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A full guide to dealing the deck, playing a round, and tallying scores
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If you want a simple but competitive card game to try out with your friends, Liverpool Rummy is a fun twist on a classic. Whether you’re learning to play for the first time or just need a quick refresher, we’ve got everything you need to get started with your game. Keep reading, and we’ll cover all the rules to set up and play, plus strategies that can help you win!
Liverpool Rummy Rules Overview
In a game, players play “sets” of cards with the same value or sequential “runs” in the same suit determined by the current round. Add cards to sets and runs until one person runs out of cards. Earn points for leftover cards, and win if you have the lowest score after 7 rounds.
Steps
Section 1 of 6:
How to Deal Liverpool Rummy
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Shuffle 2-3 decks of cards together. Use 2 decks for 3-4 players, or 3 decks if 5-8 people are playing. Shuffle the card decks together, including the Jokers, so the cards are thoroughly mixed. [1] X Research source
- Aces count both as higher than a King or lower than a 2. From highest to lowest value, cards rank A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-A.
- Jokers are considered Wild cards and can be counted as any value.
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Deal out 10 or 12 cards depending on the current game round. Choose a player to be the first dealer. Have the player to the right of the dealer cut the deck before dealing. If you’re just starting the game, deal out 10 cards face-down to each person. Players can look at their own hands, but keep them hidden from everyone else. [2] X Research source
- During rounds 1-4, deal 10 cards to each player.
- For rounds 5-7, deal 12 cards to each player instead.
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Flip over the deck’s top card to start the discard pile. Set any leftover cards into a deck in the middle of the table where all the players can reach them. Flip the top card of the deck face-up and set it nearby to form the discard pile. [3] X Research source
- If the cut cards were the exact amount needed to deal out hands and start the discard pile, the player who cut the deck subtracts 50 points from their score as a bonus. If it’s the first round, it’s okay to have negative points.
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Section 2 of 6:
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Take the top card of the deck or discard pile at the start of the turn. The player to the left of the dealer takes the first turn of the game. Either take the face-up card on top of the discard pile or draw the next card from the deck to add it to your hand. [4] X Research source
- If a player chooses to draw from the deck, all other players have the opportunity to buy
the card on top of the discard pile. If a player wants the card, they may take it from the discard. However, they must also take the top card of the deck as a penalty.
- If multiple players want the top discard, whichever player is next closest in turn order gets the card.
- If a player chooses to draw from the deck, all other players have the opportunity to buy
the card on top of the discard pile. If a player wants the card, they may take it from the discard. However, they must also take the top card of the deck as a penalty.
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Lay down cards in sets or runs based on the round’s required meld. A meld is another name for a combination of cards. Melds are either sets of 3 or more cards with the same rank, or sequential runs of 4 or more cards of the same suit. Players may only meld once per round, and it must follow the current round’s requirements. Play the meld cards face-up on the table. The round requirements are: [5] X Research source
- Round 1: 2 sets of 3
- Round 2: 1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4
- Round 3: 2 runs of 4
- Round 4: 3 sets of 3
- Round 5: 2 sets of 3, and 1 run of 4
- Round 6: 1 set of 3, and 2 runs of 4
- Round 7: 3 runs of 4 with no cards remaining in your hand
- You may use Jokers to replace any card, but you must have at least 2 “natural cards” in a set (ex: A-A-Joker) or 3 natural cards in a run (ex: 3-4-Joker-6).
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Add cards to melds that have already been played. Once a player lays down the required meld for the round, then they’re allowed to play any number of cards to melds that are on the table. Players can add to their own melds or melds from another player. [6] X Research source
- If there’s a Joker in a meld, a player can replace it with the correct card as long as they’re able to play it to a meld by the end of their turn. For example, if a run has the 7 spades - 8 spades - Joker - 10 spades, you could replace the Joker with a 9 of spades.
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Discard a card to finish a turn. At the end of a turn, the active player has to choose 1 card in their hand that they don’t want anymore. Set the card face-up on the discard pile so it’s available to the next player.
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Continue taking turns until a player runs out of cards in their hand. The player to the left takes the next turn and continues clockwise around the table. As soon as one person plays or discards the last card in their hand, the round ends. [7] X Research source
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Tips
- Some people may play with different house rules, so make sure everyone is on the same page and follows the same rules.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.coololdgames.com/card-games/rummy/liverpool/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Xs8sqIbVAlE?t=241
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/rummy/ctrummy.html
- ↑ https://youtu.be/wPHP5epzHXU?t=89
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/rummy/ctrummy.html
- ↑ https://www.coololdgames.com/card-games/rummy/liverpool/
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/rummy/ctrummy.html
- ↑ https://www.coololdgames.com/card-games/rummy/liverpool/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/wPHP5epzHXU?t=268
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