How to Play

Mexican Rummy is a seven-round Contract Rummy variant with a wild rank that climbs each round (3s, 4s, ..., 9s) alongside Jokers. Meet each round's contract, empty your hand, and finish with the lowest cumulative penalty score.

Mexican Rummy is a multi-round variant of Contract Rummy (its parent is id 206) in which the wild-card rank changes every round. Two to six players work through seven escalating rounds, with hand sizes growing from 7 cards in round one to 13 in round seven. Each round's wild rank starts as 3s and climbs by one per round (3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s); Jokers are also wild all round. The twist is that until you hold the round's meld contract you cannot lay anything down, and a wild card caught in hand at the end costs 20 penalty points. The player with the lowest cumulative score after all seven rounds wins.

Players

2 to 6 players, each playing individually. The game is sharpest with 4 or 5; with 6, consider adding a third deck so the stock does not run short. The first dealer is chosen by high-card draw, and the deal rotates clockwise after each round.

Card Deck

Two standard 52-card French decks plus four Jokers (108 cards total). Card ranking in runs, low to high: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K; an Ace may also extend a run at the top (Q-K-A), but runs do not wrap around (K-A-2 is illegal). Jokers are wild in every round. The round's current wild rank (starting with 3s and climbing each round) is also wild, substituting for any card in a meld but still belonging to its own rank as well.

Objective

Over seven rounds of escalating meld contracts, finish with the lowest cumulative penalty score. Each round you aim to lay down your contract, empty your hand, and score 0 for the round.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle both decks and all four Jokers together thoroughly. The player to the dealer's right cuts.
2. Deal cards per the round's schedule (see Round Contracts): 7 in round 1, then +1 each round up to 13 in round 7.
3. Place the remainder face-down as the stock; turn the top card face-up beside it as the first discard.
4. Announce the round's wild rank (3s in round 1, 4s in round 2, and so on up to 9s in round 7). Wild rank cards and Jokers can both substitute in melds.
5. Player to the dealer's left plays first; turns proceed clockwise.

Round Contracts

1. Round 1 (deal 7, wild = 3s): Two sets of 3 (a set is 3+ cards of the same rank).
2. Round 2 (deal 8, wild = 4s): One set of 3 and one run of 4 (a run is 4+ consecutive cards of the same suit).
3. Round 3 (deal 9, wild = 5s): Two runs of 4.
4. Round 4 (deal 10, wild = 6s): Three sets of 3.
5. Round 5 (deal 11, wild = 7s): Two sets of 3 and one run of 4.
6. Round 6 (deal 12, wild = 8s): One set of 3 and two runs of 4.
7. Round 7 (deal 13, wild = 9s): Three runs of 4, no final discard; go out by laying your entire hand down.
8. You may only meld cards once you hold the exact contract for the current round.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, draw one card from the top of the stock or the top of the discard pile.
2. Wild-card use: In any meld, the current round's wild rank and Jokers may substitute for any card; wild cards in runs still have their 'natural' rank (a wild-card 5 between a 4 and 6 works as a 5).
3. Once your hand contains the round's contract, lay it down face-up on the table; on subsequent turns you may lay off extra cards onto any meld on the table (yours or opponents').
4. Replacing a wild: When a meld has a Joker or wild-rank card standing in for a natural card, the player holding that natural card may, on their turn, swap it into the meld and take the wild for their own use (common house rule).
5. End your turn by discarding one card face-up; round 7 is the exception, where you go out without discarding.
6. The round ends the moment a player empties their hand; other players score penalty points for remaining hand cards.

Scoring

• Round winner: 0 points for the round.
• Other players: Count the cards left in hand: Jokers = 20 points, current round's wild rank = 20 points, Aces = 15 points, face cards (K/Q/J) and 10s = 10 points each, all other cards = 5 points each.
• Write the round score on a running tally.
• After round 7, total each player's cumulative score; the lowest total wins the match.

Winning

The player with the lowest cumulative penalty score after all seven rounds wins. If there is a tie, the player with the most rounds in which they went out wins; if still tied, they share the win.

Common Variations

• Single-Deck Mexican: Play with one 52-card deck plus two Jokers for 2 or 3 players; skip rounds 6 and 7 because the contract gets unreachable.
• Fixed Wild: Use 2s as permanent wild cards every round instead of the rotating wild rank; simpler for casual groups.
• Strict Lay-Off: You may only lay off onto existing melds after the turn on which you first lay down your contract; sharpens the risk of melding too early.
• Buy the Discard: Between turns, any player may 'buy' the top discard by taking it plus one penalty stock card; limited to 3 buys per round.
• Kings Wild: Replaces the rotating wild rank with Kings, which are wild in every round alongside Jokers.

Tips and Strategy

• Chase the contract first. Laying down late means extra penalty if someone goes out before you; your draws should target completing the exact contract, not auxiliary cards.
• Do not hoard wilds. Each Joker and round-wild rank card left in hand costs 20 points. Spend them to complete a meld; only hold one extra if you are one turn from laying down.
• Watch the wild rank climb. In later rounds the wild rank (8s, 9s) was previously a normal card, so the discard pile gains value retroactively; adjust which cards you hold.
• Plan for round 7. The three-runs-no-discard final round demands suit shape, not just card count. Early in round 6 start preparing three suits.
• Read the discards. Opponents' throws tell you what contracts they are chasing; avoid discarding a rank an opponent clearly needs.
• Lay off aggressively. Dumping high-value cards like Aces and face cards onto opponents' melds after they lay down is the single best defensive play.

Glossary

• Contract: The required meld pattern for the current round; must be met in full before any laying off.
• Set: Three or more cards of the same rank.
• Run: Four or more consecutive cards of the same suit.
• Wild rank: The rank designated as wild for the current round (3s, 4s, ..., 9s).
• Joker: Always wild, worth 20 penalty points if caught in hand.
• Lay off: Extending an existing meld on the table with one or more cards.
• Deadwood: Cards left in your hand at the end of the round, counted as penalty.
• Buy: Optional rule permitting taking a discard out of turn at a penalty-card cost.