How to score Rummy
To keep score in rummy, the player who goes out scores every card still left in the other hands: picture cards 10, aces 1, the rest their number. Nobody else scores. Agree a target before you deal, and the first to reach it wins.
- 2 to 6 players
- One deck; 10, 7 or 6 cards each
- To a total you agree
- Only the winner scores
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This is the real Scorepad, live. Hand 4 is Dev going rummy, 26 doubled to 52. Tap any hand to change it.
Rummy
The plain rummy game: draw, discard and lay down sets and runs until one player goes out, and that player scores the value of every card left in the other hands.
Rummy on BoardGameGeek.
How to play Rummy, in brief
The aim in basic rummy is to get rid of all your cards by laying them down as sets and runs. Whoever goes out first scores the cards left in the other hands.
- DealDeal 10 each to two players, 7 to three or four, 6 to five or six, then turn the next card up as the discard pile.
- Draw, then discardTake the top card of the stock or the discard pile. End your turn by discarding one, but not one you just took from the discard pile.
- Meld and lay offLay down sets of 3 or 4 of one rank, or runs of 3 or more in a row in one suit, aces low. You may add cards to melds on the table.
- Go outThe hand ends when someone has no cards left. Play to an agreed total.
Whoever goes out collects everyone else’s cards.
A hand ends the moment one player gets rid of their last card. Cards already laid down score nothing for anyone. Every card still in someone’s hand counts, matched or not, and all of it goes to the player who went out.
What each card is worth
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| King, Queen, Jack | 10 |
| 10 down to 2A 7♣ is worth 7 | Face value |
| AceLow in basic rummy | 1 |
| Going rummyYour whole hand down in one turn, with nothing melded or laid off before | Double |
- Stop when someone goes outThe hand ends the moment a player has no cards left. Nobody lays anything down after that.
- Count every card still heldEach other player adds up their hand. A set or run they never laid down counts too.
- Give it all to the winnerThe player who went out scores the lot. Everyone else scores 0 for the hand.
- Double a rummyWent out by laying down your whole hand in one turn, with nothing melded or laid off before? Bicycle doubles the hand; Pagat makes it a house rule.
- Play to your targetBasic rummy has no standard end, so agree a total or a number of deals before you start. The highest total wins.
Hand 7: Jonas goes out and passes 100.
Jonas lays down his last card. You, Mara and Dev are each caught holding cards, and every one of them goes to Jonas. This is hand 7 on the Scorepad above.
| Player | Cards left in hand | Hand |
|---|---|---|
| You | Holding K♣ 4♦ 3♠Worth 17, all to Jonas | 0 |
| Mara | Holding 8♥ 8♣ 8♠ A♦, a set she never laid downWorth 25, all to Jonas | 0 |
| Dev | Holding J♥ 2♣Worth 12, all to Jonas | 0 |
| Jonas | Went outEveryone else’s cards: 17 + 25 + 12 | 54 |
One count a hand, and 0 for the rest.
Tabletales is a scorepad and scrapbook for game night. Rummy has no fixed target, so set the one your table plays to on the Scorepad. Type each hand, and the first total to reach the target turns gold.
- Count the cards on the keypadType the winner’s count, or type it card by card (10 + 4 + 3 + 8 and on) and Tabletales adds it up. A rummy is the count typed twice: 26 + 26.
- Zero the rest in one goHold 0 to give the rest of the hand a 0, then tap the winner’s box and type their count.
- Your target, on the padSet Play to a score to whatever your table agreed, and the first total to reach it turns gold. Playing penalty scoring? Pick Lowest wins and play to 100.
- And the night is keptSave it with who played and a photo from the table. Each game gets a history: how often you play it, who with, and who holds the high score.
- Everyone who was there
- Photos from the table
- Rummy, with its scores
Common Rummy scoring mistakes
- Leaving a set out of the countEvery card left in a hand counts, matched or not. Three 8s you never laid down are 24 for the winner.
- Scoring the ace highIn basic rummy an ace is 1. Only tables that let aces sit high count them more.
- Doubling after earlier meldsA rummy doubles only when the whole hand goes down in one turn, with nothing melded or laid off before.
- Starting without an endBasic rummy has no standard target, so settle on a total or a number of deals before the first hand.
Rummy scoring, answered
- How do you keep score in rummy?
- When a player goes out, they score the value of every card left in the other players’ hands: picture cards 10, aces 1, the rest face value. Everyone else scores 0 for that hand.
- What do you play to in rummy?
- Basic rummy has no standard target: agree a total or a number of deals before you start, and the highest total wins. In the penalty version, play stops when someone reaches 100 and the lowest total wins.
- What does going rummy mean?
- Laying down your whole hand in one turn, with nothing melded or laid off before. Bicycle’s rules double that hand’s points; Pagat treats it as an optional house rule.
Rummy score sheet
Print one for the table: six players and twenty hands, with a running total beside every hand, a space for your target and the card values at the bottom.
Score another game
House rules vary: some tables let aces count high (15 in Pagat, 11 in Wikipedia), count a joker left in hand as 15, or play penalty scoring, where everyone scores their own cards, play stops at 100 and the lowest total wins. Bicycle and Pagat deal 10 cards each to two players, 7 to three or four, and 6 to five or six. Rules checked on 19 October 2026 against Bicycle Cards, Pagat and Wikipedia.
Keep score tonight. Keep the night for good.
Tabletales adds up every hand, then saves the whole night: the games, the scores, the photos and who was there.
