Practice Rummy: play the computer, with a coach

New to Rummy? Start with How Rummy works in the Coach. Read the full rules · All practice games

The Rummy table

The practice game needs JavaScript. The rules page explains how to play Rummy with a real deck of cards.

Coach

Goal: get rid of every card in your hand by putting groups on the table. The first player with no cards left wins the deal and scores the points still in the other player's hand. The first player to reach 100 points wins the game.

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About this practice game

Play Rummy against the computer, one on one. You each get 10 cards, and you try to get rid of all of yours by putting groups on the table. A group can be three 7s, or the 4, 5 and 6 of one suit. The first player with no cards left wins the deal and scores the points still in the other player's hand. The first to reach 100 points wins the game. Never seen it played? Press Watch a narrated deal to see the computer play both sides with every hand face up, and why it makes each move.

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How Rummy works

The goal. A game is played over several deals. A deal starts when the cards are dealt. In each deal, you try to get rid of every card in your hand by putting groups of cards on the table. The first player with no cards left wins the deal and scores the points still in the other player's hand. The first player to reach 100 points wins the game.

What happens, step by step.

The deal. You and your opponent (the computer) each get 10 cards. One more card is turned face up to start the discard pile, and the rest stay face down in the draw pile. The player who is not dealing goes first. The dealer changes after every deal.
Take one card. Your turn starts by taking a card. Either take the top card of the draw pile, or take the face-up card, which is the top card of the discard pile. You can never take a card from lower down in the discard pile.
Put down groups. A group is one of two kinds:
- A set is three or four cards of the same rank, like 7♥ 7♣ 7♦.
- A run is three or more cards in a row in one suit, with no gaps, like 4♥ 5♥ 6♥. 4♥ 5♥ 7♥ is not a run, because the 6 is missing. An ace can come before the 2 (A-2-3) or after the king (Q-K-A), but not both at once, and a run cannot wrap around: K-A-2 is not allowed.
To put a group on the table, click its cards in your hand, then press Put down a group. You can put down as many groups as you like in one turn, or none.
Add to groups. You can also add single cards to groups that are already on the table, yours or your opponent's. A card fits a set if it has the same rank and the set has only three cards, like the 7♠ for 7♥ 7♣ 7♦. A card fits a run if it is the same suit and comes right before the first card or right after the last card, like the 3♥ or the 7♥ for 4♥ 5♥ 6♥. Select the card, then press Add to a group. You can add as many cards as you like, in any order.
Discard. End your turn by putting one card from your hand face up on the discard pile: select it and press Discard. If you took the face-up card this turn, you may not put that same card straight back.
For example, say your hand holds 7♣, 7♦ and 4♠, and the face-up card is the 7♥. You take it, put down 7♥ 7♣ 7♦, and discard the 4♠.
Going out. You go out when you have no cards left. You can do it by putting your last card in a group, by adding it to a group, or by discarding it. You do not have to finish with a discard. The deal ends at once, and you win it.
Scoring. The winner scores the points of every card left in the other player's hand: an ace is 1 point, a 2 to a 10 is worth its number, and a jack, queen or king is 10. Every card in the hand counts, even cards that would make a group. Cards you have put on the table do not count.
The line above your cards, Your hand, shows what your cards would count against you if your opponent went out right now. It goes down every time you put cards on the table.
When the draw pile runs out. The next player may take the face-up card, or may turn the discard pile over (without shuffling it) to make a new draw pile and draw its top card. In this practice game the discard pile is turned over once. If the draw pile runs out a second time, the deal ends: the player holding fewer points wins and scores the difference, and if the two hands are worth the same, nobody scores.
The game ends when a player's score reaches 100 or more. Until then, press New deal to deal again. When the game is over, that button changes to New game. Press it to play again with both scores back at 0.

How to use this page

Want to see a deal before you play one? Press Watch a narrated deal, above the board. The computer plays both sides with every hand face up, and each move is explained in words. Press Next and Back (or the arrow keys) to step through it, Play to let it run by itself, or pick a part of the deal from Jump to. Back to playing returns to your own game exactly as you left it, which watching does not change.
The line at the top of the board always tells you what to do next, and what your opponent just did.
To take a card, click the draw pile (the face-down card) or the face-up card beside it. When the draw pile is empty, click it to turn the discard pile over. The face-down cards in the row above the table are your opponent's hand.
Click cards in your hand to select them. A selected card lifts up and gets a gold outline. Click it again to unselect it. Then press Put down a group (select the 3 or more cards of one group), Add to a group (select 1 card) or Discard (select 1 card). When you select a card, the groups on the table it fits are outlined, and you can click one of them to add the card there.
The card you just took or drew has a red outline. Sort by rank puts cards of the same rank side by side, which makes sets easy to see. Sort by suit puts each suit in order, which makes runs easy to see.
Not sure what to do? Press Hint. It names one move, says why, and selects the cards for you. New deal throws away the deal you are playing and deals new cards. Your scores stay the same.
Groups with a gold outline are the ones you put down. The others are your opponent's. You can add cards to either.

Rule details

Cards: one 52-card deck, no jokers. Each player gets 10 cards.
Set: three or four cards of the same rank, like 10♣ 10♥ 10♠.
Run: three or more cards in a row in one suit, like J♠ Q♠ K♠. An ace can be low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A), but not both, and a run cannot wrap around (K-A-2).
Taking a card: only the top card of the draw pile or the top card of the discard pile.
Putting cards on the table: after you have taken a card you may put down as many groups as you like and add as many cards as you like, in any order. You may add to your opponent's groups even before you have put down a group of your own.
Discarding: one card ends your turn. You may not discard the card you took from the discard pile on the same turn, unless it is your last card.
Card values: an ace is 1 (whether it is low or high), 2 to 10 are worth their number, and jack, queen and king are 10.
Score for a deal: the player who goes out scores the points of all the cards left in the other player's hand. There are no points for putting groups down.
End of a game: the first player to reach 100 points wins.
The full rules have more options. Tables often change a rule or two, for example letting the ace be low only, or scoring double for going out in a single turn. The rules page lists them.

Common beginner mistakes

Holding a group in your hand. Cards in your hand count against you if your opponent goes out first, even when they make a group. Put your groups on the table as soon as you can.
Throwing away a card that fits a group on the table. The discard pile is face up, so your opponent can take the card you throw away. A card that fits a group on the table is easy for them to use: they take it and add it, and it is gone from their hand. Before you discard, check whether your card fits. If it does, add it yourself instead.
Keeping high cards too long. A king, queen, jack or 10 costs you 10 points if it is still in your hand when your opponent goes out. Throw away high cards that go with nothing before low ones.
Taking the face-up card when it does not help. A good rule of thumb is to take it only when you can put it on the table right away. A card from the draw pile might be one you can use. The face-up card, this turn, is not.

Simple strategy

Put groups down early, and keep your hand small. Every card left in your hand when your opponent goes out counts against you, and so does a group you were saving. Holding a group back is a gamble: if your opponent goes out first, you pay for all of it. The price of putting a group down is that your opponent may add cards to it, which helps them get rid of cards too. Usually it is worth paying.
Add cards to groups on the table, your opponent's as well as yours. It is the quickest way to get rid of single cards.
Keep cards that go together, because they are close to making a group. Two cards go together when they are a pair (the same rank) or are in the same suit, one or two ranks apart. A pair of 8s needs one more 8. A 5♥ and a 7♥ need the 6♥ to make a run, and a 5♥ and a 6♥ need a 4♥ or a 7♥. The Hint button follows the same idea when it picks a card to throw away.
When you have to discard, throw away a card that goes with none of your others, and the one worth the most points first.
Watch how many cards your opponent has left. At 2 or fewer, they are close to going out: put down everything you can.
Your opponent takes the face-up card only when it can go on the table right away, in a new group or added to a group. If they take a card you discarded, it was a card they could use.

The full rules page →

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