The game of Progressive Rummy is a variation on Rummy where players must fulfill a different objective in the cards they lay down from round to round. In the beginning, the objectives are much easier to accomplish since the number of cards in each sequential run or ranked set is quite low. But as the game progresses, it will take more and more cards to reach your established goal. Since each objective is plainly listed, no real familiarity of the original incarnation is needed to play the game of Progressive Rummy.
Gather 3 to 5 players. Combine 2 decks of cards, including 4 jokers.
Deal out the double deck so that each player begins with a total of 11 cards. The remaining cards are set to the center of the table to be used as the draw pile. The top card is then turned over and placed next to the deck to be used as the discard pile.
Arrange the cards in your hand. For the game of Progressive Rummy, you are looking to create certain sequential runs and ranked sets that will change from round to round. For the first round, you need to make 2 ranked sets of at least 3 cards—3 or more aces, 3 or more kings, 3 or more queens and so on.
Learn the objectives of subsequent rounds: First round objective—2 ranked sets of 3 cards Second round objective—1 ranked set of 3 cards and 1 sequential run of 4 cards Third round objective—2 ranked sets of 4 cards Fourth round objective—2 ranked sets of 3 cards and 1 sequential run of 4 cards Fifth round objective—2 ranked sets of 3 cards and 1 sequential run of 5 cards Sixth round objective—1 ranked set of 4 cards and 1 sequential run of 5 cards Seventh round objective—2 ranked sets of 5 cards Eighth round objective—2 sequential runs of 5 cards Ninth round objective—4 ranked sets of 3 cards Tenth round objective—3 sequential runs of 4 cards Eleventh round objective—3 ranked sets of 4 cards Twelfth round objective—5 sequential runs of 3 cards Thirteenth round objective—5 ranked sets of 3 cards Fourteenth round objective—1 ranked set of 5 cards, 1 sequential run of 5 cards and 1 pair Fifteenth round objective—2 ranked sets of 3 cards and 1 sequential run of 5 cards
Draw the top card from either the draw or discard pile. You may choose to take only 1 card on your turn.
Lay down any sequential runs or ranked sets in front of you. Since you have 11 cards to get rid of in your hand, you have a little more flexibility to step outside the objectives in the beginning stages of the game, but you still need to fulfill the objective to “win” the round.
Discard a card from your hand to signify the end of your turn.
Continue to play your hand, trying to fulfill the objective for the current round (as outlined in Step 4), until one player rids his hand of cards.
Tabulate the score of any remaining cards in your hand. Jokers are worth 20 points, aces are worth 15, face cards are worth 10 and numeric cards are worth 5. Add them to your overall score.
Win the game of Progressive Rummy by having the lowest amount of points at the end of 15 rounds of play.
Tip
When combining decks, it’s always best to find two different sets of designs, making the process of sorting much easier at the end of the game. Jokers are wild in the game of Progressive Rummy and can be used in place of another card. For the ninth through the eleventh round, the first draw you make will be of 2 cards. This can be either the top 2 cards from one of the piles or a card from each. For the twelfth through fourteenth round, the first 4 draws you make will be of 2 cards. Again, this can be either the top 2 cards from one of the piles or a card from each.
Tips
- When combining decks, it’s always best to find two different sets of designs, making the process of sorting much easier at the end of the game.
- Jokers are wild in the game of Progressive Rummy and can be used in place of another card.
- For the ninth through the eleventh round, the first draw you make will be of 2 cards. This can be either the top 2 cards from one of the piles or a card from each.
- For the twelfth through fourteenth round, the first 4 draws you make will be of 2 cards. Again, this can be either the top 2 cards from one of the piles or a card from each.
Writer Bio
Based in Minneapolis, Minn., Dana Severson has been writing marketing materials for small-to-mid-sized businesses since 2005. Prior to this, Severson worked as a manager of business development for a marketing company, developing targeted marketing campaigns for Big G, Betty Crocker and Pillsbury, among others.
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