How to Play Kentucky Rummy

There are many variations of rummy game and Kentucky Rummy is one of the most popular ones. This card game can be played by 4-6 players though it is recommended to have 4 players to make the game more manageable.

Cards to be used

In this version of rummy, you may need two to three standard decks of 52 cards each. In the case of 5 players or less, 2 decks are used whereas in case of 6 players, we have to use three decks. Now, you need to deal 11 cards to each player and keep the remaining cards face down at the center of the table.

Main objective

The players can make a set or a run of all the cards that they have in their hand. When a player has three or four cards which have the same rank but belong to different suits then that pack of cards can be called a set while in a case when the cards are in a sequence and belong to the same suit, they are called a run or sequence. The main objective is to have the maximum score at the end.

Rules of game

Basically, Kentucky Rummy is supposed to run for a sequence of 10 hands with each hand having a different pre-requisite. All players need to play until there is a player who has shed all his cards. Each player will get the points equal to the number of cards he has shed. As you make your meld, you are supposed to put those cards face down in front of you, so that other players are informed of your progress.

Wild entry choice

You can also take the card discarded by a player if it will help you to complete your meld. For this, you need to take permission from the player who has discarded the card, who has the choice of allowing you to have it or not. This is also known as “May I” rule and is allowed only three times in Kentucky Rummy.

Point system

You need to subtract the points of the cards which are left in your hand after the hand is over and add the points of the cards in your meld. The total of all these points will be added to your cumulative score and the player with the maximum score will be the winner of the game.