Shanghai Rummy
What Is Shanghai Rummy?
Shanghai Rummy is a contract rummy game very similar to Liverpool Rummy, played over seven rounds with escalating contracts. The key feature is the buying rule — any player can pay to take the discard on another player’s turn, receiving one extra penalty card in exchange. Jokers are wild. The player with the lowest score after all seven rounds wins.
What You Need
- Two standard 52-card decks plus four Jokers shuffled together — 108 cards total
- Three to five 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, any suits. A run is four or more consecutive cards of the same suit. Ace can be low or high but not both. Jokers are wild and can stand in for any card in any meld.
Setting Up Each Round
- Shuffle all cards.
- Deal 11 cards to each player for every round.
- Place remaining cards face-down as the stock. Flip one card face-up for the discard pile.
How to Play — Step by Step
The player to the left of the dealer goes first. Play moves clockwise.
Buying — Before Every Draw
Before the active player draws, any other player may call ‘Buy!’ to take the face-up discard. The buyer receives the discard card plus one extra card drawn from the stock — both go into their hand. The buyer does not discard after buying. Maximum three buys per player per round. First to call gets the card if multiple players want it.
On Your Normal Turn
- Draw one card from the stock or take the top discard (if no one bought it).
- If you have all the cards for your contract, lay them all down at once in front of you.
- After laying down your contract, you may lay off additional cards onto any melds on the table.
- Discard one card to end your turn.
Important Difference from Liverpool Rummy
In Shanghai Rummy, once a Joker is placed in a meld on the table, another player who holds the natural card the Joker represents may swap their natural card for the Joker and use the Joker elsewhere. This Joker-stealing rule adds an extra layer of strategy.
Scoring
When a player goes out, count unmelded cards in every other player’s hand:
- Number cards: face value
- Face cards: 10 points each
- Aces: 15 points each
- Jokers: 25 points each
Lowest cumulative score after seven rounds wins.
Tips for New Players
- The extra card you receive when buying can be just as useful as the discard you bought — think of it as drawing two for the price of discarding strategic information.
- Stealing Jokers from the table is powerful — always have the natural card ready if you plan to do it.
- Complete your contract as early as possible each round — cards in hand when someone goes out cost you points.