How to Play Penang Rummy

Penang Rummy is a unique and fun variant of Rummy that was first developed in the Malaysian state of Penang. This game is also sometimes called Si Rummy.

Penang Rummy is played using two standard 52 card decks and six total Jokers, all shuffled together. For purposes of sequence melds in this game, the ranking of the cards in this deck is as follows, from highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace. Note that an Ace is considered both highest and lowest, as an Ace can be used in either location in a sequence.

The normal game is usually played by 4, but see below for variants designed for fewer or more players. The player who will deal the first hand can be determined in a variety of methods, including draw for low cards. If multiple players draw cards of the same denomination, each player should continue to draw until he draws a card that is not equal to any other card previously drawn by any other player.

Once determined the dealer then begins dealing the cards face-down in a clockwise rotation around the table starting with the player to his immediate left. He continues doing this until each player has a hand consisting of 20 total cards. He places the remainder of stock off to the side as it will no longer be used in the current game. This is markedly different than in most other Rummy type games in which players will continuously draw from that pile throughout the course of the game.

Once each player has the requisite number of cards, play starts with the player to the immediate left of the current dealer and continues around the table in a clockwise direction. On each turn, a player must take at least one of the following moves (he is allowed to make multiple moves on the same hand if willing and having the appropriate cards):

• Create a new meld:
If a player has cards in his hand in which he can make a complete meld (consisting of at least three cards) he can play this meld to the table. There are two types of allowable full melds in Penang Rummy, as follows:
• Runs -
A run in Penang Rummy consists of three or more cards in direct numerical sequence all of the same suit. As mentioned above, the Ace can be considered high or low, thus the Ace can be included in a meld after the King or in a low meld before the two. Melds cannot go "around the corner", meaning that a meld such as Queen, King, Ace, 2, 3 would not be allowed.
• Sets -
A set is three or more cards of the exact same rank. These cards need not be of the same suit.
Jokers are considered wild cards and can be used to substitute for any other card in any meld. The first meld a player makes in the game is called a passport. A player may not lay-off cards to any other melds on the table until he has melded his first passport on the current hand.


• Lay Off Cards:
On his turn a player may play one or more appropriate cards to existing melds on the table, to extend those melds. He may add cards to either his own melds or the melds of other players. He may not meld cards to any other melds on the table on the current hand until he has played at least one passport during this hand.

Declaring Dead: If a player on his first turn, is unable to make a passport on his first meld he must drop from the hand, signified by a declaration of "Dead". Furthermore, on each subsequent turn after his first, a player must legally meld at least one card to the table. If unable to do so, he must also declare "Dead", dropping from the hand. When doing so, this player takes no further part in play of the current hand, but places his hand face-down in front of himself. These cards will be used at the end of the hand for calculating each player's score. The turn thenceforth skips this player for the remainder of the hand.

The game continues around the table from player to player in a clockwise direction until either all players declare "Dead" or one player plays his last card to the table on his turn, declaring "Game" when doing so. The player who manages to play his last card in this way wins the hand and scores no points for this hand. The other players will all score a number of points equal to the sum of all points still remaining in their hands. If all players call "Dead" before any player can play his last card, the hand also ends, with each player earning a number of points based on the cards remaining in hand.

Substitution of Jokers: If a player, on his turn has the correct, natural card that would replace a wild-card used in an existing meld, the player may substitute that natural card for the wild card, adding the Joker into his own hand. This, however, does not fulfill the player's obligation to make a new meld or lay-off cards during the hand. He must still make another legal play in order to not be forced to drop from the hand. A player may also not make a substitution for the Joker until he has made his first meld during the hand.

After one player has played his last card or all players have declared their hand "Dead", the scoring for the hand occurs. Each card remaining in a player's hand is added to that player's cumulative score:

Card Denomination	Point Value of Card
Joker	20
Ace	15
King, Queen, Jack	10 Each
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10	Numeric value as marked on card

The player with the lowest total score is declared the winner of the hand. The winner of each hand is set as the dealer for the next hand.

Variations and Optional Rules

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Three Player Penang Rummy: This game can also be played with three participants. The game is played exactly the same as the standard variation except that each player receives 25 cards in the initial deal instead of the usual 20.

Penang Rummy for Additional Players: Penang Rummy can also be played by five to eight players. The game is played exactly the same as the standard variant, including the number of cards each player receives in the deal. The only difference between this and the standard, four player version of the game is that one extra standard deck is added to the deck to be played and two additional Jokers.