' buys: Drop the three-per-round cap; more chaos, but wild swings in hand size.
• Aces high: Allow A to top a run (Q-K-A) as well as start one (A-2-3). Some groups also allow round-the-corner runs (K-A-2).
• Nine-round variant: Add two intermediate rounds (4 books; 3 runs-of-5) between the standard 7 for a longer marathon.
• Family-game speed rules: Allow any existing meld to be added to by any player after their contract is down, on any turn, without drawing. Ends rounds faster, lowers scores.
• No-Joker variant: Remove the four Jokers (104-card deck). Contracts become harder, especially round 7.
• Contract Rummy proper: The parent game uses the same rounds but allows open buying (not called 'May I?') and different card values.

Tips and Strategy

• Call 'May I?' only for cards that fill a contract hole. A random K you grab is just 10 penalty points in hand; a K that finishes your round-2 set of 3 is worth 20-60 swing points.
• Hoard your three buys for hard rounds. Rounds 5, 6, and 7 are where failed contracts cost 50+ penalty points; save your buy capacity for them.
• Watch the discard for round-7 run starters. Round 7 needs three runs and has no final discard; a single missing middle card can ruin you. Buy it the moment it appears.
• Aggressive 'May I?' buys punish neighbours. If you know the player two seats clockwise needs the 7♥, you can call 'May I?' on a 7♥ the moment they pass it through, denying them and taking the penalty card hit yourself if the value is right.7♥
• Lay your contract as soon as you have it. Every turn of delay is a turn opponents can buy into you or dump onto you. A contract on the table lets you lay off future draws immediately.
• Deadwood triage. In rounds 5-7, if you cannot meet the contract, aim to minimise points: discard Jokers (15) and Aces (15) first, keep pip cards, and pray for a neighbour to go out quickly.
• Learn the contracts by rote. A mis-remembered contract in round 3 or 6 (the awkward 'one of each' rounds) routinely costs players 40 penalty points.
• Track the jokers. With 4 Jokers in a 108-card deck, knowing how many remain tells you whether to risk holding onto a Joker-dependent run.

Glossary

• Contract: The required meld pattern for the current round (e.g., round 1 = 2 books, round 7 = 3 runs).
• Book: A set of three or more cards of the same rank.
• Run: A sequence of four or more cards in the same suit in consecutive rank order.
• 'May I?' buy: Claiming the top discard when it is not your turn by calling 'May I?'; the claimant takes the discard plus one penalty card from the stock.
• Lay off: Add a card to an existing meld (your own or an opponent's) after your contract is down.
• Go out: Empty your hand by discarding (or, in round 7, melding) your last card to end the round with 0 points.
• Penalty card: The stock card drawn alongside a 'May I?' buy, so the buyer's hand grows by 2.
• Deadwood: Cards left in hand at round end that count as penalty points.
• Wild: A Joker, which substitutes for any card in a meld.