Rommé – Rules
Play Rommé against the computer
1. Overview
Rommé is Germany's favourite melding game. Everyone tries to arrange their cards into sets (equal ranks) and runs (sequences in one suit) and lay them on the table. The first meld must reach a minimum total (“coming out”). After that you may also add cards to other players' melds. Whoever discards their last card wins the round; the others pay for the cards left in hand.
| Other names | Romme, Rummy |
| Players | 2 to 6, best with 3 to 4 |
| Time | one round 10 to 20 minutes, a game 45 to 90 minutes |
| Age | 8 and up |
| Difficulty | easy to medium |
2. Goal
Be the first to get rid of all your cards and collect the fewest minus points over the whole game.
3. What you need
- Rommé pack with 110 cards: two French packs (ace, 2 to 10, jack, queen, king twice in clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds) plus 6 jokers.
- Pen and paper for the penalty points.
4. Setup
- Choose the dealer by lot. After each round the next player clockwise deals.
- Shuffle and cut: The dealer shuffles all 110 cards thoroughly, the player on the dealer's right cuts.
- Deal: One at a time, face down, clockwise from the left. Everyone gets 13 cards, the player to the dealer's left 14 cards.
- Stock: The remaining cards go face down in the middle. There is no discard pile yet.
- Start: The player to the dealer's left starts. They don't draw but may meld and then discard one card. This starts the discard pile.
- After that everyone takes a normal turn (section 6).
[ Player 3 ]
[ Melds 3 ]
[ Player 2 ] [▒ Stock] [Discard] [ Player 4 ]
[ Melds 2 ] [ Melds 4 ]
[ Melds 1 ]
[ Player 1 ]
5. Card values
Values when melding and as cards left in hand:
| Card | Value when melding | Penalty points in hand |
|---|---|---|
| Joker | value of the card it replaces | 20 |
| Ace | 11 (in the run ace-2-3 it counts 1) | 11 |
| King, queen, jack | 10 each | 10 |
| 2 to 10 | face value | face value |
Melds:
| Meld | What it needs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Set | 3 or 4 cards of the same rank in different suits | 8 of hearts, 8 of spades, 8 of diamonds |
| Run | at least 3 consecutive cards of the same suit | 5, 6, 7 of clubs |
- In a run the ace goes low (ace-2-3) or high (queen-king-ace), but never around the corner – no king-ace-2.
- The joker replaces any card. Two jokers may not lie directly next to each other in a run.
6. How to play
A turn always has three steps in this order:
- Draw: take the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
- Meld and lay off (optional):
- lay new sets and runs face up in front of you,
- add single cards to your own or other players' melds (only after coming out),
- swap a joker in a meld for the matching real card (only after coming out).
- Discard: place exactly one card face up on the discard pile.
Coming out. Your first meld must total at least 30 points. Until then you may neither lay off nor swap jokers.
Taking the discard. If you take the top discard, you must use it in a meld in the same turn. You may not discard it again straight away.
| Situation | What you may do |
|---|---|
| You haven't come out yet | Only lay your own melds worth at least 30 points in total – or nothing. |
| You have come out | Lay new melds, lay off on any meld, swap jokers. |
| The top discard suits you | Take it only if you can meld it at once. |
| You have one card left | Discard it – that wins you the round. |
Not allowed: two identical cards (e.g. 8 of spades twice) in the same set, runs “around the corner” (king-ace-2), laying off before coming out, discarding more than one card.
7. Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Set | 3 or 4 cards of the same rank in different suits |
| Run | At least 3 cards of one suit in unbroken sequence |
| Coming out | Your first meld, worth at least 30 points |
| Laying off | Adding a single card to a meld already on the table |
| Discard pile | The face-up pile; only the top card is available |
| Stock | The face-down undealt cards |
| Swapping a joker | Replacing a melded joker with the real card and using the joker again |
| Hand Rommé | Laying down all your cards in one single turn without having come out before |
8. End of the round & scoring
The first player with no cards left wins the round. The last card must be discarded. All other players count their hand cards as penalty points (table in section 5).
- Hand Rommé: If a player lays down all their cards in one single turn without having come out before, all others pay double.
- Never came out: A player who never melded in the round pays their cards as normal (variant: a flat 100 points).
- Recording: One column per player; penalty points are added up.
- Game: An agreed number of rounds is played, or until someone passes a limit (e.g. 500 points). The player with the fewest minus points wins. Tied players share the win.
9. Special cases
What happens when the stock runs out?
The discard pile except its top card is shuffled and turned over as the new stock.
What if I can't meld anything?
No problem: melding is optional, discarding is always possible.
May I add to other players' melds?
Yes, but only after you have come out yourself.
How do I swap a joker?
A player who has come out may swap a joker in a meld for the real card. They must meld the joker again in the same turn.
May I go out without discarding?
No, under the standard rule the last card is always discarded.
What if someone melds incorrectly?
The cards go back to the hand and the turn is repeated correctly.
What about dealing mistakes?
A card exposed while dealing goes under the stock and the player gets a new one. If someone has too many or too few cards, the cards are redealt.
Can you play Rommé with two?
Yes. The rules stay the same; a round just takes a little longer.
10. Variants & house rules
Standard in this description: coming out from 30 points, discard only taken for immediate use, going out with a discard, cards left in hand at face value.
| Variant | What changes |
|---|---|
| Coming out from 40 | The first meld needs 40 points. |
| First meld with a run | The first melds must include a run. |
| Free discard | The top discard may always be taken. |
| Räuber-Rommé | Players who are out may rearrange melds, as long as each still has at least 3 cards. |
| Rummy à la Ghidi | Everyone gets 10 cards, the dealer 11 and starts by discarding. |
| 100 for not coming out | A player who never melded pays a flat 100. |
When playing against the computer on cardgames.zone, coming out from 30, “taking the discard: always allowed” and three rounds are preset; all of these can be changed.
11. Example round
Starting position. Player 1 deals. Player 2 (left of Player 1) has 14 cards, Player 3 and Player 1 13 each.
- Player 2 starts. He doesn't have enough to come out yet and discards the king of clubs.
- Player 3 takes the king of clubs from the discard pile because he has the jack and queen of clubs. He melds jack, queen, king of clubs (30 points) – he has come out. He discards the 3 of hearts.
- Player 1 draws a joker from the stock. With the 9 of hearts, 9 of diamonds and the joker he would have a set, but only 27 points – not enough to come out. He keeps the cards and discards the 2 of spades.
- Player 2 draws the ace of spades. He melds the aces of spades, hearts and diamonds (33 points) and is out too. He discards the 4 of diamonds.
- Later Player 3 has only the ace of clubs left. He draws the 6 of diamonds, adds the ace of clubs to his jack-queen-king run and discards the 6 of diamonds. Player 3 has no cards left and wins the round.
- Scoring: Player 1 still holds the 9 of hearts, 9 of diamonds and the joker: 9 + 9 + 20 = 38 penalty points. Player 2 holds the 10 of diamonds and 5 of spades = 15. Player 3 scores 0.
12. Common mistakes
- Laying off before coming out. Only after melding 30 points may you add to melds.
- Two identical cards in one set. A set needs different suits – so not two 7s of hearts.
- Runs “around the corner”. King-ace-2 is not a run.
- Taking the discard and discarding it again. It must be melded in the same turn.
- Going out without a discard. The last card is always discarded.
- Underestimating a joker in hand. It costs 20 penalty points.
Tips for beginners: Sort your cards by suit and rank. Get rid of aces and face cards early, they cost the most. Watch the discards – what others throw away, they aren't collecting. And don't wait too long to come out: after that you can lay off and shrink your hand faster.
Origin & history
American Rum/Rummy (early 20th century, from the Mexican Conquian) came to Germany in the 1920s–30s and became a family classic as 'Rommé' with 110 cards. According to an Ipsos study, Rommé is one of the Germans’ favourite games.