Contract Rummy

About this board game

Contract Rummy is a 3–8 player card game that takes about 120 minutes and is played across seven hands. Also known as California Rummy, it is a variant of the standard-deck game Contract Rummy, with progressively more demanding meld requirements from hand to hand.

Each hand begins with a requirement made up of sets, runs, or both. As the requirements become harder, the number of cards dealt also increases. Players use draw-and-discard mechanics to build the combinations needed for the current hand.

• Play seven hands with escalating initial meld requirements.
• Use sets and runs to satisfy each hand’s contract.
• Buy a card when the active player does not want it, while also taking a penalty card from the unused stock.
• End a hand by melding or laying off every card in hand.

The option to buy a card adds another decision to each turn. If the player whose turn it is declines the card, anyone in the game can purchase it by taking the card along with a penalty card from the unused stock.

An individual hand ends when one player goes out, either by completing melds or by laying off all remaining cards. Every other player then counts the point total of the cards left in their hand against their score.

After all seven rounds, the player with the least total points wins. First released in 1930, Contract Rummy combines a steadily changing sequence of requirements with the pressure of managing cards across each hand.