How to Play

Three-Thirteen is an 11-round draw-and-discard rummy for 2-8 players using two 52-card decks. Hand size grows by one each round (3 up to 13 cards) and the wild rank follows the hand size (3s wild in round 1, up to Kings wild in round 11). Lowest penalty-point total after all 11 rounds wins.

Three-Thirteen (also spelled 3-13, Three Thirteen, or 'Threes and Thirteens') is an 11-round draw-and-discard rummy game for 2 or more players, played across eleven deals of growing hand size. In round 1 each player receives 3 cards and the 3s are wild; in round 2 it is 4 cards and 4s wild; in round 3 it is 5 cards and 5s wild; and so on up to round 11, where each player gets 13 cards and the Kings are wild. Players draw one card each turn (from stock or discard pile), arrange their hand into sets (three or more of the same rank) and runs (three or more in suited sequence), and the first player to arrange their entire hand into valid melds and discard their last card goes out. Every other player then takes one last turn and counts the card points still in their hand as penalty points (low is good). After all 11 rounds, the player with the lowest cumulative penalty score wins. The evolving hand size and shifting wild rank keep the game tactically fresh, making it one of the most popular American family rummy variants and an excellent next step for players who already know basic Rummy or Gin.

Players

2 to 8 players. The game scales cleanly because one shuffled set of two combined 52-card decks (104 cards, jokers removed) is enough stock for up to about 6 players; for 7 or 8 players, add a third deck. Deal rotates clockwise each round. Every player plays for themselves; there are no partnerships. A high-card cut decides the first dealer.

Card Deck

Two standard 52-card decks combined (104 cards total), jokers removed in the base game. All four suits [♠][♥][♦][♣] are used identically. Rank order for sequences (runs) from low to high: A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K. Aces are low only in the base game (they do not wrap from King to Ace in a run). Card values for penalty scoring: Ace = 1 point, pips 2-10 = face value, J/Q/K = 10 points each. The wild card for the current round (for example the 5s in round 3) scores 0 when placed in a meld but may be scored 15 if still in hand when another player goes out (see Scoring).

Objective

Accumulate the lowest total penalty score over 11 rounds. Each round, the goal is to arrange every card in your hand into valid melds so that when another player goes out you have zero leftover cards, or to go out yourself (meld all but one card and discard that last card), scoring 0 for the round.

Setup and Deal

1. Choose a starting dealer by high-card cut. Shuffle the two combined decks.
2. Round 1: Deal 3 cards to each player; the 3s are wild for this round.
3. Round N (2 through 11): Deal (N+2) cards to each player; the rank equal to the deal size is wild. Round 2 = 4 cards, 4s wild; round 3 = 5 cards, 5s wild; ...; round 11 = 13 cards, Kings wild.
4. Place the remaining cards face-down as the stock and turn the top card face-up beside it to begin the discard pile.
5. The player to the dealer's left takes the first turn; play passes clockwise.
6. The deal rotates clockwise each round so every player deals at least once per game.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, draw one card: either the top card of the stock (face-down) or the top card of the discard pile (face-up).
2. Optionally arrange your hand into sets (three or more cards of the same rank, any suits; duplicate suits allowed because two decks are in play) and runs (three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive rank order, e.g., ).5♠6♠7♠
3. Wild cards (the round's wild rank) may substitute for any missing card inside a set or run. There is no limit on how many wilds may appear in a single meld in the base game, though some house rules cap it at one wild per meld.
4. Discard one card onto the discard pile to end your turn.
5. Going out: On your turn, if you can place every card in hand except one into valid melds, lay your melds face-up in front of you and discard your one remaining card. You have gone out.
6. After a player goes out, each other player takes one final turn in clockwise order: draw, attempt to meld as much as possible, then discard. They may not go out themselves on this final turn; the round ends after the last such turn.
7. Melds are laid in front of the player; they cannot be laid off onto opponents' melds in the base game (one variation does allow this).
8. Count unmelded cards in each losing player's hand for scoring.

Scoring

• The player who went out scores 0 for the round.
• Each other player counts the penalty points of cards still in hand (not placed in a valid meld): Ace = 1, 2-10 = face value, J/Q/K = 10. Wild cards left in hand count as 15 each (some groups use 0; confirm in advance).
• A player whose entire hand is already arranged in valid melds at the moment another player goes out also scores 0, even if they could not yet go out themselves (because they lack the final card to discard).
• Running totals are kept on a score sheet by round.
• After round 11 (13 cards, Kings wild), sum each player's 11 round scores. Lowest total wins. Tie-breaker: the player with more round wins (zero-scores) takes the tie.

Winning

After all 11 rounds are complete, the player with the lowest accumulated score wins the game. A typical winning total for a skilled 4-player session is between 20 and 60 points; losing totals routinely exceed 150.

Common Variations

• Jokers as extra wilds: Add the deck's jokers as permanent wild cards in every round (in addition to the round's rank wild). Jokers count 20-25 penalty points if unmelded.
• Laying off: Allow players to add cards to opponents' existing melds during their turn. Speeds rounds and reduces penalty scores.
• Six-Fourteen: Starts at 6 cards in round 1 and ends at 14 in round 9 (9-round game). Same rules, different arc.
• Three Thirteen with contracts: First meld of each round must match a required pattern (one set plus one run, two runs, three sets, and similar), borrowed from Contract Rummy.
• Double points final round: Penalty points in round 11 (13 cards, Kings wild) are doubled to raise the stakes and encourage aggressive going-out.
• Aces high wrap: Ace may appear high (Q-K-A) as well as low (A-2-3) in runs; expands flexibility.
• Shortened game: Play only rounds 3 through 10 (8 rounds) for faster play.
• Two-deck-plus-Jokers with 7+ players: Add a third deck so the stock never runs dry during the longest rounds.

Tips and Strategy

• Race in early rounds, defend in late rounds. With only 3 or 4 cards each, going out is fast; treat rounds 1 and 2 as a race. With 11+ cards, you will rarely win the round, so focus on reducing deadwood.
• Treat the round's wild like a joker, not a face card. A you pick up in round 3 (5s wild) is more valuable as a wild than as a pip card. Keep wilds until the end of your arranging, then slot them where they fix a stuck meld.5♣
• Count penalty points, not cards. Holding one Queen (10 points) is worse than holding two 3s (6 points). Discard your highest unmelded card first.
• Watch the discard pile. If you pick up a 7 from the discard and the next player also needs 7s, they may take your discard to complete a set. Discard low-value cards that you know no one wants.
• Do not draw from the discard pile without a plan. Taking the top discard signals exactly what you are collecting. Save it for cards you genuinely need now.
• Late in the round, simplify. If you have two wilds and a Queen in a stuck 13-card round, pairing the wilds with two Aces (set of three) and discarding the Queen reduces penalty from 10 to zero.
• Track wild-rank discards. There are 8 wilds in each two-deck round. Seeing 5 of them go by means opponents have 3 or fewer still; your odds of drawing one are slim.
• Call out early if you can go out with a single high card in hand. Waiting for the perfect discard often lets an opponent dump 10-point cards in the extra final turn.

Glossary

• Set: Three or more cards of the same rank, any suits. Example: three 9s from any combination of the two decks.
• Run: Three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive rank order. Example: .4♥5♥6♥
• Wild card: The rank equal to the current round's hand size (round 1 = 3s, round 2 = 4s, ..., round 11 = Kings). Substitutes for any missing card in a meld.
• Meld: Either a set or a run placed face-up on the table as a completed group.
• Deadwood: Cards left in hand that are not part of any meld; these count as penalty points when another player goes out.
• Go out: End the round by laying down every card in hand into melds and discarding one final card.
• Final turn: The single turn each remaining player takes after someone goes out, to meld as much as possible before counting.
• Stock: The face-down pile of undealt cards used for drawing.
• Discard pile: The face-up pile built by players' discards; its top card is eligible to be drawn.