Shanghai Rummy – Go (Connecticut)

Player: 3–6 (usually 4) · Cards: 2 French-suited decks + 4 jokers, 108 · Type: Rummy family with contracts

Play Shanghai Rummy against the computer

Objective

Over seven rounds, lay down the contract required each time, get rid of your hand cards and finish with the fewest penalty points.

Equipment & setup

2 French-suited decks with 4 jokers (108 cards). Everyone gets 11 cards each round; the next card is turned up as the discard pile. The deal passes round in turn.

Card ranking & card values

Twos and jokers are wild – at most one wild card per meld; only the run of seven may contain two. Set: 3 cards of the same rank. Run: consecutive cards of the same suit; the ace is high or low but cannot go “around”. Penalty points: 3–9 5 each, 10 to king 10 each, ace 15, two 20, joker 50.

Gameplay

1) Turn: draw from the stock or take any card from the discard pile – but then all cards lying above it as well. They don't have to be melded right away.

2) Contracts: round 1 two sets of three; round 2 set of three + run of four; round 3 two runs of four; round 4 three sets of three; round 5 two sets of three + run of four; round 6 set of three + two runs of four; round 7 run of seven + set of three.

3) Your first meld is exactly the contract – more cards only from your next turn on.

4) After that you may lay off and form new melds; in sets-only rounds only sets, in runs-only rounds only runs.

5) You always finish by discarding – including your last card when going out.

Special rules & special cards

There is no buying. Once you have laid down your own contract, you may swap a wild card on the table for the matching real card and take it into your hand.

Scoring & points

Whoever goes out scores 0. Everyone else counts their hand cards as penalty points.

End of game & winning

After the seventh round, whoever has the fewest penalty points in total wins.

Origin & history

Contract rummy has been a popular family game in North America since the middle of the 20th century: each round requires a different mandatory combination. Shanghai is the best-known name – but many families play their own house rules and call the game something else; in New England, for example, simply “Go”.