Progressive Rummy Card Game Rules

Rummy is a common card game with many variations that all share a couple general principles. The game is made up of a specific number of deals. Each deal holds a contract players must meet in order to play their hand of cards. The contracts are called "melds" or groupings. Progressive rummy is a variation of standard contract rummy. Progressive rummy shares the same overall principles of contract rummy with a few exceptions regarding the contracts and the number of cards used.

Progressive rummy is played with three to eight players and two decks of cards. This version of rummy includes all four jokers from the two decks, totaling 108 cards. To find out which player goes first, the cards are shuffled and each player picks a card. The player with the lowest card goes first, and play proceeds to the left.

This card game, like contract rummy, is made up of contracts. In progressive rummy, there are seven contracts. To begin the game, each player is dealt six cards for round one. The number of cards dealt to each player increases by one for each round. Thus, each player receives seven cards in round two, eight cards in round three, and so on. The object of the game is to complete the contract, or meld, for each round. In progressive rummy, no extra cards are played, and the contracts must be met exactly. For a set, three cards are played. For a sequence, four cards are played. For deal number one, the contract is two sets. To accomplish this contract, two sets of cards with the same value are needed. A winning set of three could be made if a player lays down three different cards with the same value--for example, three cards with the number 7 on them. A winning sequence example is if a player lays down a 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The player who wins the contract wins the round. The other players add up their cards by using a chart where all number cards are worth their face value. Jacks, queens and kings are each worth 10 points. Aces are worth 15 and jokers are worth 25. The player with the lowest cumulative score at the end of all seven rounds wins the game. The player who wins the contract accumulates zero points for the round. A joker is used as a wild card in both contract rummy and progressive rummy.