How to Play Rummy With 2 Players: Rules, Melds and Scoring

Rummy is a family of card games built on one idea: collect cards into matching groups and get rid of your hand before your opponent does. It is easy to learn, and two players is one of the best ways to play it. This guide covers the classic version, sometimes called straight rummy or basic rummy, with the rules for two players. Rummy has many house rules, so each section points out where groups differ.

What you need

• A standard 52-card deck, no jokers.
• Two players.
• Pen and paper for scoring.

Card values: ace is low (1 point), number cards are worth their number, and jack, queen and king are 10 points each. Some groups let the ace be high as well, as in Q-K-A. Agree before you start.

The goal

Form melds from your hand and play your cards out. You win a hand by going out, which means getting rid of all your cards. Then you score points for the cards your opponent is left holding.

There are two kinds of meld.

• A set is three or four cards of the same rank in different suits, for example 7 of hearts, 7 of clubs and 7 of spades.
• A run (or sequence) is three or more cards of the same suit in order, for example 4, 5, 6 of diamonds.

A card can only belong to one meld at a time.

Setup for two players

1. Shuffle and choose a dealer. The dealer deals 10 cards to each player, one at a time. (With three or four players it is 7 cards each, and with five or six it is 6.)
2. Put the rest of the deck face down. This is the stock.
3. Turn the top card of the stock face up next to it to start the discard pile.
4. The player who did not deal goes first.

How a turn works

Each turn has three parts.

1. Draw. Take the top card from the stock, or take the top card of the discard pile.
2. Meld (optional). If you can, lay down any sets or runs from your hand face up in front of you. You may also lay off: add a card from your hand to a meld that is already on the table, either your own or your opponent's. For example, if there is a run of 4-5-6 of diamonds on the table, you can add the 7 of diamonds.
3. Discard. Put one card from your hand face up on the discard pile. This ends your turn.

Some versions of rummy allow you to take several cards from the discard pile at once, as long as you can use the deepest card in a meld right away. Others only allow the top card. Agree on one rule before the game starts.

Going out

You go out when your hand is empty after melding and discarding. If your last card can be laid off, you may play it without a discard. Many groups play that you must discard to finish, others do not. Either way, the hand ends and the other player counts what is left.

If the stock runs out before anyone has gone out, shuffle the discard pile (except the top card), turn it over, and keep playing. Some groups end the hand as a tie instead.

Scoring

When one player goes out, they score the total value of the cards left in the other player's hand. Face cards count 10, aces count 1, and number cards count their number.

Many groups play to a target score, such as 100 points, over several hands. The first player to reach it wins the game. Another way to play is to let both players keep a running total of their penalty points and see who has fewer after a set number of hands.

Tips for two-player rummy

1. Watch the discard pile. If your opponent picks up a card, they need it. Do not discard cards of the same rank or neighbours in the same suit.
2. Dump high cards early. Kings, queens and jacks cost 10 points each if you are caught. Do not hold them for a meld that may never come.
3. Keep cards that can connect two ways. A 6 and 7 of the same suit can make a run on either side. Two cards of one rank can become a set in two suits.
4. Do not lay down too early. Putting melds on the table shows your plan and lets your opponent lay off on your melds. Sometimes it pays to wait and go out in one turn, if the rules permit.
5. Lay off where you can. It gets rid of cards and your opponent cannot stop you.
6. Count cards. Four cards of each rank. If three of the sevens have been discarded or melded, the last one is probably not coming.
7. Go out as soon as you can if your opponent has been laying down melds, because they are likely close.

Rummy versus gin rummy

Gin rummy is a two-player game from the same family. It also uses 10 cards each, but you do not lay down melds during play. Instead you knock when your unmatched cards (deadwood) total 10 points or fewer, and then both players show their hands. It has its own scoring. If you like rummy for two, gin rummy is worth learning next. See our guide to 2 player card games.

Other versions of rummy

• 500 Rummy (Pinochle rummy). Cards you pick up from the discard pile score points. First to 500 wins.
• Rummikub. A tile game based on the same idea. Rummikub is a trademark of its owner.
• Contract rummy (Shanghai, Phase 10 style). Each hand has a different goal, such as two sets.
• Indian rummy (13-card rummy). Needs at least one pure sequence. Played with two decks in many places.

Play online

You can play a free online rummy game in your browser. Rummy Multiplayer is in our catalog, and more card and board games are in the Board and Card category. House rules differ, so read the game's page for the exact rules and modes it uses. Related guides: how to play Go Fish, how to play War and how to play Uno with 2 players.

Rummy is a traditional game with no owner. This page is an independent guide and is not affiliated with any publisher.