Rummy 500
Every card you meld scores for you and every card left in your hand counts against you. Take a card from deep in the discard pile if you can meld it at once. First to 500 wins.
Also try Gin Rummy → Also try Canasta →
How to play Rummy 500
How to play
You and the computer get 7 cards each; the rest is the stock, and one card starts the discard pile, spread out so you can see every card. On your turn, draw the top card of the stock or take a card from the discard pile. Then put sets (3 or 4 cards of one rank) and runs (3 or more cards in a row in one suit) on the table, lay off cards on any meld on the table, including the computer’s, and discard one card. An ace goes low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A), but a run can’t go around the corner (K-A-2).
The discard pile
You may take any card in the pile, but you also take every card above it, and you must use the deepest card you took right away, in a new meld or as a layoff. That goes for the top card too. Cards you can take that way stand a little higher with a dot under them; the others are greyed out. The hand ends when someone has no cards left, by melding their last card or discarding it. If the stock runs out, the hand ends after the turn of the player who drew its last card.
Scoring and levels
Each card you melded or laid off scores for you; each card left in your hand counts against you: aces 15 (only 1 when low in a run, A-2-3), kings, queens, jacks and tens 10, the rest their number, so a hand can score below zero. After the hand in which someone reaches 500, the highest total wins; a tie at the top plays another hand. Easy, Medium and Hard set the computer’s strength. Quick 250 is a shorter game against Medium and is the daily, with the same deal for everyone. 3 players puts you against two Medium computer players.
Controls
Tap the stock to draw, or tap a pile card twice (the top card once) to take it. Tap cards in your hand to select them, then press Meld, Lay off or Discard; you can also drag cards onto a meld, or a card onto the pile to discard it, or tap the pile with one card selected. Your own cards on the table are underlined in brass. With a keyboard, use the arrow keys and Enter, M to meld, L to lay off and D to discard. The computer sees only its own hand, the table and which pile cards you picked up.
Questions
How do you play Rummy 500?
Each turn you draw a card from the stock or the discard pile, put any sets and runs you can on the table, add cards to melds already there, and discard one card. Melded cards score points for you and cards still in your hand when someone goes out count against you. The first player to reach 500 points wins.
Can you pick up any card from the discard pile in Rummy 500?
Yes. You take the card you want together with every card above it, and you must use that deepest card straight away in a meld or a layoff. The other cards you picked up stay in your hand for later. If the card can’t be melded with your cards or laid off on the table, you can’t take it.
How is Rummy 500 scored?
Aces are worth 15, or 1 when they are the low end of a run like A-2-3. Kings, queens, jacks and tens are worth 10, and the other cards their face value. At the end of each hand you score your cards on the table and subtract the cards left in your hand. Points carry over from hand to hand until someone reaches 500.
What is the difference between Rummy 500 and Gin Rummy?
In Gin Rummy you keep your melds in your hand and knock to end the hand. In Rummy 500 you lay melds on the table as you go, score the cards themselves, may lay off on your opponent’s melds at any time, and can take cards from deep in the discard pile. That makes the pile a big part of the game.
Any tips for Rummy 500?
Meld early: a card on the table is safe points, a card in your hand can cost you. Get rid of high cards that don’t go with anything, especially when your opponent has only a few cards left. Before you discard, check the pile: a card that pairs with something in it lets your opponent dig deep.