The rules of Rami
In brief
Each player receives 13 cards. On your turn, draw a card, lay down runs or three-of-a-kind melds if you can, then discard a card. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the round; the others count the points for the cards left in their hands, and the lowest total wins the game.
This page describes Rami 40 and Rami 51 as played in the app with the “Reference rules” setting, which is on by default. There is no single official set of rummy rules: the most common differences between tables are listed at the bottom of the page.
The deck
The game is played by 2 to 6 players using 52-card decks and jokers. Up to 4 players: 2 decks and 4 jokers, making 108 cards. With 5 or more players: 3 decks and still 4 jokers, making 160 cards.
| Players | Reference rules | House rules |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 108 cards (2 decks, 4 jokers) | 106 cards (2 decks, 2 jokers) |
| 3 | 108 cards (2 decks, 4 jokers) | 106 cards (2 decks, 2 jokers) |
| 4 | 108 cards (2 decks, 4 jokers) | 106 cards (2 decks, 2 jokers) |
| 5 | 160 cards (3 decks, 4 jokers) | 159 cards (3 decks, 3 jokers) |
| 6 | 160 cards (3 decks, 4 jokers) | 159 cards (3 decks, 3 jokers) |
The deal
Each player receives 13 cards. The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile; the rest form the face-down stock. The dealer changes each round, and the player to the dealer's left starts.
A turn
- Draw a card: the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
- Lay down one or more melds if you wish. The very first time, you must reach a threshold: this is your initial meld.
- Add cards to melds already on the table, either your own or other players', once you have made your initial meld.
- Discard a card. You cannot discard the card you just took from the discard pile.
App rule: a card taken from the discard pile does not have to be melded immediately; you may keep it in your hand.
Melds
Three of a kind consists of 3 cards of the same rank, and four of a kind consists of 4; all must be of different suits. Since several decks are used, you may have two identical cards in your hand, but not in the same three-of-a-kind meld.
| Meld | Cards | Verdict | Melded points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three kingsThe same rank, three different suits: three of a kind. | king of heartsking of spadesking of diamonds | Validthree or four of a kind | 30reference rules |
| Three acesIn three of a kind, each ace counts as high. | ace of clubsace of heartsace of spades | Validthree or four of a kind | 33reference rules |
| Two sevens of spades and a seven of heartsRejected: in three of a kind, all suits must be different. | seven of spadesseven of spadesseven of hearts | Rejectedthree or four of a kind | —reference rules |
Runs
A run consists of at least 3 consecutive cards of the same suit. The ace can be low (ace, two, three) or high (queen, king, ace), but never both at once: king, ace, two is not allowed.
| Meld | Cards | Verdict | Melded points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace, two, three of heartsPlaced before the two, the ace is low and worth just one point. | ace of heartstwo of heartsthree of hearts | Validrun | 6reference rules |
| Five, six, seven of clubsA short run without a joker: a pure run. | five of clubssix of clubsseven of clubs | Validrun | 18reference rules |
| Queen, king, ace of heartsAn ace placed after the king is high: it counts as a face card plus one point. | queen of heartsking of heartsace of hearts | Validrun | 31reference rules |
| King, ace, two of heartsRejected: the ace is low or high, never both at once. A run cannot wrap around. | king of heartsace of heartstwo of hearts | Rejectedrun | —reference rules |
The joker
A joker can replace any card, but only one is allowed per meld. Once melded, it is worth the card it replaces; when two positions are possible, the app chooses the lower value.
| Meld | Cards | Verdict | Melded points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three nines and a jokerThe joker completes four of a kind and takes the value of a nine. | nine of clubsnine of diamondsnine of heartsjoker | Validthree or four of a kind | 36reference rules |
| Joker, seven, eight of spades (reference rules)The joker can be the six or the nine of spades; it is scored in the lower position, as the six. | jokerseven of spadeseight of spades | Validrun | 21reference rules |
| Two jokers, five and six of heartsRejected: only one joker is allowed per meld. | jokerjokerfive of heartssix of hearts | Rejectedrun | —reference rules |
A player who has already made their initial meld may take a melded joker by replacing it with the exact card it represents; they must then play that joker again in the same turn if they can. In a same-rank meld, the joker must already be accompanied by 3 natural cards: the replacement card completes four of a kind.
The end of the round
The round ends as soon as a player has no cards left. They may finish by discarding their last card, or by melding their last cards without discarding: this is an app rule, which does not require a final discard.
When the stock is empty, the discard pile (except its top card) is shuffled to form a new stock, at most 2 times per round. After that, or after 300 turns, the round ends: the player whose remaining hand has the lowest point value wins. Points are counted as explained in Scoring.