Rami (French rummy) rules
Rami, the French rummy, is played by 2 to 6 players with two 52-card decks and jokers. The goal is to get rid of all your cards by laying down melds. At the end of each round, the other players score the value of the cards left in their hand: these are penalty points, and the player with the fewest wins. Rami has no single official rule: this is the variant most played in France.
Is there an official rule for rami (French rummy)?
No. Rami is played with many variants depending on families and regions: the value of the first lay-down, jokers, how to go out, the elimination threshold. Agree on them before the game. This page describes the most common French variant.
How many cards are dealt in rami?
Two 52-card decks and their jokers are shuffled together. Each player gets 13 cards, and the starting player gets 14. The rest forms the stock, face down.
How does a turn work in rami?
- Take a card: the top card of the stock, or the last card thrown on the discard pile.
- Lay down melds on the table, if you can and want to.
- Throw one card on the discard pile to end your turn.
The player who got 14 cards starts by throwing a card.
What melds can you lay down in rami?
- A run: at least 3 consecutive cards of the same suit (for example 7, 8, 9 of hearts).
- A set of three: 3 cards of the same rank in different suits (for example three queens).
- A set of four: 4 cards of the same rank in the 4 suits.
A joker replaces any card in a meld.
Do you need 51 points to open in rami?
Yes, in the most common variant: the first time a player lays down, their melds must be worth at least 51 points in total. After that first lay-down, they may lay down more melds and add to the ones already on the table on later turns.
To reach 51, cards 2 to 10 count their number, face cards 10, the ace 1 in an ace-2-3 run and 11 after the king, and a joker the value of the card it replaces.
How do you win a round of rami?
The round stops as soon as a player has no cards left in hand: they went out and score 0. The others count the value of the cards left in their hand as penalty points.
What is a rami sec?
A rami sec means going out in one go: laying down all your cards at once, without having laid anything earlier in the round. Every other player's penalty points are then doubled.
How much are the cards left in hand worth in rami?
| Card | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | Its number |
| Jack, queen, king | 10 |
| Ace | 1 (or 11, depending on the variant) |
| Joker | 25 |
How do you score rami?
Each round, the player who went out scores 0 and every other player scores the value of their hand, doubled after a rami sec. Points add up from round to round. Example: a player left with a king, a 7 and a joker scores 10 + 7 + 25 = 42 points, or 84 if the winner made a rami sec.
At how many points are you out in rami?
The most common threshold is 500 points: a player whose total reaches 500 is out. The game ends when only one player is left under the threshold. You can also play a number of rounds set in advance, or without elimination.
Who wins a game of rami?
The player with the fewest penalty points at the end of the game wins. With an elimination threshold, it is the last player left under the threshold.
How does the Scorizy score sheet count rami?
Each round, you pick who went out, then enter the value of every other player's hand, and tick rami sec when it applies. The sheet doubles the penalties after a rami sec, keeps the totals and shows who is out. You choose the elimination threshold (500 by default, or none) or a fixed number of rounds.