Rummy 500 Strategy
Like most games in the family, Rummy 500 requires concentration, tactics and skill. Rummy 500 is a game played in rounds, and performance in each round influences the game significantly. Players collect points at the end of each round (the score can be either positive or negative) and try to be the first to cross the 500 point line. Visit our Rummy 500 rules page for more information.
How can we use strategy to improve our game and odds of winning the game?
First and foremost it is imperative to stay focused as much as possible. Absentmindedly losing a round may cause you to lose valuable points and eventually even the entire game. Focus means paying attention to what other players do during their turn, in order to draw conclusions on their status in the game. Since the game might end abruptly with one player laying down all the cards in his or her hand, it is not recommended to draw several cards from the discard pile when one or more of your opponents has but a few cards left in his or her hand. Another example for the benefits of staying focused is the game's "call Rummy!" rule allowing players to take over the turn and play instantly. Lack of concentration might lead to discarding a valuable card and thus allowing other players to call and advance or even win the game.
An additional move that should be taken under consideration is laying down cards. Players are allowed to lay down melds or build cards into existing melds. When a player chooses to use a card as a builder, that player is required to point to the meld to which the card will be added. This is because cards can sometimes be added to more than one meld on the meld area. In such cases it is recommended to consider carefully to what meld you should add the card. It is better to add a card to a set and not a run, because this will render the meld useless for other players, not allowing them to add their own cards to it. This rule of course doesn't apply under every condition. Sometimes it's better to build a run if it increases your chances of adding other cards later in the round. Concentration is key and it is important for making tactical evaluations and good decisions.
The draw is another part of Rummy 500 that requires judgment and strategy. In Rummy 500 players are allowed to draw more than one card at a time. If you decided to draw several cards, make sure that the majority of the cards will be useful to you in the same round. Drawing too many cards may lower your score (or even cause a negative score) at the end of the round. If you drew several high cards in order to use only one at the final moments of a round, it is likely that drawing would only make things worse.
The above recommendations only cover a few things that you should pay attention to when playing Rummy 500. Remember: Careful judgment and opponent-evaluation will guarantee you a better performance, and will most likely improve your chances of winning!
