Contract Rummy is the general name given for the entire group of Rummy games, all sharing two central features. They are, (1) a definite number of deals cover a game and (2) in every deal, a contract – a specific and predetermined pattern of melds, must be met so as to lay down any card. Alternate names for Contract Rummy are Combination Rummy, Deuces Wild Rummy, Hollywood Rummy, Joker Rummy, Shanghai Rummy, and Zioncheck.Number of Players varies from 3 to 8 and each one plays for himself.
For 3 or 4 players, two decks of 52 cards each, and one joker, for a total of 105 cards are used. For more than 5 players, three decks of 52 cards each, plus two jokers, for a total of 158 cards are used. The cards are graded high to low in the order K-Q-J-7-6-5-4-3-2. An ace may be treated as either high or low. Jokers are wild. The player drawing the lowest card deals first. Subsequently, the deal passes to the player in the left.
In deals 1 to 4, ten cards are dealt to each player; in deals 5 to 7, each player collects twelve cards. Cards are dealt clockwise, beginning with the player at the dealer’s left. After dealing, one card is turned as the upcard, and the rest of the deck is turned face-down to form the stock. A game consists of seven deals. In each deal, the aim is to complete a certain meld, called a “contract. The player who lays off all their cards first wins the hand. The player with the lowest collective score after seven deals wins the game.