500 Rum, also called Pinochle Rummy, Michigan Rummy, or 500 Rummy, is a popular variant of rummy. The game of Canasta and several other games developed from this popular form of rummy. The distinctive feature of 500 Rum is that each player scores the value of the sets he melds.

500 Rum may be played by anywhere from 2 to 8 people, but it is best played with 3 to 5 players.

Rules

The Cards and Deal

500 Rum is played using a standard 52-card pack. When playing with more than 4 players, a double pack should be substituted.

An ace counts as 15 points whenever it is played. Face cards count as 10 points each. Other cards count their pip value. Some people play where A-9 are 5 points, unless the ace is used high, when it is 15.

The players draw for deal, low dealing first. Ace is the lowest card in the draw. The dealer shuffles, and the player to the right cuts. The dealer completes the cut and deals 10 cards to each player and an 11th to the player to the left who discards. The player to the left of the dealer becomes the dealer in the next game.

The Play

The object of the game is to score points by laying down and laying off cards as in regular rummy, in matched sets of three or four, and in sequences of three or more cards of the same suit (Some play starting at four or more cards of the same suit). Aces are high or low; they may be played after the king or before the two card.

The remaining portion of the cards, placed face down, forms the stock; the top card is turned face up and is placed beside the stock as the upcard to start the discard pile. The discard pile should be slightly spread, so that players can readily see all the cards in it. Each player in turn, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer, may draw either the top card of the stock or any card from the discard pile. There are three conditions when drawing a card from the discard pile: 1) the player must take all the cards on top of the selected card and 2) the card so drawn must immediately be used, either by laying it down in a set or by laying it off on a set already on the table. 3) once a card is picked up,either of the stock or the pile, it is final and no other cards may be picked up. The remaining cards taken with the discard may be melded in the same turn or simply added to the player's hand. If you draw only one card from the discard pile, you do not have to use it immediately.

Each player in turn, after drawing but before discarding, may lay down any matched set or may lay off any card that matches a set already on the table. Cards that are laid off are kept on the table in front of the player. The player ends his turn by discarding a single card from his hand.

Sequences may not "go 'round the corner"; thus,Q,K,A or A, 2, 3 may be melded, but not K, A, 2.

Scoring

When any player discards the last card in his hand, the play immediately ends. Each player's score is then figured as follows: The player is credited with the point value of all cards that he has showing on the table. From this figure is subtracted the point value of all cards remaining in his hand. The difference is added or subtracted from his score, as the case may be.

Example: If the cards he has shown total 87 points, and the cards left in his hand total 90 points, 3 points are subtracted from his previous net score.

The first player whose score reaches +500 wins the game. If two or more players reach 500 on the same hand, the one with the highest score is the winner.

Modified Scoring Systems

These additional or alternate rules have been put in to simplify scoring and speed up games. Point variants for Aces change the game dynamic somewhat as players may be more or less likely to reveal and/or play them as a part of runs.

• Aces count 15 whether high or low.
• Aces are worth 25.
• Aces played high are worth 15 except in the case where a single player plays a 4-of-a-kind Ace meld, in which case the meld is worth 100 points (25/ea.).
• Face cards and the ten card are worth 10 points.
• All other cards are worth 5 points.
• If preferred, all of these scores may be divided by five and the game played to 100.
• You can End the game bluffing if you wish, for example you need to go to the washroom. You can end the game there and then

Boathouse Rule

Some rummy players play that you must discard on the turn in which you go out. So for example, if a player held a hand of two 3's and picked up another 3, this player would be unable to go out as he/she would not have a discard. This is in fact a variant of standard play and should be opted upon before gameplay begins.

Also, if the stock is finished then players may continue to draw from the pile only so long as they are able and willing to do so. Otherwise, the hand is finished with all cards in each player's hand counting against him. This is also normally standard. However some play the alternative that the cards should be reshuffled, and play should continue.

Add Opponent's Hand Rule

Instead of players subtracting their remaining totals when play is finished, they add the values in their hands to the total of the player who went out.

If nobody has gone out when play ends (see Boathouse rule):

• with two players (or two partnerships): add opponent's remainder to your score
• with more than two players: do not add any totals

This again, is meant to speed up the game.

Partnership 500 Rum

This game is the same as 500 Rum, with the following exceptions.

Four players are organized into two teams of two players each, with partners facing each other across the table. The rules are exactly as in 500 Rum, except the partners may play off on each other's matched sets and sequences in an effort to go out as quickly as possible. When any player goes out, the play ends and the score of each partnership is figured as a unit. The game is over when either side reaches +500.

Persian Rummy

The game is the same as Partnership 500 Rum, with the following exceptions.

The pack is 56 cards: the standard 52 cards plus four jokers.

Each joker counts as 20 points, and jokers may not be used in sequences or as wild cards, but only in groups of three or four jokers. Any meld of four, laid down all at once, counts double its face value. Thus, four jokers laid down together count 160; three jokers laid down count 60, and the fourth joker when added counts only 20 more. Four 6s put down together count 48, but three 6s count only 18, and the fourth 6 adds only 6 points. If a player gets rid of all his cards, his side scores a bonus of 25.

A game ends after two deals. The side with the best score receives a bonus of 50 points and wins the difference between its final score and the opponents' score.

Rum

If a player discards a card that plays into any match set or sequence already laid-off on the table then other players may call-out “Rum”. The first player to call “Rum” may only take the discarded card and must lay-off it on the table in front of them in their laid-off cards area. They may not combine it with cards in their hand to create a new match set or sequence.

A rum can also solely exist in the discard pile; for example if a 4S and 5S are in the discard pile then a player discards a 6S then other players may call-out “Rum” then pick up and lay-off the 4S, 5S and 6S without taking any other cards from the discard pile. They may not combine it with cards in their hand to create a new match set or sequence.

Rummy

A rummy condition can occur when a player attempts to end the round by laying off all of their cards and discarding their final card. If the discarded card plays into any match set or sequence already laid off on the table then other players may call a “Rum”. The player that created the Rum then must pick up all the cards in the discard pile – if the discard pile is empty then they must take a card from the deck.

References

Rummy 500 Rules

Rummy 500 Online