How to Play

An American rummy variant played to 500 points in which any face-up card in the discard pile can be taken (along with every card above it), and layoffs on opponents' melds score for the player who laid them off.

Rummy 500 (also called 500 Rum or Pinochle Rum) is an American rummy variant popular from the early 20th century onward, in which players score positive points for the melds they lay down and negative points for unmelded cards left in hand when someone ends the round. The game runs for as many rounds as it takes for one player to reach a cumulative score of 500 points. Its defining innovation, inherited from earlier Mexican Rummy, is the dig-in-the-discard-pile mechanic: instead of taking only the top discard, you may select any face-up card anywhere in the discard pile, but you must also pick up every card above it and must immediately play the selected card to a meld (either a new meld or by laying off on an existing one). This rule makes the discard pile a strategic mine of potential plays rather than a one-card waste heap and sets Rummy 500 apart from Gin Rummy. The game also allows laying off onto any player's melds, including opponents', which lets you shed deadwood while scoring partial points. Rummy 500 is the direct ancestor of Canasta, which expanded the dig-the-pile mechanic into its famous all-or-nothing pickup.

Players

Two to eight players, best with 3 to 5. Each plays individually. With 5 or more players, use two 52-card decks shuffled together and double the stock. Deal rotates clockwise after each round.

Card Deck

A standard 52-card deck (two decks shuffled together for 5+ players). No jokers in the standard game; some variants add them (see Variations). Card ranking in runs follows A-2-3-...-J-Q-K, with the Ace able to play either low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A) but not both at the same time (no 'round-the-corner' runs like K-A-2). Suits are irrelevant for sets but critical for runs.

Objective

Be the first player to accumulate 500 points in cumulative round scores. Points come from melds you lay down (positive card values) minus deadwood left in hand at round's end (negative card values). Rounds end as soon as one player goes out (empties their hand by melding or laying off).

Setup and Deal

1. Determine the first dealer by any agreed method (cutting for low card is traditional).
2. Shuffle the 52-card deck (or double deck for 5+ players). Deal 7 cards to each player going clockwise (or 13 cards each in a 2-player game).
3. Place the remaining cards face-down as the stock.
4. Turn the top card of the stock face-up and place it beside the stock as the start of the discard pile. The discard pile is kept spread out, with each subsequent discard placed slightly offset on top of the previous so that every previously discarded card remains visible and recoverable.
5. The player to the dealer's left plays first. Turns rotate clockwise.

Turn Sequence

1. Draw: Start your turn by drawing one card. You have two options: - Draw from stock: Take the top face-down card from the stock. - Take from the discard pile: Select any face-up card in the discard pile and take it, along with every card above it in the pile. You must immediately use the selected card in a meld (either a new meld or by laying off on an existing meld). The other cards you picked up go into your hand.
2. Meld (optional): Lay down one or more valid melds face-up in front of you. Valid melds are: - Set: 3 or 4 cards of the same rank (e.g. three 7s or four Queens). - Run: 3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g. 5♥-6♥-7♥-8♥).5♥6♥7♥8♥
3. Lay off (optional): Add one or more cards from your hand to any meld already on the table, including opponents' melds. The card is placed in front of the player who originally melded it (cards laid off on your opponent's meld score for you, not them; this is the key difference from other rummies where layoffs credit the meld owner).
4. Discard: End your turn by placing exactly one card face-up on the discard pile, slightly offset from the previous discard. The discard pile remains visible.

Ending a Round

1. A round ends when one player goes out by playing all cards from their hand. You go out when: - You meld or lay off your last card as the final action of a turn, OR - You discard your last card, OR - A house rule may require a final discard even on the going-out turn.
2. The round also ends if the stock is exhausted and the current player cannot or chooses not to take from the discard pile. In this case, the round ends with no one officially going out.
3. Once the round ends, each player counts their score for the round.

Scoring

• Card point values: - Ace (used high, above King in a run, or as a set of Aces): 15 points. - Ace (used low, in an A-2-3 run): 1 point. - Face cards (J, Q, K) and 10: 10 points each. - Number cards 2-9: Face value (e.g. 5 = 5 points).A♠K♠
• Round score for each player: Sum of card values for all cards you laid down in melds or layoffs, minus the sum of card values of cards remaining in your hand (deadwood).
• Going out bonus: None in the standard rules; the going-out player simply has zero deadwood to subtract.
• Negative scores possible: If your deadwood exceeds your melded total, your round score is negative. This is especially common for players stuck with an Ace and face cards.
• Running total: Add each round's score to your cumulative total. First player to reach 500 points wins the game.
• Variants: Some groups use 600 or 750 as the target; others use 300 for shorter matches.

Winning

The first player to reach a cumulative score of 500 points wins the game. If two or more players reach 500 in the same round, the highest score wins. Typical game length is 4 to 8 rounds for 3-4 players, or up to a dozen rounds with 5+ players and a double deck.

Common Variations

• Persian Rummy: Adds 4 Jokers as wild cards worth 20 points in melds (and -20 deadwood if caught in hand). Jokers cannot be laid off if the natural card they represent would be playable.
• Partnership 500 Rummy: 4 players in two teams of 2 sitting opposite each other; scores combined. Partners may lay off on each other's melds freely.
• Booting: Bonus for going out on the first turn without drawing any card (usually 25 points).
• Michigan Rummy 500: A variant combining Rummy 500 with Michigan's Boodle pots, played in some regions of the US Midwest.
• Target 300: Shorter game for casual play or teaching; first to 300 wins.

Tips and Strategy

• Watch the discard pile: Because any face-up card is a potential pickup target, mentally track the cards below the top so you know what is 'available' to your opponents. A well-positioned 7 near the bottom can be a huge threat if the opponent holds two other 7s.
• Meld high cards fast: Aces and face cards count 15 or 10 points each. Getting them onto the table early locks in their point value and protects you from a surprise going-out.
• Be cautious about taking from deep in the discard pile: Picking up 5+ cards to snag one deep card is often net-negative. Only do it when the deep card completes a guaranteed 30+ point meld you could not otherwise make.
• Lay off aggressively: Layoffs on opponents' melds score for you, not the opponent. Use them to shed high-value cards safely.
• Time your going-out: If you can go out, check whether opponents hold high cards. Going out while opponents hold a dozen face cards can swing the round by 100+ points.
• Late-round defence: When another player is close to going out (1-3 cards in hand), stop melding high cards and instead dump them into the discard pile away from the opponent's visible pattern.

Glossary

• Meld: A set of 3-4 same-rank cards or a run of 3+ same-suit cards laid face-up on the table.
• Set / Group: Three or four cards of the same rank; a valid meld.
• Run / Sequence: Three or more consecutive cards of the same suit; a valid meld.
• Lay off: Adding cards to an existing meld, including opponents' melds. The card scores for the player who laid it off, not the meld owner.
• Stock: The face-down pile of undealt cards.
• Discard pile: The spread-out pile of discarded cards, from which any card may be taken along with every card above it.
• Deadwood: Cards left in a player's hand at round's end; their point values are subtracted from the player's round score.
• Going out: Emptying your hand via melds or a final discard, ending the round.
• Round-the-corner: A run wrapping from K through A to 2. Not legal in Rummy 500; Aces play either high or low, not both.