See full list on cardgames.io. See full list on coololdgames.com.

• Play Shanghai Rummy Card Game
• Shanghai Rummy Card Game
• Shanghai Rummy Rounds

Shanghai Rummy is a variation of Contract Rummy. The principal differences between Shanghai Rummy and Contract Rummy are: There are ten rounds. Eleven cards are dealt to each player in every deal. The game uses the term 'buying' for when an out-of-turn player takes an upcard. There is a limit to the number of buys allowed. Shanghai is a rummy type game with specific entry melds for two to four players. It requires two decks of standard playing cards, including Jokers, and is suitable for ages 12 and up.

Rummy Rules

Rummy is a classic cardgame where the objective is to be the first to get rid of all your cards, by creating melds, which can either be sets, three or four cards of the same rank, e.g. H8 S8 D8, or runs, which are three or more cards of the same suit in a sequence, e.g. H1 H2 H3. Aces are low, and sequences can not wrap around. There are many, many variations of Rummy that exist, this particular implementation is Basic Rummy, or Traditional Rummy.

Gameplay

The game can have 2,3 or 4 players. If there are only two players they each get 10 cards, if there are three or four player then each player gets 7 cards. After the cards are dealt the deck is put facedown on the table, and one card face up next to it, to start the discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer starts the hand, and gameplay goes as follows:

1. Start your turn by drawing card from either the deck or the discard pile.
2. If possible, lay down a meld on the table. You are allowed to put down many melds in each round (in some versions only one meld per turn is allowed).
3. Lay off cards on existing melds. For example if there's H5 H6 H7 on the table, and you have the H8 you may lay it off on the meld. Who put the meld down in the first place doesn't matter, as soon as a meld is on the table it doesn't belong to anyone anymore, anyone can use it. You are allowed to lay off as many cards as you want, and you may always lay off, also when you haven't put down a meld in the round.
4. End your turn by discarding one card onto the discard pile. If you drew from the discard pile you can not discard that card in the same round. If you only have one card left to discard you put it face down on the discard pile and win the game.

The game continues like this until one player has finished all the cards from their hand. A player is not required to end the game by discarding a card onto the discard pile, if he can lay down all his cards in melds, or lay them off on existing melds the may do so, and will win the game.

If the deck is depleted before a player has won, then the discard pile is shuffled and used as a new deck. If the deck is depleted for a second time then the hand is considered a stalemate and finishes with no one getting any points.

Scoring

The scoring in Rummy is winner-takes-all. When a player has won a round, the cards his opponents still have in their hands are counted and the winner gets points based on them. Face cards are worth 10 points each, aces are 1 point, and other cards are worth their rank, e.g. an 8 is worth 8 points. The points for all the losers are added together and given to the winner. (In some variations each player gets his points as penalty points, but not in this version). The score needed to win the entire game varies based on how many players there are. For 2 players the score is 100 points, for 3 players it's 150 points and for four players the score is 200. When a player reaches the target score he has won the entire game. Since scoring is based on cards left in hand it makes sense to try to meld and lay off as early as possible.

Going Rummy (Rummy bonus)

If a player has not melded or laid off any cards during the game, but can get rid of all his cards in one turn earns a bonus, his points are doubled! This is called Going Rummy, and is a risky move, since you have a lot of cards for a long time, but can really pay off if you manage to do it successfully!

Stalemate

There are two cases where the game can end in a stalemate. One, as mentioned above, is when the stock has been depleted twice. The other is when the game detects that none of the players will be able to finish their hands. This can for example happen when all players have only one card left, and there are no possible lay offs on the melds on the table. When there's a stalemate all players get 0 points, and the game is considered a loss for all of them in the statistics. The way people handle this in real life varies greatly, but I've chosen this simple method here to avoid complications around two or more players having the same number of points etc.

Shanghai rum is a Rummy card game, based on gin rummy and a variation of Contract rummy played by 3 to 8 players.^[1] It is also known as California rummy.

Play[edit]

Basics[edit]

Shanghai Rummy is played with multiple decks of 54 standard playing cards, including the Jokers. Two decks are required for a game of up to four players. Five or six players require three decks. Aces are high (above a King) or low, (below 2). Each game has ten hands, and the rules for each hand are unique. One person begins as dealer for the first hand, and then the person to the dealer's left becomes dealer for the next hand, and so on. Each player is dealt eleven cards for each of the ten rounds. The rest of the deck is then placed face down in the middle of the players; this is referred to as the deck. One card is taken from the top of the deck and placed face up next to it. This card is called the upcard and becomes the beginning of the discard pile.

Each player has a choice at the beginning of their turn. They may either pick up one new card from the top of the deck or take the upcard. (Also, the other players in the game have the ability to get the upcard.) After the player draws his card, either from the deck or the upcard, he must then choose any card in his hand to discard, and he then places this card face up on the discard pile. That card then becomes the new upcard, which the next player in turn can take or other players can buy. To get a card that isn't yours a player must say, “BUY', before the next player draws their card, or else it is already considered 'dead'. Once a player discards their card, the card underneath that card is now considered a 'dead' card because it is no longer in the game. Players may not take these cards.

Jokers[edit]

Jokers are wild cards and can be played in the place of any card. A player is not allowed to have more jokers than face-cards in either a set or run. An example of this would be if one is trying to get a set he must have three or more cards of the same rank (8/8/8). But if a player has a joker or 2 he could play in place of an 8 (8/8/joker). But a player cannot lay more jokers than face-cards (8/joker/joker). However he may lay the same number of jokers as face-cards (8/8/joker/joker). The same applies for runs. If a player has laid down and has a joker in a run or set, the joker can be replaced by the appropriate card by any player. If a player who has not laid down yet replaces any joker he must lay down his meld in that turn, but if the player has already laid down his meld he may take the joker and use it how he chooses anytime.

Buying[edit]

A 'buy' is when an out-of-turn player takes the upcard, draws 2 extra cards from the stock, and cannot play the cards immediately, but must wait for his turn. If more than one player wants it, the one closest to the dealer's left has precedence. There is a limit to the number of buys allowed. Each player is only allowed 3 buys per hand in the first 8 rounds. During rounds 9 and 10, each player is allowed 4 buys per hand.

Melding[edit]

The object of each hand is to come up with the correct combination of cards to be able to meld, or 'lay out'. The combination for each hand is different, and they become more difficult with each subsequent hand. The combinations for each hand are either sets or runs (sequence) or a combination of both. A set is a combination of a specific number of cards of the same rank, and the suit is not important. An example of a 'set of 3' is three cards that are all 8's, and the 8's can all be of different suits. A run is a combination of a specific number of cards of the same suit that have consecutive ranks. An example of a 'run of 4' is the 4, 5, 6, and 7 of clubs. An example of a combination for a hand is for hand #2, '1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4.' This means that a player must have both a set of 3 cards and a run of 4 cards in his hand before he can meld. A set needs a minimum of 3 cards while a run needs a minimum of 4 cards. A player can meld only when it is his turn. As always, he must start his hand by drawing a card, then when he has the correct sequence of cards, he can meld or 'go down.' He does so by laying his meld cards face up on the table in their correct sequence. After melding, a player can then play on the melds of other players. When done, he must then discard.

Play for the player who has gone down[edit]

When a player is 'down' (meaning he has already melded), he still takes his turn in turn with the other players, and he still must draw a card and discard. However, a player who is down cannot buy a card, nor can he stop a player from buying the top card in the discard pile when it is his turn. A player who is down can play his cards on the melds that have been completed either by himself or by other players. For example, if a player has laid down a set of 8's, and on a subsequent turn he then draws another 8, he can play this 8 on his set of 8's. He does this by placing the 8 with the set of 8's. If he has a card that he would like to play on a run, he must be sure to keep the order of the run. For example, if there is a run of 5 consisting of 4-5-6-7-8 of clubs, the player can play a 3 of clubs or a 9 of clubs.

Winning the game[edit]

Play progresses until the final hand when one of the players 'goes out,' meaning he is able to play the last card in his hand. Although players may discard throughout the game, to win they must be able to lay down all of their cards without discarding. In order to win, on a player's turn they must be able to draw a card and then go out without a discard. The winner of the hand gets zero points, and the other players count their cards to determine their score for the hand. After all ten hands are played, the winner is the player with the lowest score.

Sequence of hands[edit]

1. Two sets of 3
2. One set of 3 and one run of 4
3. Two runs of 4
4. Three sets of 3
5. Two sets of 3 and one run of 4
6. One set of 3 and two runs of 4
7. Three runs of 4
8. One set of 3 and one run of 10
9. Three sets of 3 and one run of 5
10. Three runs of 5

Points[edit]

• 2 to 9: 5 points
• 10 to King: 10 points
• Ace: 15 points
• Joker: 20 points

Play Shanghai Rummy Card Game

References[edit]

Shanghai Rummy Card Game

1. ^The Everything Card Games Book, p. 146, Nikki Katz - Adams Media 2004 ISBN1-59337-130-6

External links[edit]

Shanghai Rummy Rounds