Liverpool Rummy
What Is Liverpool Rummy?
Liverpool Rummy is one of the most popular contract rummy games in the world, especially in the UK, Caribbean, and Central America. The game is played over seven rounds. Each round has a specific contract — a required combination of sets and runs you must complete before you can go out. Contracts get harder each round. Jokers are wild cards. A buying rule lets any player steal the discard on another player’s turn — for a price. Lowest score after all seven rounds wins.
What You Need
- Two standard 52-card decks plus two Jokers shuffled together — about 106 cards total
- Two to six players
- Score pad
The Seven Contracts — In Order
- Round 1: Two sets of three
- Round 2: One set of three plus one run of four
- Round 3: Two runs of four
- Round 4: Three sets of three
- Round 5: Two sets of three plus one run of four
- Round 6: One set of three plus two runs of four
- Round 7: Three runs of four
Understanding Sets and Runs
A set is three or more cards of the same rank. Example: three Queens, or four 6s. Suit does not matter for sets.
A run is four or more consecutive cards all of the same suit. Example: 5♣ 6♣ 7♣ 8♣. Ace can be used low (A-2-3-4) or high (J-Q-K-A) but cannot wrap around.
Jokers are wild — they can represent any card in any set or run. However, you cannot have more than two Jokers in a single meld.
Setting Up Each Round
- Shuffle all cards together.
- Deal seven cards to each player for rounds one through six. Deal ten cards to each player for round seven.
- Place remaining cards face-down as the stock pile.
- Flip the top card face-up to start the discard pile.
How to Play — Step by Step
The player to the left of the dealer goes first. Play moves clockwise.
The Buying Rule — Happens Before Every Draw
Before the active player draws a card, any OTHER player may buy the face-up discard card. To buy:
- Say ‘Buy!’ before the active player picks up their card — first to call it gets the card
- The buyer takes the face-up discard AND draws one extra card from the stock pile. Both go into the buyer’s hand. The extra drawn card is the cost of buying.
- The buyer does NOT discard after buying — buying happens outside of a normal turn
- Each player may buy a maximum of three times per round
If no one buys, the active player may take the top discard normally or draw from the stock.
On Your Normal Turn
- Draw one card — from the stock or the top discard.
- If you have all the cards needed for your current round’s contract, you may lay them down face-up in front of you. You must lay down the entire contract in one turn — you cannot lay down part of it now and finish later.
- Once your contract is on the table, you may also lay off extra cards onto any meld on the table — yours or any other player’s.
- Discard one card face-up to end your turn.
Ending the Round
The round ends when any player discards their last card. All players who completed their contract advance to the next round’s contract. Players who did not complete their contract stay on the same contract next round.
Scoring
When someone goes out, every other player counts the penalty value of cards still in their hand:
- Number cards 2 through 9: 5 points each
- 10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings: 10 points each
- Aces: 15 points each
- Jokers: 20 points each
Add each player’s penalty points to their running total. Lowest total after all seven rounds wins.
Tips for New Players
- Buy only when the discard card directly completes or nearly completes your contract — the extra penalty card you draw can hurt.
- Save Jokers for the later, harder rounds when runs of four are harder to complete naturally.
- Watch opponents carefully — if someone is close to completing their contract, try to discard cards that don’t help them.