Free, no sign-up. Open the file and print it – ideally at actual size (100 %).
What is in the PDFs
The rules (2 A4 pages). Page 1 explains German Rummy (Rommé), the classic family game: the cards and the deal, the goal, the turn in three steps, sets and runs with card pictures, the 40-point opening, laying off, the joker, going out and the points left in hand. In the bottom corner sits a short checklist of the house rules tables argue about most. Page 2 shows the two variants in which the table belongs to everyone – Robbers’ Rummy and Royal Robber Rummy – plus a comparison of all three.
The score sheet (1 A4 page). Six columns for names, twenty rounds, a totals row and the card values at the foot of the page. Every fifth line is thicker, so your eye does not slip while adding up.
Both files are set black on white with very little colour. They print cleanly on any printer, in greyscale too.
Preview
This is what the pages look like. On a phone the preview is small – the PDFs above are full size.
Spielio
Rummy – the rules
German Rummy (Rommé), the classic family game. Everything on one page.
What you need
Two 52-card decks + 6 jokers (110 cards), 2 to 6 players. Everyone gets 13 cards, the dealer 14 – and starts by discarding, without drawing. The rest is the face-down stock, next to it the face-up discard pile.
The goal
Be first to get rid of all your cards – as melds on the table. Whoever goes out scores 0. Everyone else counts their hand as penalty points.
Your turn – three steps
- Draw one card from the stock or the top of the discard pile.
- Meld lay down sets and runs, lay off on melds on the table – if you like.
- Discard one card face up on the discard pile. That ends your turn.
The set
7♥7♠7♦3 or 4 cards of the same rank, each suit only once.
The run
8♣9♣10♣3 or more cards of one suit in sequence. Ace low (A‑2‑3) or high (Q‑K‑A), never round the corner.
The opening: 40 points
Your very first meld must total at least 40 points (house rule often 30). Pictures 10, ace 11, a joker what it stands for. Until then you may not lay off anywhere.
Laying off
From the turn after your opening you may add cards to any meld, other players’ too. You may not rearrange melds or take cards back.
The joker
9♦JKR✦J♦Stands in for any card. Never more jokers than real cards in a meld. After your opening you may swap in the real card and take the joker.
Going out
Get rid of your last card and the round ends at once. Hand-Rommé: everything laid down in one turn – no 40-point hurdle, and the others pay double.
Points in hand
| 2–10 | face value |
| Jack, Queen, King | 10 |
| Ace | 11 |
| Joker | 20 |
Fewest points after all rounds wins.
Agree before you start
- 30 instead of 40 to open
- Knocking: claim a discard out of turn
- Re-meld a freed joker in the same turn
- Empty stock: shuffle the discards
- How many rounds – or up to what score?
Spielio
Two variants with a bite
Same cards, same melds – but the table belongs to everyone.
Robbers’ Rummy
- The difference
- After your opening you may rebuild any meld on the table: take cards out, move them, split and join melds.
- The limit
- Every card stays on the table – nothing goes into your hand.
- Must
- At least one card from your hand joins the table in your turn.
- End of turn
- Every meld valid: at least 3 cards, a set or a gapless run, never more jokers than real cards.
- Otherwise
- as in German Rummy: 13 cards, opening usually 40, the turn ends with a discard.
Royal Robber Rummy
- The robbery
- You may take cards from any meld into your hand – as long as every meld is valid at the end of your turn.
- Unlock
- Your first own meld – no points hurdle, it works in the same turn.
- No discard
- Draw, meld, rearrange, rob – then end your turn.
- Round the corner
- Runs may wrap past the ace: K‑A‑2.
- Robber tax
- More than 15 cards at the end of your turn: instead of drawing, the next player takes a random card from you.
- Cards
- 2 decks + 6 jokers, 12 each.
Side by side
| German Rummy | Robbers’ | Royal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lay off | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rebuild the table | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Table card into your hand | – | – | ✓ |
| Opening | 40 | usually 40 | no hurdle |
| Turn ends with a discard | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Points in hand | 2–10 face · pictures 10 · ace 11 · joker 20 | ||
Counting points – an example
Someone goes out and you still hold these four cards: king 10 + seven 7 + seven 7 + joker 20 = 44 penalty points. Had you melded the sevens and used the joker, it would be just 10.
Royal Robber Rummy is free in your browser, no sign-up: rrr.spielio.app – against the computer or online. The score sheet for your table is a separate PDF, and a calculator: spielio.app/rummy/scoring
Spielio
Rummy score sheet
Date Place
| Round | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | ||||||
| 10 | ||||||
| Subtotal | ||||||
| 11 | ||||||
| 12 | ||||||
| 13 | ||||||
| 14 | ||||||
| 15 | ||||||
| 16 | ||||||
| 17 | ||||||
| 18 | ||||||
| 19 | ||||||
| 20 | ||||||
| Σ |
Whoever goes out writes 0. The others: 2–10 face value · Jack, Queen, King 10 · Ace 11 · Joker 20. Hand-Rommé: double. Fewest points win.
How to print
Open the PDF and choose actual size or 100 % in the print dialog. “Fit to page” works too but shrinks the pages slightly. The paper is A4. On US Letter, choose “fit to page” so nothing is cut off.
Print the score sheet as often as you like. A tip for regular players: slide one sheet into a clear plastic sleeve and write on it with a wipe-off marker.
Which rules?
Page 1 follows German Rummy as most families in Germany, Austria and Switzerland play it: two decks with six jokers, 13 cards each, 40 points to open, ace 11 and joker 20 in hand. That is not the one-deck Basic Rummy common in English-speaking countries – the differences are on our rules page. Almost every table has house rules, which is why the sheet carries a checklist: tick what applies before the first deal.
Robbers’ Rummy is the variant where melds on the table may be rebuilt. Royal Robber Rummy is our own game: there you may even take table cards into your hand. Each has its own page, with tables to play along:
Frequently asked questions
Does the PDF cost anything? No. The files are free, with no sign-up and no email address.
May I copy the PDF for my game night or club? Yes, for private use and for your group, as often as you like. Please do not sell it.
Is there a German version? Yes: Rommé-Regeln zum Ausdrucken – the same pages in German.
- Wikipedia (German): Rommé — number of cards, 40-point opening, card values, Hand-Rommé
- John McLeod, "Rummy", Pagat.com — rules reference for the Rummy family
- Royal Robber Rummy (Spielio) — the rules of our game