Contract Rummy: Seven Deals, Seven Contracts, One Long Night
Contract Rummy—sometimes called Progressive Rummy or Shanghai Rummy in its shorter forms—is a multi-deal marathon: each round assigns a specific contract (two sets, a set and a run, three runs, and so on). You cannot win the night on one lucky hand; you have to master every shape the game throws at you.
Typical seven-deal structure
Many home rules follow seven contracts across seven deals (with more deals added in extended versions):
- Two sets (two groups of three or four of a kind)
- One set and one sequence (run in suit)
- Two sequences
- Three sets
- Two sets and one sequence
- One set and two sequences
- Three sequences (no sets)—the brutal finale
Exact contracts vary by region; write them on a score sheet before deal one.
Cards and players
- Players: 3–8 (4–6 is comfortable)
- Decks: two packs for up to four players; add a third for larger groups
- Deal size: grows each contract—often 10 cards deal one, 11 deal two, up to 12 or 13 in later rounds (check your sheet)
- Jokers: usually wild; some contracts forbid jokers in runs
Playing a deal
Standard draw-and-discard rummy applies. To go down for the first time in a deal you must lay the entire contract at once—no partial contracts on the table. After you are down, you may lay additional melds and add to anyone’s melds where rules allow. You end by discarding your last card.
Buying (optional)
Some groups allow buying the discard out of turn by drawing an extra penalty card from stock—useful when one card completes a contract. Limit buys per deal to keep chaos manageable.
Scoring
When someone goes out, others count deadwood in hand. Aces and faces 10, others pip value, jokers 15 or 20—house rule. Lowest total after all contracts wins the session. Some tables score bonus points for going out first in a given deal.
Shanghai Rummy shortcut
Shanghai Rummy uses a similar contract ladder but often deals ten cards throughout and allows extra buys from a central pile of “Shanghai” chips—great for parties, slower for purists.
Pair this guide with Kalooki for buy-heavy discard play, or Lebanese Rummy for open-table Levantine style.