Rules for Frustration Rummy
Complete all 14 contracts in the order listed before your opponents.
- 2-5 players, 2 decks of cards with Jokers.
- Jokers & 2s are always wild cards and 2s may never be played as a natural card.
- Aces can be played as a high card or low card.
The dealer deals 13 cards to each player and places the remainder of the cards face down in the middle. Flip the top card over to start the discard pile.
A player may only complete one contract per round.
Start with the player to the left of the dealer. Each player must draw the top card from the pile or take the top card from the discard pile. If the player can play a run or set towards completing their contract, they may do so. If not, they must discard and the next player plays.
Playing runs or sets
A run must be all of the same suit (except the wild card), a set consists of 3+ cards of the same face value.
When laying runs or sets, you may not have more wild cards than natural cards. A set/run of 3 must have 2 natural cards, set/run of 4 must have 3 natural cards, set/run of 5 must have 3 natural cards…
Ending a Round
The round is done when one player completes their contract then goes out. You must have one card for the final discard. After a player has completed their contract, they can play the extra cards in their hands by adding to the table creating new sets or runs of their own or extending/adding to runs or sets of their opponents. Players may add wild cards to existing sets as long as they do not exceed the amount of naturals in the set/run. Once a player has gone out, the round is done. The players who did not complete their contract must attempt to complete it in the next round. The cards are shuffled and the next dealer passes them out.
Winning the game
A player wins when they are the first to complete all 14 contracts.
Variations
To make an faster game, you may play with wild card steals. For example, a player has played a set of two 7s and a wild. On your turn, you may steal the wild if you replace it with a 7 from your hand. The wild card must be played immediately.