Euchre: The Ultimate Guide

How to Play Our Favorite Card Game - We play 'May I' as a family all the time. We hope you enjoy playing it with your friends and family too with this step-b. Mao (or Mau) is a card game of the shedding family. The aim is to get rid of all of the cards in hand without breaking certain unspoken rules which tend to vary by venue. The game is from a subset of the Stops family and is similar in structure to the card game Uno or Crazy Eights. Unlike other popular card games where individual players compete against each other to win, euchre is a team sport that focuses more on interpersonal communication and social strategies, skills which may be found lacking in a typical game of poker.

Summary

If you’ve never heard of the game before, you might be surprised to learn that Euchre is one of the world’s oldest and most popular card games with roots dating back to 18th century Europe. Unlike other popular card games where individual players compete against each other to win, euchre is a team sport that focuses more on interpersonal communication and social strategies, skills which may be found lacking in a typical game of poker. This social aspect of the game, perhaps, is part of the reason why Euchre is more likely to be played in quaint, small-town bars and tournaments at pubs and taverns, local community gatherings, and small, intimate kitchen table get-togethers amongst friends.

Whether you’re not familiar with the game or are a seasoned expert, this ultimate guide to Euchre will explain everything you need to know about the game—including its history and background, how to play Euchre, important variations to the rules, and more. Keep reading to learn what you need to know about this classic card game that’s been passed down for generations by Euchre lovers all over the world, and why it’s an enjoyable pastime, perfect for playing with family and friends.

How To Play Euchre

Euchre is a very social game considered to belong to the “trick-taking” genre, along with hearts and spades. The goal of the game is to win the trick by playing the high card in each round, and to win more tricks than the other team. If a team scores ten points first in a round, that team wins the game. Under normal circumstances, one round of Euchre should take approximately half an hour or less to complete.

*NOTE: Rules for Euchre will vary according to region, and the house rules of the establishment where the game is being played. In this article, we’ve chosen one of the most common versions of Euchre played in the United States, though it should be noted that there are other ways of playing the game. Other variations to the game, including a common method where the Joker is also included in the modified Euchre deck, can be found in the variations section.You’ll Need:

• Four players (split into two teams)
• A Standard Deck of 52 Playing Cards*
• Pencil and paper (to keep track of points)

*Euchre uses only 24 cards from a regular 52-card deck. To create the deck, simply separate the nines, tens, jacks, queens, kings, and aces from each suit.Setting Up the Game

Euchre is played with four players split evenly into two teams. Each player sits opposite his or her partner at the table. Euchre decks can be purchased in stores or through online marketplace websites like Amazon, however, Euchre decks can be easily made from a standard 52-card deck using just 24 cards (the Nine, Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace cards of each of the four suits). The rest of the cards in the deck are unused in Euchre.

Before the game begins, the players agree on the Trump suit, or the suit with the highest-value of the game, The selected Trump suit can any of the suits in the card deck: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, or Clubs. The cards of each suit are ranked in the following order, from highest to lowest:

1. Right Bower: The Jack card from the selected Trump suit, and the best bower. The word “bower” is from the German “bauer”, which means “farmer”, which is represented by the Jack of Clubs, Jack of Spades, Jack of Hearts, and Jack of Diamonds.
2. Left Bower: The Jack of the same color as the Trump suit, but from a different suit
3. Ace: The Ace card from the Trump suit
4. King: The King card from the Trump suit
5. Queen: The Queen card from the Trump suit
6. Ten: The ten card from the Trump suit
7. Nine: The nine card from the Trump suit

All other suits, except for the cards of the Trump suit, or the Jack of the same color as the Trump suit), have the following ranking, from highest to lowest:

1. Ace
2. King
3. Queen
4. Jack
5. Ten
6. Nine

How to Play

The first dealer of the game is randomly selected from the four players, and afterwards, will rotate in a clockwise direction throughout the game. Once chosen, the dealer then shuffles the cards and offers the player to the left with the choice to cut the deck, or to play it as is.

The dealer then deals out five cards to each player in two clockwise rotations around the table, which means two or three cards per round. If one player was dealt two cards in the first rotation, the dealer will then give him or her three cards in the next, or three in the first, and two in the next. The order may be different from player to player.

Choosing the Trump Suit

When the dealer finishes passing out cards, he or she will turn the next card in the remaining cards (called the kitty) over and set it down, face-up. The player to the left of the dealer will then decide whether he or she accepts the up-card suit as the Trump suit, or would prefer to turn it down, or pass. This process determines the trump suit, which team are the makers (the ones that accept a trump card or offer another) and the defenders (the team that doesn’t).

First, each player in turn, beginning with the player to the dealer’s left, has the option of accepting the up-card’s suit as the trump suit, or passing. If he or she decides to pass, the dealer’s partner will then have the choice of passing or saying “I assist”. If both players pass, the player to the right of the dealer will decide to pass or say “I order it up”. If all players pass the card, the dealer will then pick up the card saying “I take it up”, or pass on the card, flipping it over face-down and remarking, “over” and the end of the turn.

If one the dealer or one of the dealer’s opponents takes up the card, the suit on the up-card becomes the Trump suit. If this happens, then the dealer will add the up-card to his or her hand while removing another card, face-down. If the dealer’s partner says “I turn it down”, that player will play alone and their partner, the dealer, must place his or her cards down on the table. If no one speaks up for the card and all players pass, the dealer will place the up-card face-down and turn a new card over from the kitty.

In this second round, the player to the left will pass, or name a suit. If that player passes, the next player will also choose to pass or name a suit, continuing on until someone names a suit or all players pass. If all players pass again, the players throw in their cards and a new player is the dealer (chosen clockwise from the last dealer). The new dealer will shuffle the cards again and give each player a new hand to start the process over again.

Playing Alone

If any player from the maker or defender side feels as though he or she has a particularly strong hand, they can decide to play alone to win more points. This can be done once the trump suit is selected, but before the play begins. In some cases, one player from the maker side and one player from the defender side will both simultaneously decide to play alone.

Playing the Game

The player that leads first depends on how many players are active in the game. There are three scenarios that might take place to determine who leads with the first card.

• If all of the four players are active, then the player to the left of the dealer begins the gameplay by leading with any card from his or her hand.
• If one player of the four has decided to play a lone hand, the player to the left of the solo player will go first.
• If two players have decided to go alone, the player whose team did not choose the trump suit goes first.
• The first player to put down a card can lead with any card of their choosing. In a clockwise rotation, each player must follow suit by placing down a card of the same suit as the card led. If he or she cannot follow suit, they will play any card of their choice. The player that wins the trick will have played the highest card of the suit led, or in case a player put down a trump card, the highest trump card wins. The winning player will lead the next round.

Scoring Points in Euchre

The scoring system in Euchre is complicated, where points are weighted depending on how many players play, which team wins (the makers or the defenders), and how many tricks are taken in total.

The scoring system is as follows:

• One point is scored for every three or four tricks taken, when all four players are playing in a round.
• Two points are scored if the either the makers or the defenders sweep all five tricks, when all four players are playing in a round.
• If a lone player wins three or four tricks, their team wins one point.
• If a player plays alone and wins all five tricks, the team will score four points.
• If a player is caught failing to follow suit when he or she could have done so, this is called a “renege”. If another player catches a renege, that team can decide to add two points to their score, or to take away two points to the guilty team’s score as a penalty.
• If the renege is committed and caught by a team going against a solo opponent, the penalty is four points added to the innocent team’s score, or taken away from the guilty team’s score (to be decided on by the team that identified the renege).
• If the makers fail to take the trick at least three out of the five rounds, the defenders score two points and the makers are considered “euchred”.

How to Win at Euchre: Top Tips and Expert Strategies

The best advice any Euchre player will give to a beginner is to play often. Euchre is a fast-paced game with plenty of rules that may seem confusing at first, but once you’ve gotten the hang of the pace and structure of the game, developing an instinct for winning strategies will come naturally.

It’s often said that Euchre is a game of strategy and luck, just like poker. While players may not have much control over the cards they’re dealt, they do have control over the decisions they make—like knowing whether to bid or to pass, and when to play alone, and how to read an opponent, that affect not only their personal outcome, but that of their partner’s as well.

While practice will certainly improve your abilities at Euchre, learning some of the more popular strategies can also help you get better at the game. Here are a few very basic tips to get you started with developing your own Euchre methodology:

Keep an Eye Out for Cheaters!

If a player fails to follow suit when he or she could have done so, the player must identify the renege before the round is completed and the winner takes the trick. Paying attention to the cards played on both sides will help players catch reneges before it’s too late to correct them and win the points.

Learn to Memorize the Cards Played

Unlike games played with all 52 cards, Euchre decks are made up of just 24 cards, meaning that there are less cards to consider. Memorizing which cards have been played already, which cards the dealer added to his or her own hand, and other details will help you to make more strategic decisions throughout the game—like when to toss cards and when to lead with them.

Be a Good Leader

If you’re putting down the first card, consider whether your partner called the trump suit or not. If so, your partner needs to know where the trump cards are, so if you hold the right or left bower, you may want to lead with them to alert your partner as to where they are.

If you are on the defender’s side, try and lead with a singleton Ace (an ace with no other cards in that suit). Your next best bet will be a doubleton Ace, as long as it’s not the same color as the trump suit. This will increase the odds that your opponents will have to play that suit (and you’ll win the trick with the highest value card).

If you do have other cards from the same off-suit, don’t risk playing that hand. Remember that there are only six cards of each suit in the deck. Chances may not be in your favor that your opponents will have the remaining cards to follow suit, and will be able to win the trick with a higher-value card. Likewise, don’t lead with the suit that was turned down. The likeliest reason that your opponents turned down the suit, after all, is because they didn’t have those cards in the first place.

Know When It’s Time to Make the Trump, and When It’s Not

There are certain times in the game where ordering the trump suit or picking it up, if you’re the dealer, will benefit your team more than when passing the card. One of those times is when your team is at The Bridge, which refers to the breaking point where your score is at 9 points. If the opposing team is within reach of a win with a four-point score (through a solo player win), becoming the maker team will prevent the opposite team from being able to do so.

Pay Attention to the Cards that are Turned Down

It’s safe to assume that if the dealing team turns down a card of a certain suit, neither of them have those suit cards, or the left bower card (or any side aces of that color to help, for that matter). In this case, leading with the opposite suit of the same color is mathematically probably choice for you or your partner winning the trick—a tactic referred to as “next”.

Euchre Terms and Definitions

At the Bridge: When a team has nine points and is one point away from winning the game.

Bowers: The highest cards in each suit are the Jack cards, known as the bowers, where the right bower is the highest and the left bower is the second highest card in the round. The right bower and the left bower change according to the trump suit selected and are at the top of the hierarchy in the entire deck.

Right Bower: The jack of the trump suit.

Left Bower: The jack of the suit that represents the same color as the trump suit.

Makers: The partnership that orders up the trump is called the “maker” team.

Defenders: The partnership that did not order up the trump suit.

Declare Trump/Order Up: Declaring trump or ordering up refers to the act of ordering the trump.

Eldest Hand: Also known as the “first seat”, the eldest hand refers to the player to the left of the dealer.

Euchre/Euchred: When the team that orders up the trump suit fails to take three or four tricks, they are “euchred”, and the defenders score two additional points.

Hand: In euchre, a hand consists of five tricks.

Kitty: The kitty refers to the four extra cards (or five, depending on the game variation) after the cards have been dealt.

Pone (also known as the Third Seat): The pone, or the third seat, refers to the player sitting at the right of the dealer.

Round: One round signifies one rotation in which each player in the game has played one card.

Round of Bidding: One rotation where each player has the opportunity to bid or pass on the trump suit, and ends after someone has declared the trump. There can a second round of bidding after the first if the first trump suit is passed by all of the players.

Renege: When a player has refused to follow suit despite having been able to do so.

Side Ace: Any Ace card that does not belong to the trump suit.

Side Suit: A card in a suit that does not represent the trump suit.

Stick the Dealer: If the second round of bidding passes without a player ordering up (or making trump), the players can force the dealer to declare the trump suit in an action called “stick the dealer”.

Trick: When a trump suit is chosen and the first card is led, each player lays one card down. The set of four cards together are known as the “trick”.

Trump: Also known as the “boss suit”, the trump suit outranks all other suits in the deck.

Trumping: Also known in some versions of the game as “ruffing”, Trumping simply means to play a trump suit card on a trick.

Up-Card: Also known as a “turn-card”, the up-card is the top card from the kitty that the dealer turns face-up after dealing out the cards to each player. The up-card is offered to the players as the trump suit during the first round of bidding. If the up-card is chosen by a player, the dealer replaces the up-card with one of his or her cards from their hand.

Euchre Game Variations

There are many variations of euchre that range from simple twists to total adaptations of the game. Learning the different variations can be a fun way to change up the game and to keep it exciting—though many long-time players scoff at some of the adaptations made to the game and would prefer to stick to their original versions.

Here are just a few of some of the ways euchre is played differently in other parts of the world:

25 and 32-Card Deck Variations

One of the most notable variants of the game of euchre has to do with the number of cards played in the deck. While many US and Canadian versions of Euchre primarily use 24 cards in the deck, other versions use 25—usually in British versions of Euchre. In this variation, the Joker card, referred to as the “Benny” is utilized and has the highest value in the deck—followed by the right bower and left bower, and the Ace, etc. In other versions, player use 32 card decks, where the 7 and 8 cards are included. This can make the game significantly harder as it creates more confusion as to which players hold trump cards and which do not.

Cutthroat (Three-Handed Euchre)

In this popular version of euchre, there are only three players that play on their own. The first player to reach ten points wins the game.

Smitty

In this version of euchre, the player to the left of the dealer makes a guess as to the suit of the trump card before the dealer deals the cards to the players or turns over the up-card. If the player guessed correctly, the suit is automatically the trump suit and the player to the left of the dealer that predicted the suit correctly gets the card (and must discard one of his or her own cards from their hand). If a player calls trump correctly, he or she can then decide to play solo—but cannot change their mind after seeing his or her hand.

If the player guesses incorrectly, then the remaining players will have the choice of making trump or passing the bid. Euchre scoring in Smitty can vary and there is the option of going alone if you’ve called the trump, which is called “calling for the game”. In this case, if a player wins all five tricks, ten points are granted to that team and they win the entire game.

McEvoy

A McEvoy hand is a hand that is made up of 9s and 10s, in other words, the lowest cards in the deck. In some variants of euchre, the dealer will re-deal the cards if a McEvoy hand is declared by a player. If a player wants to declare his or her McEvoy hand, it must be done immediately after the cards are dealt and before the round of bidding begins. Players are allowed just one McEvoy call per player, per game.

Chuck

In euchre, “Chuck” is a variation of “Stick the Dealer”. In this case, the dealer can decide to order up the trump, keep just one card from the hand, and trade the remaining four cards for those that remain in the kitty. This move can also include the up-card that was turned over.

Dirty Clubs

Also known as “Club Euchre”, this version says that when the up-card from the kitty is clubs, the dealer must declare it as the trump suit and play with his or her partner on the makers side.

Aces High, No Trump

Just as the name says, this American version of the game states that a player can bid “no trump” after the first round of bidding has passed. This would make Aces the highest cards rank in the deck.

Haters

In this version, all suits may become trump suits except for hearts.

History of Euchre

Euchre is said to be derived from a blend of three ancient European trick-taking card games: Juckerspiel, a popular German card game from the 18th century, Écarté, an old French casino game, and Triomphe, which originated in Spain in the early 15th century.

The game made its way to the United States in the 19th century, where it was introduced, most likely, by German and French settlers in Pennsylvania and Louisiana, and by sailors crisscrossing the Atlantic between the United States and England. It spread very quickly along the East Coast, the Southern states (especially in New Orleans), and across Canada, becoming one of the most popular card games in both countries, and the number one card game in the United States for a long time.

While Euchre has lost much of its popularity over the last century, the game still enjoys a strong following in hot spots located all over the world. There are tournaments and official clubs where players meet on a regular basis to play, most notably in the Midwestern “Euchre belt” of the United States (Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin), in parts of Canada (particularly Ottawa and Nova Scotia territories), large, coastal, English port cities in Great Britain like Cornwall and the Channel Islands, and in New Zealand and Australia. The rise of the internet has also sparked renewed interest in Euchre, with online tournaments and competitions connecting old and new players from around the world that share the same passion for the game.

Learn By Watching

I know some people (myself included) are visual learners. If that is the case, feel free to watch the video below on how to play Euchre with real life examples. Let us know if you have any questions or feedback on the Contact Page!

This page is partly based on contributions from Magnus and Greg Petras.

Introduction

Contract Rummy is a version of Rummy consisting of a series of rounds. In each round there is a different contract: players have to collect a particular combination of groups and sequences before they are allowed to meld. The contracts become progressively more demanding on each deal.

Alternative Names and Variants

This page describes several games which are so similar that they can almost be regarded as variations of or alternative names for the same game. They are:

The original game of the group was Zioncheck, invented by Ruth Armson in the 1930's, which had just six contracts.

Links to several other web pages with rules of various Contract Rummy games can be found at the end of this page.

Contract Rummy

This description is based on a contribution from Magnus.

Players

The game is best played by three to five players; the optimum number is four.

Cards

Contract Rummy is played with two standard decks of 52 cards, plus jokers.The number of jokers used should be one fewer than the number of players, sothree players play with 106 cards, four players with 107 and five with 108.

The Deal

There are seven rounds altogether. The first dealer is chosen randomly, and thereafter the turn to deal rotates clockwise. The deal itself is clockwise, one card at a time. In the first three rounds, the players receive 10 cards each; in the last four they receive 12 cards each.

The cards remaining after the deal are placed face down on the table to form thestock pile, the top card of which is turned face up and placed alongsideto start the discard pile.

Object of the Game

The object of each round is to dispose of all your cards by acombination of melding, laying off, and discarding. In order to do anymelding or laying off, you must begin by fulfilling your contract for the round currently being played.

There are two kind of melds, sequences (also called runs) and groups (also called sets or books).

• A sequence or run, in this game, consists of at least four consecutive cards of the same suit, such as 4 5 6 7. An ace can count as low or high but not both at the same time. So A 2 3 4 and J Q K A are both valid sequences, but Q K A 2 is not valid.
• A group, set or book consists three cards of the same rank, irrespective of suit, such as 5 5 5.

Once it has been melded, a sequence can be extended by adding further consecutive cards at either end, as far as the ace in either direction; the longest theoretically possible sequence being 14 cards long with an ace at each end. A group can be extended by adding further equal ranking cards.

When a player goes out, by disposing of all their cards, the other players score penaltypoints for all the cards remaining in their hands. The object of the game is to be the player with the lowest score at the end of the series of seven rounds.

The Contracts

The contracts in each successive round are as the following.

1. Two Groups of 3 (6 cards)
2. One Group of 3 and One Sequence of 4 (7 cards)
3. Two Sequences of 4 (8 cards)
4. Three Groups of 3 (9 cards)
5. Two Groups of 3 and One Sequence of 4 (10 cards)
6. One Group of 3 and Two Sequences of 4 (11 cards)
7. Three Sequences of 4 and No Discard (explained later)

The Play

The player to dealer's left takes the first turn. A turn consists of:

1. The Draw

The player must either draw the top card of the stock pileor take the top card of the discard pile. A player who chooses to draw a card from thestock pile must first give any other player who wishes the opportunity to take thediscard (see below).

2. Melding

The player may place groups or sequences from hand face up on the table. This can only be done once by each player during each round. When melding, you mustlay down exactly the combination of groups or sequences which is required by the contract for the round you are in. For example, you cannot lay down one group if you need two, or if you need asequence also. When you meld, you can only meld the minimum number of cards required. For example if you have a sequence of a greater number of cards than four, or a group of more than three, you must wait until your next turn before you can lay off the additional cards.Melding is optional - you are not required to meld as soon as you are able to.

3. Laying off.

Laying off is adding cards to groups or sequences which have already been melded - both your own and those melded by your opponents. You may lay off only if you have already melded in some previous turn of the current round. You may not lay off before or on the same turn in which you meld. There is no limit as to how many cards you may lay off in one turn. Laying off is optional - you are never obliged to lay off cardsif you do not wish to.

4. The Discard.

At the end of your turn, you must discard one card from your hand and placed it face up on top of the discard pile (except at the end of round 7 - see below).

Play continues with players taking turns clockwise around the table until one person has got rid of all the cards from their hand.

It can occasionally happen that the stock pile runs out of cards. If a player wishes to draw a card when there are no cards left in the stock pile, then you take all the cards of the discard pile except the top one, shuffle them together, and place them face down to make a new stock. The top card of the old discard pile remains face up to start the new discard pile. Play then continues as before.

If there are a lot of 'May I?'s (see below), it is just conceivable that both the stock pile and the discard pile might run out of cards. In that case the play ends. There is no winner and everyone scores penalty points according to the cards that they have in their hands (see scoring).

Taking the Discard Out of Turn (the 'May I?')

If at the start of your turn you choose to draw from the stock rather than take the discard, any player who desires the card on the top of the discard pile may ask for it (hence the name 'May I?' of the version described later). If several people want the discard, it goes to the earliest in turn to play after the person who is about to draw from the stock. The player who takes the discard in this way must take in addition the top card from the stock as a penalty card.

After someone has taken the discard out of turn, it is possible for a different player to take the next card of the discard pile in the same way, also taking a penalty card from the stock pile along with it. There is no limit as to how many times this can be done, but the same player is not allowed to take two successive cards from the discard pile in this way.

Only when the other players have had the opportunity to take any cards they want from the top of the discard pile does the person who was about to play draw from the stock and continue their turn. Note that the play resumes from its original point - the turn to play does not jump to the person who takes the discard.

Note also that if the player whose turn it is to play wishes to take the card at the top of the discard pile they may do so, without taking a penalty card from the stock pile, and no one else then has the chance to take any discards.

Jokers

Jokers may be used in either sequences or groups, to substitute for any missing card.

If a joker is played in a sequence, any player who has the card which the joker is representing, and who has already melded their contract on a previous turn, may, during the laying off phase of their turn to play, take the joker, replacing it in the meld with the card it represents. Any joker gained in this manner must be laid off in the current turn - it cannot be saved for play in a later turn.

Jokers played as part of a group are considered 'dead'; they cannot be reclaimed and played elsewhere.

Special Rules for Particular Rounds

Rounds 1,2,3

Dealer deals 10 Cards.

Rounds 4,5,6,7

Dealer Deals 12 Cards.

Rounds 3,6,7

In rounds in which the contract requires multiple sequences, you are not allowed to meld two sequences in the same suit which are contiguous. For example 3 4 5 6 and 7 8 9 10 are not acceptable as two sequences in a contract. To be valid, sequences in the same suit must either have a gap between them or overlap. The following are valid as a pair of sequences:

• 3 4 5 6 and 5 6 7 8
• 3 4 5 6 and 8 9 10 J

The above restriction applies only to sequences melded by a single player as part of a contract. You are allowed to meld a sequence which is contiguous with a sequence melded by a different player, and it does not matter if your sequences which were originally separated by a gap become contiguous as a result of cards laid off by yourself or another player.

Round 7

In the final round, you must meld all your cards at once. In this round only, the sequences you meld are allowed to be longer than four cards - in fact one of them will have to be longer, as you have at least 13 cards after drawing. As you have melded all your cards, there is no discard - play ends immediately after the meld.

Scoring

When someone goes out by getting rid of all their cards, play ends and the other players score penalty points for all the cards remaining in their hands, the cards scoring as follows:

Face cards (K,Q,J)	10 Points
Ace	15 Points
Joker	15 Points
Number Cards are worth their spot (index) value.

At the end of the seventh and last round, the player with the lowest total score wins.

Variation

The game can be played without jokers.

Liverpool Rummy

Paul Welty reports that Liverpool Rummy is the same as Contract Rummy, except that the player to the right of the dealer must cut the deck before the deal. If this player manages to cut the exact number of cards required to deal the hand and leave a face-up card, then the cutting player's score is reduced by 50 points (which is good).

May I?

This is related to Contract Rummy, described above, but according to Greg Petras there are the following differences:

1. In 'May-I?', one deck of cards is used per 2 people playing, including both jokers from each deck of cards.
2. The sequences or groups in your initial meld can contain more than the minimum number of cards. For example, in round 3, if you have, say, 3-4-5-6-7 and 2-3-4-5-6-7, you may lay down all of these cards at once in your melding turn. You do not have to put down, for example, just 3-4-5-6 and 2-3-4-5 first and then wait until your next turn to then to lay off the left over 7 and 6-7. The same applies to groups - the initial meld may have as many cards as you like (minimum 3) of the same rank.
3. Jokers which have been melded cannot be reused. For example, if someone has put down a sequence 3-4-joker-6, and you have the 5 of that suit, you may not take the joker out in exchange for your 5.
4. In the rounds where the contract has more than one sequence (rounds 3, 6, and 7)there is no prohibition against contiguous sequences. For example it is acceptable to meld 3-4-5-6 and 7-8-9-10 of the same suit as two sequences.
5. The special rules for round 7 do not apply. The player melding may have more than 12 cards: if they have said 'May-I?' during that round they will have two extra cards in their hand for each 'May-I?' they said. It is not necessary to use all the cards in your hand in your 3 sequences, and if the player melding has cards left over, then play continues as in other rounds.
6. The Joker is worth 25 points, not 15 points.

Shanghai Rummy

There are several versions of Shanghai Rummy. There is also a rummy game known to some people as Shanghai, which is not a contract game, but a type of Carousel or Manipulation rummy - this will be found on the Carousel page.

The description below has been put together mainly from a description by Mark Allen Davis, with variations supplied by Tahelia Powe and Deb Kolsov.

The basic rules are as in Contract Rummy; the description below concentrates on the differences.

Players, Cards, Deal and Contracts

The game is for 3 to 5 players. The game is played with two standard decks including four jokers (108 cards). As in Contract Rummy, 11 cards are dealt to each player and there are seven contracts:

1. two books
2. one book, one run
3. two runs
4. three books
5. two books, one run
6. one book, two runs
7. three runs with no discard

Melding Rules

In a run, aces are high only. A-2-3-4 is not a run. When putting down runs, consecutive runs in the same suit (such as 6-7-8-9 and 10-J-Q-K) cannot be put down by the same player in the initial meld. Runs can, however, become consecutive later, when they are extended by adding extra cards.

A player cannot put down two books of the same rank - six eights do not make two books.

A joker can be used in a meld as a substitute for a missing card. A book or run cannot contain more than one joker (but a player can meld more than one joker provided that they are used in different books or runs).

Further cards can be added to your initial meld and to other players melds in the same turn that the initial meld is laid down or in later turns.

The 'May I?'

Each player can take the discard out of turn at most two times in each round. It is convenient to use pennies or other tokens to keep track of this. The player who wants the discard must also take the top two cards from the face down stock, and does not meld or discard. Play then reverts to the person whose turn was interrupted.

May I Rummy Rules

You can only take the discard by a 'May I?' if the player whose turn it is does not want it. If more than one player wants to 'May I?' the same card, the one whose turn to play would be sooner has priority.

The Shanghai

This occurs when a card is discarded which could be added to one of the melds that is already on the table. There are two situations:

1. If you deliberately discard a card which could be added to an existing meld, you can call 'Shanghai' as you discard it. This prevents it from being picked up by the next player or being 'May I?'d in that player's turn. This can happen, for example, when you have not yet made your initial meld, but wish to get rid of a card from your hand which happens to fit one of the other players' melds.
2. If you discard a card which could be added to an existing meld without calling Shanghai, then any other player (even a player who has not yet put down their contract) may call 'Shanghai', and add the discard to a meld. The calling player then offers their hand to you face down, and you must draw a card from it and place it in your own hand. The player to your left then takes their turn as normal.

Note that a 'Shanghai' takes precedence over a 'May I?'. If a player calls 'Shanghai' to protect a discard or to take a discard and add it to a meld on the table, this stops any other player taking that card with a 'May I?' on that turn.

The Scoring

The penalty points for cards remaining in players' hands when someone goes out are as follows:

2 - 7	5 points each
8 - K	10 points each
aces	20 points each
jokers	50 points each

Variations

Tahelia Powe's version has the following differences:

1. Only 10 cards are dealt to each player.
2. There is an additional contract of 4 books of 3 inserted at the seventh deal; on the eighth and last deal you need three runs of 4.
3. When going out, you are never allowed to discard; all the cards from your hand must be played on the table.
4. A player cannot meld more than one run in the same suit.
5. 'May I?'s are called buys.
6. There is no Shanghai.

Deb Kolsov's version has a different sequence of contracts:

1. two sets of 3
2. set of 3, run of 4
3. two runs of 4
4. three sets of 3
5. set of 3, run of 7
6. two sets of 3, run of 5
7. three runs of 4
8. set of 3, run of 10
9. three sets of 3, run of 5
10. three runs of 5

Progressive Rummy

This section is based on a contribution from John Eveleigh

Unless otherwise stated the rules are the same as for Contract Rummy.

Players, Cards, Deal and Contracts

Two packs of cards are used, with 4 jokers (108 cards in all). 11 cards are dealt to each player.

There are fifteen contracts; the sequence is as follows:

ROUND	CONTRACT	BUYING
1	2 sets of 3
2	1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4
3	2 sets of 4
4	2 runs of 4
5	2 sets of 3 and 1 run of 4
6	1 set of 4 and 1 run of 5
7	2 sets of 5
8	2 runs of 5
9	4 sets of 3	BUY 1
10	3 runs of 4	BUY 1
11	3 sets of 4	BUY 1
12	5 runs of 3	BUY 2 and TAKE 2
13	5 sets of 3	BUY 2 and TAKE 2
14	1 set of 5, 1 run of 5 and 1 pair	BUY 1
15	2 sets of 3 and 1 run of 5

Melding Rules

The above table shows the initial meld requirements. Having laid down your initial meld you can add more cards to your own and other players' melds in the same or subsequent turns.

In runs, aces count high or low but not both. J-Q-K-A and A-2-3-4 are allowed but K-A-2-3 is not. There is no rule against a player laying down two consecutive runs in the same suit, such as 3-4-5-6 and 7-8-9-10 of hearts, as separate runs, but once they are on the table separate runs must remain separate - runs cannot be joined or split.

A set can consist of any three or more cards of the same rank - identical cards can be included. A pair (needed for hand 14) is two cards of the same rank. There is no rule against a player melding two sets of the same rank.

Jokers and twos are wild. A set or run may contain any number of wild cards to substitute for missing cards. The player must specify (if it is not clear) whether the meld is a run or a set, the rank of the set, and the rank and suit of a run. Wild cards once melded cannot be moved - a player who holds the real card represented by a melded wild card is not allowed to substitute the real card for the wild card.

Buying

To make up the number of cards required for hands 9-14 it is necessary to 'buy' the face-up card from the discard pile. Each card bought costs one penny, paid to a kitty, and you place the bought card in your hand. In hands 9-11 and 14 you can buy on one occasion during the hand; in hands 12 and 13 you are allowed to buy twice. In hands 12 and 13, at the same time you buy the up-card you also take the next blind card from the face-down stock.

May I Card Game Directions

If it is your turn you have the right to buy first if you wish and then take your normal turn. If it is not your turn you have to state that you wish to buy the card. The current player may only stop you if they wish to take (or buy) the card themselves. If several players want to buy the face up card, the one whose next turn to play comes soonest has priority, so any player to your right, up to the current player can opt to buy the card you wanted.

When a card has been bought, the face up card underneath it is then available to be bought.

You can only buy in hands 9-14, and you only get one or two opportunities to buy depending on the hand, as detailed on the score sheet.

Scoring

Play ends when a player 'goes out' by getting rid of all the cards from their hand. This can be done by putting down all the cards in melds or by discarding one's last card. Each of the other players scores penalty points for the cards they are holding:

Wild cards (Jokers and 2s)	20
Aces	15
Picture cards	10
3s to 10s	5

At the end of the 15 deals, the player with the lowest score is the winner, the next lowest is second, etc. The players settle up in pennies according to their position - for example for a four player game the payments are as follows:

• Winner: Receives 12
• 2nd: Pays 2
• 3rd: Pays 4
• 4th: Pays 6

In addition the winner takes all the pennies paid to the kitty for buying cards.

Other schedules of amounts are possible. Also, by prior agreement, the kitty can be split between the winner and second player - two thirds for the winner and one third for second.

Other Contract Rummy web pages

The variation 6-7-8-9-10 - which was played in Pittsburgh in the late 1940's, is described on a web page by Alan Hoyle.

A variation called Continental Rummy is described on an archive copy of Mike Gaston's page.

Rummy.com (archive copy) had rules for Contract Rummy and Russian Rummy.

12-Step Rummy is described on Kate Hanratty's page.

Archive copy of Bill Whitnack's description of a version which he calls Rummy Rummy.

The Contract Rummy pages of Randy Rasa'a Rummy-Games.com site describe several versions.

Rummy.ch is a German language site offering rules for Contract Rummy and many other rummy games, plus strategy articles and reviews of online rummy sites and a forum.

Several games described on other pages of pagat.com are closely related to Contract Rummy but with definite differences.

Software for Contract Rummy

Malcolm Bain has written Windows programs for two versions of this game: Contract Rummy and California Rummy. These are available from Card Games Galore.