How to keep score in Liverpool rummy
Liverpool rummy, also called contract rummy, is played over seven hands, each with its own contract of sets and runs. When someone goes out, everyone else scores the cards still in their hand. After the seventh hand, the lowest total wins.
- Players
- 3 to 8, best with 4
- Who wins
- Lowest total after seven hands
- Cards
- Two decks with jokers, three for 5 or more players
- Dealt
- 10 cards in hands 1 to 4, then 12
Keep score for Liverpool rummy on your iPhone or iPad. Tallynight is free, with no ads.
Get TallynightWhat the cards left in your hand cost
Points are bad in Liverpool rummy. The player who goes out scores 0 for the hand, and everyone else adds up the cards they're still holding.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| 2 to 9 | Face value |
| 10, jack, queen, king | 10 |
| Ace | 15 |
| Joker | 15 |
| Going out | 0 |
Some tables count every card from 2 to 9 as 5, and some make jokers worth 25. Agree on it before the first deal, because it changes how much a caught hand costs.
The seven contracts
Each hand has a contract: the melds you must lay down together, on one turn, before you can meld anything else or add to other players' melds. A set (or book) is three or more cards of the same rank. A run is four or more cards in a row in one suit. Aces can be high or low, but a run can't go round the corner from king to 2.
- Hand 1: two sets of 3. Deal 10.
- Hand 2: one set of 3 and one run of 4. Deal 10.
- Hand 3: two runs of 4. Deal 10.
- Hand 4: three sets of 3. Deal 10.
- Hand 5: two sets of 3 and one run of 4. Deal 12.
- Hand 6: one set of 3 and two runs of 4. Deal 12.
- Hand 7: three runs of 4. Deal 12, and go out with no discard.
In the seventh hand you must lay down every card at once, so at least one run is longer than four. Some tables deal 12 cards from the fourth hand on. Phase 10 is a boxed game built on the same idea.
Buying, and the penalty card
When the player whose turn it is doesn't want the top discard, another player can buy it. You take the discard plus the top card of the stock as a penalty, so your hand grows by two. If several players want it, the one nearest in turn order usually gets it, though some tables give it to whoever calls first.
Buying never costs points by itself, but every extra card counts against you if someone goes out while you're holding it. Some tables limit how often you can buy, often to three times a hand.
Adding up a hand
The hand ends the moment someone plays their last card. Write 0 for them, and the value of every other player's hand under their name. Keep a running total, and after the seventh hand the lowest total wins.
- The perfect cut, a Liverpool tradition: if the player who cuts before the deal leaves exactly the cards the dealer needs, plus one to turn up as the first discard, 50 comes off their score.
- A contract you can't finish: some tables add 50 to a player who starts laying down and finds they can't complete the contract.
- Calling rummy: once you're down, discarding a card that would fit a meld on the table lets another player call it. You take the card back plus one from the stock, and those cards can still be caught in your hand.
A scoring example
Four players, a whole game of seven hands. Whoever went out each hand scored 0.
| Hand | Ana | Ben | Cleo | Dev |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Two sets | 0 | 35 | 12 | 48 |
| 2 · Set and run | 27 | 0 | 15 | 9 |
| 3 · Two runs | 61 | 40 | 0 | 23 |
| 4 · Three sets | 5 | 18 | 30 | 0 |
| 5 · Two sets and a run | 0 | 72 | 44 | 15 |
| 6 · Set and two runs | 34 | 0 | 57 | 85 |
| 7 · Three runs | 90 | 45 | 0 | 65 |
| Total | 217 | 210 | 158 | 245 |
In hand 7, Cleo went out and Ana was caught with two jokers (30), three aces (45), a king (10) and a 5: 90 points. Cleo wins with 158, the lowest total.
Keep score for Liverpool rummy in Tallynight
Liverpool rummy isn't one of Tallynight's built-in games yet, but it takes a minute to set up. Choose Something else and call it Liverpool rummy. Under How you score, pick Rounds, where everyone scores each round, and under Who wins, pick Lowest. Leave Play to a target off, because the game is seven hands.
Tap the star to Add to favourites so it's ready next time, then Start game. After each hand, type everyone's points on one keypad, with 0 for whoever went out. Tallynight doesn't know the contracts or the card values, so count each hand as usual, and tap End game after the seventh.
- Everyone's points for the hand on one keypad, with a minus key for a perfect cut
- The running totals, with the lowest in front
- Tap any hand to fix a miscount
- A winner card for the family chat at the end
A Liverpool rummy score sheet to print
Playing on paper tonight? Print a free Liverpool rummy score sheet, or save it as a PDF.
Questions
How do you score Liverpool rummy?
When someone goes out, they score 0 and everyone else adds up the cards left in their hand: 2 to 9 at face value, 10s and picture cards 10, aces and jokers 15. After seven hands, the lowest total wins.
Is Liverpool rummy the same as contract rummy?
Yes, near enough. Liverpool rummy is contract rummy with the same seven contracts, plus a few house rules of its own, such as 50 off for a perfect cut.
What are the contracts in Liverpool rummy?
Two sets, a set and a run, two runs, three sets, two sets and a run, a set and two runs, then three runs with no discard. Sets are three cards and runs are four.
How many points is a joker in Liverpool rummy?
15, the same as an ace, if it's still in your hand when someone goes out. Some tables make it 25.
How does buying work in Liverpool rummy?
If the player whose turn it is passes on the top discard, another player can buy it. They take the discard and one card from the stock as a penalty. Some tables allow three buys a hand.
How many cards do you deal in Liverpool rummy?
10 each for the first four hands and 12 each for the last three. Some tables switch to 12 from the fourth hand.