How to Play

Progressive Rummy (Contract Rummy) is a seven-round rummy game with a fixed ladder of contracts that escalate from two sets of 3 to three runs of 4. Empty your hand each round and finish with the lowest total penalty score.

Progressive Rummy (also called Contract Rummy or Liverpool Rummy) is a multi-round rummy game played to a fixed schedule of seven distinct contracts, each round demanding a specific combination of sets and runs before a player may lay their melds down. Hands grow from 10 cards in the early rounds to 12 in the later ones, and the first player to empty their hand ends the round; everyone else totals penalty points for cards still in hand. After all seven rounds the player with the lowest cumulative score wins. The structured-contract format rewards planning and hand management: you cannot meld at all until you hold exactly what the round demands, which keeps the game tense from first draw to last.

Players

3 to 8 players, each playing individually. The game is sharpest with 4 or 5; with more than 6 the double deck can run short, so some groups add a third deck for 7 and 8 players. The first dealer is chosen by high-card draw, and the deal rotates clockwise.

Card Deck

Two standard 52-card decks plus four Jokers (108 cards total) for up to 6 players; add a third deck and two more Jokers for 7 or 8. Card ranking in runs, low to high: Ace (low), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, Ace (high). Aces can be used at either end of a run but not to wrap around (Q-K-A is legal; K-A-2 is not). Jokers are wild and may substitute for any card in any meld.

Objective

Over seven progressive rounds, hit each round's specific meld contract, lay down, shed your hand, and score the fewest total penalty points at the end of round seven.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle all decks together thoroughly. The player to the dealer's right cuts.
2. Deal the appropriate number of cards for the current round (see the Round Contracts section).
3. Place the remainder face-down in the middle as the stock, then turn the top card face-up beside it to start the discard pile.
4. The player to the dealer's left plays first; turns pass clockwise.

Round Contracts

1. Round 1 (deal 10): Two sets of 3 cards (a set is 3+ cards of the same rank).
2. Round 2 (deal 10): One set of 3 and one run of 4 (a run is 4+ consecutive cards of the same suit).
3. Round 3 (deal 10): Two runs of 4.
4. Round 4 (deal 10): Three sets of 3.
5. Round 5 (deal 12): Two sets of 3 and one run of 4.
6. Round 6 (deal 12): One set of 3 and two runs of 4.
7. Round 7 (deal 12): Three runs of 4, no final discard permitted (go out by laying your entire hand down).
8. A player may only meld when holding the exact contract for the round; you cannot meld partial contracts.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, draw one card: either the top of the stock or the top of the discard pile.
2. Buying the discard (optional rule, standard in most groups): When it is not your turn, you may call 'buy' to take the most recently discarded card out of turn; you must then also take one card from the stock as a penalty. Each player may buy a maximum of 3 times per round. The active player always has first refusal on the discard.
3. If you hold the round's contract, you may lay down your melds face-up on the table; otherwise you cannot lay anything down this turn.
4. Once you have laid down your contract, on subsequent turns you may lay off additional cards onto any meld already on the table, including opponents' melds (extending sets or runs).
5. End your turn by discarding one card face-up onto the discard pile; in round 7, you go out by laying every card down without a final discard.
6. When a player empties their hand, the round ends immediately. Score the round (see below) and the player to the dealer's left deals the next round's contract.

Scoring

• Players who go out score 0 for the round.
• Everyone else counts penalty points for cards remaining in hand: Jokers = 25 points, Aces = 15 points, Kings / Queens / Jacks / 10s = 10 points each, all other cards = 5 points each.
• Laid-off cards do not count against you; only cards still in hand do.
• After round 7, total each player's cumulative score across all seven rounds. The lowest score wins the match.

Winning

The player with the lowest cumulative penalty score after all seven rounds wins. Ties are broken by the lowest score in round 7; if still tied, players share the win.

Common Variations

• Shanghai Rummy (8 rounds): Adds an 8th round requiring three sets and one run of 4; the longest contract.
• California Contract: Uses Queens as the primary wild card instead of Jokers.
• Liverpool Rummy (UK): Same contract ladder, but drop the buy option to simplify.
• No-Buy Strict: Removes the buy rule for a cleaner, faster game; stock turnover increases.
• Double Progressive: Reduce the hand size only to 7 in round 1 for a shorter session.
• Custom Contracts: Some groups swap round orders or add exotic contracts like 'one run of 7'.

Tips and Strategy

• Hit the contract fast. Until you lay down, every card in hand is deadwood. Target a single contract early, even if it means discarding pieces of a different meld.
• Don't hoard Jokers. They are worth 25 points each if caught in hand. Use Jokers to complete your contract; only hold one extra if you can see a laydown within a turn or two.
• Buy with purpose. Each buy costs you an extra card, so use your 3 buys only when the discard completes a specific missing card in your contract, not speculatively.
• Watch opponents' discards. In run-heavy rounds, their suits betray which runs they are building; hold useful off-suit cards to block them.
• Late-round triage. In rounds 5 to 7, if you cannot realistically hit the contract, focus on dumping high-value cards (Jokers, Aces, face cards) onto opponents' melds after they lay down.
• Plan the final run. Round 7 demands three runs of 4 and no discard; hand shape matters more than raw card count, so restructure your hand around three suits as early as possible.

Glossary

• Contract: The specific meld requirement for the current round; must be laid down in full before any laying off.
• Meld: A set or run laid face-up on the table.
• Set: Three or more cards of the same rank, any suits.
• Run: Four or more consecutive cards of the same suit.
• Lay off: To extend an existing meld on the table with one or more additional legal cards.
• Buy: Taking the top discard out of turn at the cost of drawing one extra stock card as penalty; limited to 3 per player per round.
• Deadwood: Unmelded cards in hand; counted as penalty points if the round ends.
• Joker: Wild card that substitutes for any card in a meld; worth 25 penalty points if caught in hand.