Rummy 500 Rules: How to Play 500 Rum

Rummy 500 — also called 500 Rum or Pinochle Rummy — is the most popular Rummy variant in North America, and for good reason. It takes the simple meld-and-discard core of classic Rummy and adds two twists that make it far more strategic: you score the points inside your own melds, and you can scoop multiple cards from the discard pile. Here’s how to play, score and win.

The Goal of Rummy 500

Rummy 500 is for 2 to 5 players (it’s best with 3 or 4) using a standard 52-card deck. Unlike basic Rummy, being first to empty your hand isn’t the whole story — instead you earn points for every card you meld and lose points for cards left in your hand. Hands are played until one player reaches 500 points, and the highest total wins.

How Many Cards Are Dealt?

• 2 players: 13 cards each
• 3 to 5 players: 7 cards each

The rest form a face-down stock, and the top card is turned over to start the discard pile. Crucially, the discard pile is fanned out (spread) so every discarded card stays visible — this matters for the signature rule below.

Melds: Sets and Runs

Melds work the same as in any Rummy game:

• Set — three or four cards of the same rank.
• Run — three or more consecutive cards of the same suit.

In Rummy 500 the Ace is flexible: it can be low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A), but it can’t wrap around (K-A-2 is not valid). When melded, a high Ace is worth 15 points; a low Ace is worth 1.

How a Turn Works

1. Draw. Take the top card of the stock or take from the discard pile. If you take from the discards, you may take the top card alone, or take several cards — but only if you immediately meld the deepest card you pick up. You then keep the cards above it in your hand.
2. Meld & lay off. Lay any new sets and runs face up in front of you, and lay off cards onto any melds already on the table (yours or an opponent’s). Cards you lay off score for you.
3. Discard one card, placing it so the pile stays spread.

That discard-pile rule is the heart of 500 Rum: a juicy card buried two or three deep can be worth diving for — but you have to take, and play, everything down to it.

Card Values for Scoring

Scoring a Hand

A hand ends the moment one player gets rid of all their cards, or when the stock runs out. Then each player scores:

• Add the value of every card you melded or laid off on the table.
• Subtract the value of the cards still in your hand.

Yes — your score for a hand can go negative. Running totals are kept hand to hand, and the first player to 500 or more wins. Because melds score for you, going out fast with little on the table can actually lose you the hand: sometimes it pays to keep building.

Rummy 500 Strategy

• Don’t rush to go out. Points come from melds on the table, not from emptying your hand first. Bank big melds before closing.
• Mine the discard pile. Taking three or four cards to grab a buried key card can swing a hand — just make sure you can use the bottom one.
• Lay off onto opponents. Their melds are fair game for your spare cards, and those points count for you.
• Mind your hand at the end. High cards left unmelded are subtracted from your score, so dump face cards you can’t place.
• Track the high Ace. At 15 points, an Ace is the most valuable single card to meld — and the most painful to be caught holding.

Frequently Asked Questions