Each player is dealt a set of 13 cards at random and the first card from the pack is placed at the open deck, indicating the start of the game. The remaining cards are placed face down in the closed deck slot. Then, a joker card is randomly selected and a system generated toss decides which player makes the first move.

Face cards count 10 each, aces 1 each, and every other card its pip value. A player goes “rummy” when they get rid of all cards in their hand at once, without previously having put down or laid off any cards. In this event, every other player pays double – twice what opponents would otherwise owe.

In rummy, a sequence is a group of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit. There are two types of sequences that are formed; a pure sequence and an impure sequence. To win the game of rummy you need at least one pure sequence in your rummy hand.

Score points by laying down and laying off cards as in regular Rummy, in matched number sets of 3 or 4, and in sequences of 3 or more cards of the same suit. For example, three or four 7s can be laid or a sequence of 3, 4, 5 of diamonds can be laid.

The objective of the game is to get the value of the cards in your hand closer to 31 than at least one other player. The player furthest from 31 when the round ends loses a life. Each player will start with three lives.