Rummy Strategy: How to Go Out First

Luck decides which cards you are dealt, but over an evening of Rummy the same players keep winning. They aren't luckier; they simply throw away the right cards, notice what the others are collecting, and know when to put their melds down. Here is what they do, in plain terms. If you need a refresher on the basics first, the rules page has everything.

1. Get Rid of High Cards Early

Every card left in your hand when someone goes out is a gift to them, and Kings, Queens and Jacks are the biggest gifts at 10 points each. Early in a hand, when a court card isn't part of a pair or a near-run, throw it. A lonely King is worth ten lonely Aces against you.

Later in the hand, when the other players are down to a few cards, this matters even more. If you can't go out soon, at least make sure you are caught holding small cards.

2. Keep Cards That Work Together

Some cards are close to becoming melds and some are not. Rank your loose cards roughly like this:

• Two cards next to each other in one suit, like 6♠ 7♠. They can be finished from either end (5♠ or 8♠), so twice the chances.
• A pair, like 9♦ 9♣. Either of the two other 9s finishes it.
• A gap pair, like 6♠ 8♠. Only the 7♠ will do.
• A lone card that goes with nothing. Throw these first, highest first.

A card that belongs to two possible melds is especially valuable. The 7♥ in a hand with 7♣ and 6♥ can end up in a set or a run, whichever comes along first.

3. Count the Dead Cards

Watch the discard pile and the melds on the table. If you are holding two 4s and the other two 4s have already been thrown away, your pair is dead: no card left in the deck can finish it. Break it up and keep something with a future instead. The same goes for runs: 9♣ 10♣ is much weaker if the 8♣ is buried in the discard pile and the J♣ is in someone's meld.

4. Read What the Others Pick Up

When someone takes a card from the discard pile, they are telling you something. If your opponent picks up the 9♥, they are probably collecting 9s or hearts around the 9. That makes the 9♠, the 8♥ and the 10♥ risky for you to throw. Hold on to them for a turn or two if you can, and throw something they have shown no interest in.

The reverse is useful too. If your opponent passed up the 5♣ last turn and drew from the stock, they almost certainly have no use for 5s or nearby clubs. Cards like that are safe to throw.

5. Be Careful What You Take

Taking the top discard is the only way to get a card you know you need, but it gives information away. Take it when it completes a meld or lays off straight away. Taking it just because it is "near" something is usually a mistake: everyone now knows what you are collecting, and you can't throw it back this turn.

6. When to Meld and When to Wait

This is the real art of Rummy. There are good reasons on both sides.

Reasons to meld right away

• Cards on the table can't count against you if someone else goes out.
• It shrinks your hand, so you are closer to going out.
• When another player is down to two or three cards, put everything down at once. Waiting now can cost you a fortune.

Reasons to wait

• The rummy bonus. Going out all at once, without having melded before, doubles your score. If you are only one or two cards away and nobody else is close, holding your melds for a turn or two can pay off handsomely.
• Not giving away spots. Every meld you put down is a place where other players can lay off. If you know your opponent picked up the 8♥, putting down your 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ hands them a home for it.
• Hiding your hand. Melds on the table tell everyone which cards you no longer need, and which you might still want.

A good rule of thumb: hold back only while every other player still has plenty of cards. The moment anyone gets down to four or five, start laying down.

7. Always Check for Lay-Offs

It is easy to forget that you can add to anyone's melds. Before every discard, look at each card in your hand and ask: does this go on the end of a run, or finish a set? In our game you only need to tap a card: every meld it fits lights up. Also look out for chains. Laying off the 8♥ on a 5-6-7♥ run may let your 9♥ follow.

8. Think About the Going-Out Turn

Plan the end of the hand a turn or two ahead. With four cards left, a set of three plus one card to throw is a perfect finish. With two loose cards, you need two good draws. Keep the hand that has the most ways to finish, and make sure the card you plan to throw last isn't one you took from the discard pile this turn.

If you play with the house rule that you must discard to go out, remember to keep one card back; you can't meld your whole hand.

9. Multi-Player Tips

With three or four players you get only 7 cards, the hands are faster, and the winner scores everyone's leftovers. That makes low cards more valuable and long holds riskier. Meld sooner, keep an eye on whoever has the fewest cards, and remember that the player to your left takes your discards first.

Practice Makes Perfect

Play a few games on Normal, use Hint when you are unsure, and read the reasons it gives. When you are winning comfortably, move up to Hard, which remembers your pickups and holds its melds back when that is safer. You might also enjoy Gin Rummy, where everything stays in the hand until the end, or a relaxed round of Kings in the Corners.