Liverpool rummy

Liverpool Rummy is a multi-player, multi-round card game similar to other variants of rummy that adds features like buying and going out.

The Deck

Liverpool Rummy is played with multiple (typically 2 for four to five players, 3 decks for more) standard 52-card packs of playing cards. Aces can be low or high; the ranking from low-to-high is A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A.

Dealing

Dealership rotates to each player from round to round (the dealer to the first round is usually determined by cutting the deck; low card deals). The dealer deals a ten-card hand to each player. (In some circles, a 12-card hand is dealt, this variant is sometimes called Peruvian rummy) After all the players' hands have been dealt, another card (the upcard), is placed face-up in a central location known as the "discard pile". The remainder of the pack is called the "deck".

The player to the immediate left of the dealer plays first.

Play

On each turn, a player:
* may allow any player including themselves to "buy" any amount of cards from the discard pile.
* draws either the (face-up) top card of the discard pile, or one card from the deck.
* may "lay down" their completed round-appropriate collection of books and runs.
* may "play off" other players who have laid down once they have laid down themselves.
* discards one card from their hand onto the discard pile. If the discard could have been "played off" on either their own or another player's laid cards then any other player can "call rummy" and every player then gives the offending player one card from their hand. If the next player commences their turn by either drawing or allowing buying then the opportunity to call "rummy" has passed.

Play continues, in alternating turns, until one player "goes out", or has no cards left in their hand.

Points are tallied and recorded by a score-keeper. All of the cards are shuffled and the next round of play commences.

Laying Down

The objective in liverpool rummy is to improve one's score by laying down to reduce the number of cards in hand, and eventually going out before other players. Within each round there are two types of card groupings that are required:

* "Books" of 3 or more cards sharing the same rank. For example, 8♥-8♣-8♠.
* "Runs" of 4 or more cards in sequence, of the same suit. For example, 3♥-4♥-5♥-6♥-7♥.

Aces rank as high or low, but one cannot create a run that loops around. For example: A-2-3-4 is allowed, J-Q-K-A is allowed, but K-A-2-3 is not.

Each Round's Requirements for Laying Down

The requirements for each round of play are as follows:
* First - 2 books (6 cards)
* Second - 1 book & 1 run (7 cards)
* Third - 2 runs (8 cards)
* Fourth - 3 book (9 cards)
* Fifth - 2 book & 1 run with only 1 final card immediately discarded (10 cards)
* Sixth - 1 book & 2 runs with no remaining cards in hand, no final discard (11 cards)
* Seventh - (12 card variants only) 4 book or 3 runs with no remaining cards in hand (12 cards)

Playing Off Other Players

Once a player has laid down, they can then attempt to further reduce the number of cards in their hand by adding to other players' laid cards. For example, if another play has laid down a set of 3's 3♥-3♣-3♠ and you have a 3 in your hand you may add lay it down on their pile. Another example: A player has laid down a run of hearts, 3♥ 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ you may add a 7 of hearts 7♥ to their pile.

Calling Rummy

Once a player has laid down, their discard must not fit into either their own or any other player's laid cards.If this is the case, every other player has until the commencement of the next player's turn to "call rummy" on the offending player, in which case every player gives that offending player one card from their hand. Once a player lays his cards down to 'go out' of a round, rummy rules no longer apply.

Evaluation of the hand

At the end of each round when a player goes out, the rest of the players total their scores by counting up the value of the cards remaining in their hands. Cards are valued as follows:
* A and 2 are 25 points each.
* 3 through 9 are 5 points each.
* 10, J, Q and K are 10 points each.

The player with the lowest point total at the end of final round wins, so players usually work to lower their scores by going down, playing off other players who have gone down and, secondarily, replacing high cards (such as face cards and aces) with lower ones.

Buying

After each player has finished their turn by discarding, any player may then buy any number of cards from the discard pile. The "price" of picking up these extra cards is drawing an additional card from the pile. If more than one player desires to buy a card, the player who is nearest (clockwise) the player about to draw get precedence.

Wild Cards

2's are wild cards, and can represent any card (suit and number). However there are restrictions on their usage.
* Sets must include at least 2 non-wildcards. Legal Example: 7♥ 7♣ 2♠. Illegal Example: 2♥ 2♣ 3♣.
* Runs must include at least 3 non-wildcards in an original 4 card grouping. Legal Example: 7♥ 8♥ 2♣ 10♥. Illegal Example: 7♥ 8♥ 2♣ 2♥ 11♥.

During their turn while playing off another player, a player may replace that other player's laid 2 from within a run with the card it is substituting, so long as that 2 is placed somewhere else before the player concludes their turn. An easy way to "waste" the extra 2 if it doesn't allow you to lay additional cards is to simply add it to a set, as this prohibits another player from performing the wild card substitution trick again.

Variant: Ten Step or Florida Rummy

"Florida Rummy" is a variant of "Liverpool Rummy" that incurs only slight rule changes.

*The Deck: Full 54-card decks including jokers are used. Jokers are similar to twos as they act as wild cards.

*Deal: 11 cards are dealt to each player.

*Evaluation of Hand: Aces, Twos, and Jokers are worth 15 points each.

*Buying: Only the top card in the discard pile can be bought.

*Wild Cards: There are no limitations on the use of wild cards. A set or a run can contain any number of wild cards when it is put down.

Variant: I Buy

"I Buy" is a variant of "Liverpool Rummy" with some significant changes.

*The Deck: Two to three 54-card decks including jokers are used, depending on how many people are playing. Jokers and twos are wild cards.

*Deal: In the first hand, 6 cards are dealt to each player. In each subsequent hand, one more card is dealt. The game ends after the 8th hand, in which each player is dealt 13 cards.

*Play: A player may take a card from the deck, or a single face-up card from the discard pile. If you take a card from the discard pile you must take "two" cards from the deck.

*Requirements for laying down: The requirements change in each round of play and are as follows (after you have met this requirement, you may lay down sets of 3 or more, there are no runs in "I Buy"):
**First - 1 set of 3 (6 cards)
**Second - 2 sets of 3 (7 cards)
**Third - 1 set of 4 (8 cards)
**Fourth - 2 sets of 4 (9 cards)
**Fifth - 1 set of 5 (10 cards)
**Sixth - 2 sets of 5 (11 cards)
**Seventh - 1 set of 6 (12 cards)
**Eighth - 2 sets of 6 (13 cards)

*Evaluation of Hand: Twos and Jokers are worth 25 points each. Aces are worth 15 points. Face cards and 10s are worth 10 points. All other cards are worth 5 points.

*Buying: Each player starts the game with 10 coins, counters or chips. After each turn, players may buy the face-up card on the discard pile. Only the top card can be bought, all cards deeper are "dead." They must pay 1 coin and take an additional card from the deck. If more than one player wishes to buy, the one closest to the player who just discarded (clockwise) has first claim. Your 10 coins must last you all 8 hands.

*Wild Cards: Wild cards cannot be the majority in any set. You may play off of other players' sets, and you may "steal" wild cards if you can use it immediately. For example, if you lay down a 3 on another player's set of 3-3-Joker, you may take the Joker as long as you can lay it down within a set of your own immediately.

ee also

*Rummy
*Ten Step or Florida Rummy
*Knock rummy
*Canasta
*Tonk
*Phase 10