What Are the Rules for the Card Game “May-I”?
May-I? is a variation on contract rummy that is played with one deck of cards for each pair of people who are playing. According to Pagat.com, the game differs from rummy in that players are permitted to lay down all of their cards on a given turn rather than having to lay them down in sequential turns.
According to Pagat.com, May-I? does not permit the reuse of jokers that have been melded. That is, if a joker has been used as a wild card for a given turn, other players are not allowed to retrieve it for their own use on another turn. Contiguous sequences are allowed in May-I? without the limits applied in other rummy based card games.
Another point of difference is in the handling of round 7. May-I? does not apply the special rules for round 7 that contract rummy does, and players who ask “May I?” during that round are allotted two extra cards for each time they say it. Play then continues, as it is not necessary to run through all of the sequences in three meldings, but if the melding player has extra cards, play continues as in other rounds. Finally, jokers are worth 25 points, as opposed to rummy’s 15.
