Shanghai Rummy There are several versions of Shanghai Rummy. There is also a rummy game known to some people as Shanghai, which is not a contract game, but a type of Carousel or Manipulation rummy - this will be found on the Carousel page. Oct 01, 2020 Shanghai is a rummy type game with specific entry melds for two to four players. It requires two decks of standard playing cards, including Jokers, and is suitable for ages 12 and up. In Shanghai, Aces are either high or low depending on what the player wants it to be. Subway Clash 3D. Combat Strike 2. How to play Mahjong Shanghai Free tiles are those that are not stuck under or between other tiles. Click matching free tiles to clear them. Shanghai Rummy, also known as California Rummy, is a variation on the popular game of rummy. The basics of the Shanghai Rummy card game are simple to grasp, and the ease of play makes it a popular choice among campers and families alike. How to play Shanghai Rummy? Shanghai Rummy is a card game that is a variation on another card game, Contract Rummy, and is played with players using 7, 8 or 10 contracts depending on the variation of the game. It differs from Contract Rummy in both terminology and rules.

Shanghai rum is a Rummy card game, based on gin rummy and a variation of Contract rummy played by 3 to 8 players. It is also known as California rummy.

Play

Basics

Shanghai rum is played with multiple decks of 54 standard playing cards, including the Jokers. Two decks are required for game of up to four players. Five or six players require three decks. Aces are high (above a King) or low, (below 2), and Jokers and black twos are wild cards.(red twos are just playing cards) Each game has 10 hands, and the rules for each hand are unique. One person begins as dealer for the first hand, and then the person to the dealer's left becomes dealer for the next hand, and so on. Each player is dealt eleven cards for the 10 rounds. The rest of the deck is then placed face down in the middle of the players; this is referred to as the deck. One card is taken from the top of the deck and placed face up next to it. This card is called the upcard and becomes the beginning of the discard pile.

Each player has a choice at the beginning of their turn. They may either pick up one new card from the top of the deck or take the upcard. (Also, the other players in the game have the ability to get the up card.) After the player draws his card, either from the deck or the upcard, he must then choose any card in his hand to discard, and he then places this card face up on the discard pile. That card then becomes the new upcard, which the next player in turn can take or other players can buy. To get a card that isn't yours a player must say, “BUY', before the next player draws their card, or else it is already considered 'dead'. Once a player discards their card the card underneath that card is now considered a 'dead' card because it is no longer in the game. Players may not take these cards.

Jokers and 2s

Jokers and black 2s are wild cards and can be played in the place of any card. A player is not allowed to have more jokers or 2's than face-cards in either a set or run. An example of this would be if one is trying to get a set he must have three or more cards of the same rank (8/8/8). But if a player has a joker or 2 he could play in place of an 8 (8/8/joker). But a player cannot lay more jokers or black 2's than face-cards (8/joker/joker). However he may lay the same number of jokers or black 2's as face-cards (8/8/joker/joker). The same applies for runs. If a player has a run of ((4/black 2/6/7)(of clubs)) and another play has a 5 of clubs, he may switch the black 2 with the 5 of clubs and move it either to the top or to the bottom of the run. A player may only replace a black 2 when it is their turn. If a player has already laid down, but is able to replace black 2, he may replace the black 2 but may not remove it from that specific meld. Instead they may move the joker or 2 to the beginning or end of the meld (if it is in a run).

Buying

To buy a card, a player says 'Buy'. Each player is allowed two buys per hand . A buyer takes the upcard plus two additional deck cards, giving the buyer a total of three additional cards. A player is limited to 2 buys per round. The priority for buying goes in the order of play. In case of a tie, the person seated in closest order to the left of the current player gets priority. The current player cannot buy a card. However, the current player has precedence over the other players, so he can take the upcard even if other players want to buy it. If the player has not gone down and doesn't have a card they can discard, (after drawing their card) they made buy two cards. They DO NOT discard when they buy then.

Melding

The object of each hand is to come up with the correct combination of cards to be able to meld, or 'lay out'. The combination for each hand is different, and they become more difficult with each subsequent hand. The combinations for each hand are either sets or runs (seq) or a combination of both. A set is a combination of a specific number of cards of the same rank, and the suit is not important. An example of a 'set of 3' is three cards that are all 8's, and the 8's can all be of different suits. A run is a combination of a specific number of cards of the same suit that have consecutive ranks. An example of a 'run of 4' is the 4, 5, 6, and 7 of clubs. An example of a combination for a hand is for hand #2, '1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4.' This means that a player must have both a set of 3 cards and a run of 4 cards in his hand before he can meld. A player can meld only when it is his turn. As always, he must start his hand by drawing a card, then when he has the correct sequence of cards, he can meld or 'go down.' He does so by laying his meld cards face up on the table in their correct sequence. After melding, a player can then play on the melds of other players. When done, he must then discard. The player may not discard a playable card. If the player does not have a discard he must buy 2 cards from the deck cards, and does not have to discard when he buys. In order for anyone, the player has to play his last card.

Play for the player who has gone down

When a player is 'down' (meaning he has already melded), he still takes his turn in turn with the other players, and he still must draw a card and discard. However, a player who is down cannot buy a card, nor can he stop a player from buying the top card in the discard pile when it is his turn. A player who is down can play his cards on the melds that have been completed either by himself or by other players. For example, if a player has laid down a set of 8's, and on a subsequent turn he then draws another 8, he can play this 8 on his set of 8's. He does this by placing the 8 with the set of 8's. If he has a card that he would like to play on a run, he must be sure to keep the order of the run. For example, if there is a run of 5 consisting of 4-5-6-7-8 of clubs, the player can play a 3 of clubs or a 9 of clubs. If a run has a joker, he can not replace the joker with the appropriate card, but if the run has a black 2 (as a wild card), he may choose to replace if with the correct number and move the 2 either up or down.

Winning the game

Play progresses until the final hand when one of the players 'goes out,' meaning he is able to play the last card in his hand. Although players may discard throughout the game, to win they must be able to lay down all of their cards without discarding. In order to win, on a player's turn they must be able to draw a card and then go out without a discard. The winner of the hand gets zero points, and the other players count their cards to determine their score for the hand. After all seven hands are played, the winner is the player with the lowest score.

Sequence of hands

1. two aces and one set of 3 (three-of-a-kind)

2. two sets of 3

3. one set of 3 and one run of 4

4. two runs of 4

5. three sets of 3

6. two sets of 3 and 1 run of 4

7. one set of 3 and 2 runs of 4

8. three runs of 4

9. one run of 7 and one set of 3

10. one run of 5 and one run of 6

Points

• 2-10: 5 points
• Faces: 10 points
• Ace: 15 points
• Joker: 25 points
• Black 2 wild card: 50 points

Contributed by William A. Robfogel - April, 2000

This is based on the game Contract Rummy or Shanghai Rummy (see also Toonerville Rook - another Contract Rummy game played with Rook cards).

Best with 4 - 6 players

Use 2 decks of Rook cards. Some people use 3 decks (6 wild cards) with 6 or more players.

Wild cards - 4 are needed (Use the 2 Rook cards and 2 advertising cards if your set has some. If not, use 2 black 14s with the rook cards. If you use the black 14s, you must remove the other 14s from the deck). These wild cards can be used in the place of any card or color. Wild cards cannot be exchanged for the card they were substituted for during any hand.

Purpose

To be the first to play all the cards from your hand (goes out) by playing your cards on your or other player's sets and/or runs, thereby getting the lowest score.

The Hands

Shanghai Card Game Hands

There are 7 hands in the game:

A set is a minimum of 3 cards (can be more than 3 cards), all the same number and any color. Example: Green 5, red 5, yellow 5,

A run is a minimum of 4 cards (can be more than 4 cards) all of the same color and consecutive numbers. Example: Green 9,10,11,12.

To Begin Play

1. Deal 11 cards
2. Place remaining cards (draw pile) in the middle. Turn over the top card and place it (face up) at the side to start Discard pile. If a wild card is turned over as the discard, then it should be buried in the draw pile and the next card exposed as the first discard.
3. Player to the left of the dealer begins.
4. A player begins his turn by choosing a card from either pile.
5. He ends his turn by discarding a card onto the exposed pile.
6. You are not allowed to lay any cards down until you can lay the required sets and/or run down. At that time you can also play cards on the other players' sets and runs. Only the required sets and/or runs can be laid out for each player in each hand, i.e. A player can play only the 2 sets in the first hand/or 1 set and 1 run in the second hand. The 1 is the low card and the 14 (the 13, if you use the black 14s as wild cards) is the high card.
7. After you have laid your cards down, on that turn and subsequent turns, get rid of your remaining cards, by adding them to any sets or runs already laid down - your own or others. Example:. An extra 2 could be placed on someone else's set of 2's or a red 7 at the end of a run of red 3,4,5,6. You cannot add cards below the 1 or above the 14 in runs.
8. The hand ends when anyone has played of all his cards (goes out).

Buying Cards

• Prior to laying down the required sets and/or runs, you may 'buy' the top card on the discard pile, even if it is not your turn -- if
  1. The person whose turn it is does not want it. This person may take it as his regular draw.
  2. Any person whose turn comes before yours does not want to buy it. Example: If your turn is 4 people away, the person whose turn it is may take it as his regular draw and each of the other 3 people whose turn comes before you may buy it before you -- according to the order of their turn.
• To buy, you must also take another card from the draw pile also.
• You may have 3 buys during a hand - (maximum cards in the hand - 17)
• After you lay down your required sets and/or runs, you may not purchase cards even if you have not used all your buys.

Pick and a Buy

When it is your turn, you may declare that you are going to do a 'pick and a buy.' This means that you are taking your normal card from the discard pile and buying the card that is under it. This counts as one of your 3 buys. You must declare that you are doing a pick and a buy prior to making your draw.

Scoring

After a player has gone out, the score is added up. The lowest score wins the hand. The person with the lowest score from all the hands wins the game.

Shanghai Card Game Hands

The person who has played all of his cards gets 0 points

Cards left in a player's hand after the end of play count against him.

Card values

• 1 - 9 = face value - Example a 6 = 6 points.
• 10 - 14 = 10 points - Example: an 11 = 10 points.
• Wild cards = 20 points each.

Examples: A person who has 2 - 6s, 9, 10, and an 11 remaining in their hand at the end of play has 41 points against him. A person with a wild card, 2 - 10s, and a 1 has 41 points against them.

You can download a printable Rook Shanghai score sheet (zipped Microsoft Excel file - 4kb).

Play with fewer than four people

• Use 2 wild cards instead of 4.
• Deal one more card than is required to lay your cards out to start the hand. The last 2 hand (2 runs, 1 set and 3 runs) would have only 11 cards dealt as per the regular rules. Example: to lay 2 runs requires 8 cards so you would deal 9.
• Otherwise, play as above.