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Rami rules (رامي)

Tunisian rummy, the long evening game: make sets and runs, open with 71, and keep your penalty points low.

Last updated: October 24, 2026

The game in a few words

Rami is the Tunisian version of rummy, played by 2 to 4 players. Everyone tries to lay their hand down on the table in melds (sets and runs) and to get rid of their last card. When a player goes out, the others count the cards left in their hand as penalty points. Penalties add up from hand to hand, and a player who passes 700 is out. The last player left wins.

The cards

Rami uses two 52-card decks and 4 jokers: 108 cards. Each player receives 14 cards; the first player receives 15 and starts by laying down and/or discarding, with no draw on that very first turn. The rest of the cards form the deck, face-down, and the discard pile starts next to it.

Melds: sets and runs

• A set is 3 or 4 cards of the same rank, all of different suits: 8♠ 8♥ 8♦.
• A run is 3 or more cards in a row in the same suit: 5♣ 6♣ 7♣ 8♣. The ace can be low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A), but a run can't wrap around (K-A-2).
• A joker can stand for any card, but a meld can hold at most one joker.

A turn

1. Draw: take the top card of the deck. You may take the top card of the discard pile instead, but only to lay it down at once in a meld that same turn.
2. Lay down: put melds on the table, add cards to melds already there, or swap a joker (see below).
3. Discard: end your turn by putting one card on the discard pile.

You always keep one card to discard: you can't lay your whole hand down without a final discard. Going out means discarding your last card.

The opening: 71 (or 51)

Your first lay-down must be worth at least the table's opening, usually 71 (some tables play 51). The points of a meld are counted like this: 2 to 10 at their face value, J, Q and K at 10, the ace at 1, or 11 when it sits at the top of a run (Q-K-A) or in a set of aces. A joker counts as the card it replaces.

Only once you have opened can you add cards to other players' melds, or swap a joker on the table for the exact card it stands for (the joker comes to your hand).

Penalty points

When a player goes out, every other player counts the cards left in their hand:

Penalties add up over the game. A total above 700 puts you out, and the game goes on until only one player is left.

Tips

• Open early. A player who never opened takes 100 at once. Reaching 71 quickly protects you.
• Don't sit on jokers. A joker left in hand costs 50. Use them to finish melds.
• Watch the discards. The cards your neighbour throws away tell you what they're not collecting, and the ones they pick up tell you what they are.
• Get rid of big cards. Late in a hand, discard your 10s and figures first: they cost the most if someone goes out.

Play it online

Our online Rami follows these rules, with classic cards (framed J/Q/K and jester jokers). Play 1 vs 1 or with up to 4 players, with friends using a table code or against the computer, and drag to sort your hand.

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