What Are the Rules for Crazy Rummy?
The rules of Crazy Rummy are similar to those of standard rummy, but the game requires a special deck that has cards with mixed suits. Players are still given points for cards they hold at the end of a hand, with the overall goal being to avoid being left holding any cards. When one player reaches 200 points, the player with the lowest score at the time wins.
As with traditional rummy, players attempt to create melds of three cards of the same suit or value. Crazy Rummy’s unique twist is that each card is split into two different suits and two different values. For example, a card may have the queen of clubs on one half and a 4 of diamonds on the other. Either side can be used for a meld, but the sides cannot be mixed. All cards retain their face value in terms of points. Aces are worth 1 point and face cards are worth 10.
Though the game is played with the standard 52 cards, a special deck is required since the cards have split values. The decks were sold beginning in 1998 by The United States Playing Card Company. These decks are no longer in print, however, and must be obtained secondhand.