For three to six players, crazy rummy is a rummy-like card game. In this game, victory is determined by who finishes with the fewest points. This can be accomplished by players either going out or keeping their hand points low as the game nears its conclusion.
There are 13 total rounds in the game. Exactly what is it that makes it so insane? The wild cards, though, keep on changing.
Setup Crazy Rummy
A random number is used to determine who would act as the first dealer. They’ll shuffle the deck and hand out seven cards to each player. If this happens, the next player on their left will be dealt an extra eight cards. The remaining cards are stacked in the middle of the table.
Classification and Combining of Cards
The highest card in Crazy Rummy is the King, followed by the Queen, the Jack, the 10, the 9, the 8, the 7, the 6, the 3, the 2, and the Ace (low). In runs, an ace can never be used to get rid of a king, and it is always considered the lowest card.
Sets and runs are the two basic meld types. There must be three or four cards of the same rank in order for a set to be formed. Three or more consecutive cards of the same suit constitute a run. As there are always only 4 cards of each rank available, even with a wild card, sets can never have more than 4 cards in total.
A wild card is present, but it is replaced after each round. As the ranking increases from ace through king in the 13th round, the wild card position changes hands. Wild cards can stand in for any other card in a set or run if necessary. Multiple wild cards may be used in a set or run, but the player must explicitly indicate the suit(s), rank(s), and/or meld(s) they intend to complete.
GAMEPLAY
Every hand begins with the player to the left of the dealer. You can start the game by putting any melds you choose and ending your turn by discarding a card. Whenever a player’s turn comes around again, he or she will begin by drawing a card from either the stockpile or the discard pile, depending on which is higher. After that, they’re free to use any melds they like. After completing their first meld, players may add cards to their own melds and other players’ melds on subsequent turns. When a player’s turn is over, they must discard a card.
After a meld has been played, the player may take a wild card from the table and play it in place of the card it symbolizes. For instance, if one player has a set of kings and a wild card in their hand represents the king of hearts, any other player may swap in their own king of hearts for the wild card.
To be “out,” to have no cards in one’s hand and thus end the game. Your final card must be discarded. You may not play a meld that would result in your running out of cards.
Restrictions apply to players who are down to a single card. If they are unable to leave the building, they must discard their hand and keep the card they have just chosen from the stockpile.
When a player gets knocked out or the stockpile is depleted, the round ends.
SCORING
When the round is over, players sum up their current point totals and see where they stand in the overall standings. Losing is better than winning! When a player loses, they receive 0 points for that game.
The value of a wild card is 25 points. A single point is awarded for an ace. Cards with numbers between 2 and 10 have the values printed on the back. All tens are worth ten points, including Jacks, Queens, and Kings.
DONE FOR THE DAY
After the thirteenth round is scored, the game is over. The victor is the one who achieves the lowest score.
