A quick reference for the table: the contract for every round, what each card costs you, and the rules people most often get wrong. Keep it open while you play and check a combination, a card value, or the order of play without stopping the game.
Which rules this uses
This sheet follows the seven-round version used throughout these guides: three to five players, two standard decks plus four jokers, and eleven cards dealt to each player every round. The rest form the stock, with one card turned face up to start the discard pile.
Other versions use different contracts or scoring. Check your table is playing this one before applying anything below, and see the ten-round comparison if yours is not.
On paper: everything here plus a blank score sheet fits on one printable page. Download the rules PDF. Free, no sign-up.
Rounds and contracts
Complete the round's contract before making your initial meld. A set starts at three cards, a sequence at four.
| Round | Required contract | Minimum cards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two sets of three | 6 |
| 2 | One set of three and one sequence of four | 7 |
| 3 | Two sequences of four | 8 |
| 4 | Three sets of three | 9 |
| 5 | Two sets of three and one sequence of four | 10 |
| 6 | One set of three and two sequences of four | 11 |
| 7 | Three sequences, the entire hand at once, no final discard | 12 or more |
In round seven, any extra cards from buying must fit inside the three sequences when you finish. Every contract explained.
Scoring
Only cards left in your hand count against you when another player goes out. Add them to your running total after each round.
| Card remaining in hand | Penalty points |
|---|---|
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 | 5 |
| 8, 9, 10, J, Q or K | 10 |
| Ace | 20 |
| Joker | 50 |
Whoever goes out scores zero for that round. The lowest accumulated score after seven rounds wins the game. Worked scoring examples.
A worked penalty
Left in hand
5 + 10 + 20 + 50
Making a valid meld
Sets and sequences at a glance
Set: matching ranks
Two copies and a third eight
Duplicates are legal in a set
Sequence: suit and order
Aces are high only
An ace cannot lead
Not permitted
Taking your turn
Every turn, in order
- 1Draw one card, from the stock or the top of the discard pile
- 2Lay down your complete contract if it is ready and not already down
- 3Lay off any cards that fit exposed melds, yours or anyone else's
- 4Discard one card
Finishing
Two finishing procedures
Rounds 1 to 6
Play what you can
Keep one back
The final discard is required
Round 7
Three sequences, whole hand
Sixteen things people get wrong
1. Check the contract first
Look at what the current round requires before you arrange anything. A useful set in one round is dead weight in a round that wants sequences only.
2. Match ranks to make a set
A set is three or more cards of the same rank. Duplicate physical cards count, so two copies of 8♣ plus one 8♦ is a legal set of eights.
3. Match suit and order to make a sequence
A sequence is four or more consecutive cards of one suit. Aces are high only here: J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥ is valid, A♥ 2♥ 3♥ 4♥ is not.
4. Check your initial combinations
Two required sets must have different ranks. Two required same-suit sequences may not be adjoining, though separate copies can create overlapping sequences, and sequences with a gap between them are fine.
5. One joker per combination
Each set or sequence holds at most one joker, even after it is extended. Two jokers cannot fill two missing positions in the same meld.
6. Put the whole contract down at once
You cannot expose part of your contract. Hold everything until the full requirement is ready, then meld it on your turn.
7. Check for layoffs once your contract is down
Ordinary laying off opens up as soon as your contract is exposed, including on that same turn. Add to your own melds or anyone else's. You cannot start unrelated new melds.
8. Follow the turn order
Draw, then meld and lay off, then discard. Holding a card that fits the table does not let you skip the draw.
9. Count the cost of a buy
A buy takes the top discard out of turn and adds two stock cards with it: three cards. Two buys per player per round, and no immediate play or discard.
10. Remember who has priority
The active player gets first refusal on the discard. If they decline and several want to buy, priority goes to whoever's turn comes soonest. Wanting a card is not getting it.
11. Joker replacement has conditions
A joker in a run can be swapped for the exact natural card, but only if your contract went down on an earlier turn, and the reclaimed joker must be laid off again the same turn. Jokers in sets stay put.
12. Remember the Shanghai call
Discard a card that fits an exposed meld and call Shanghai to protect it for one turn. Skip the call and another player may call it, add the card to the meld, and take a random card from your hand. This beats buying.
13. Keep a final discard in rounds one to six
Going out in these rounds includes a discard, so leave one card for it. Plan the whole turn before you start playing cards.
14. Use every card in round seven
The last round is the entire hand at once as three valid sequences, with no final discard. Three five-card sequences use a fifteen-card hand: eleven dealt, three from one buy, one drawn.
15. Rebuild the stock when it runs out
Leave the top discard where it is, shuffle the rest of the pile, and that becomes the new stock.
16. Review before you discard
Check your available plays and the points you would be left holding if someone finished now. Do not keep an unwanted high card without a reason, and remember one physical card cannot serve two combinations.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you receive in Shanghai Rummy?
Eleven in every round of the seven-round version used here. Buying adds more, so your hand can grow as the round goes on.
What is the difference between a set and a sequence?
A set uses matching ranks in any suits. A sequence uses consecutive ranks in one suit. Check both arrangements when you sort, because a card often has more than one possible use before you commit it.
Can you lay off before your contract is down?
No. Ordinary laying off requires your own complete contract on the table first. The Shanghai call follows its own rule and is not an ordinary layoff.
Does completing your contract end the round?
No. In rounds one to six you may still have cards to play or discard after the contract is down. Check the whole hand before declaring you have finished.
How should you use this cheat sheet during a game?
Check the round table before you arrange your cards, use the numbered reminders when a rule is disputed, and use the points table when the round ends. Agree the version with your group before the first deal.
Play a round with this open in another tab.