Progressive Rummy: A Fun Twist on the Classic Game

Progressive Rummy is what happens to rummy when you go looking to create a newer fresher challenge in a game. It is also testament to the fact that the beauty of card games lies in how you can create a completely new game by changing or creating a few new rules.

If you know how to play rummy, you will see that in Progressive Rummy a few modifications have led it to truly be a game that captures the progression of each player in the game.

How to play Progressive Rummy

The objective of Progressive Rummy is the same as Classic Rummy to make sets and sequences. But apart from that a lot changes in the way we achieve that.

From the onset, when we begin to deal, each player must draw a card and the one with the lowest value gets to deal, however the players can choose a dealer at random. With each round the dealing responsibility shifts clockwise from the person who has previously dealt the cards.

Progressive Rummy is also played with a standard deck of 52 cards with 2 additional Jokers but a new deck must be added for extra players, so for 5 players, use 3 decks and for 7 players, use 4 decks.

The game begins with each player being dealt 6 cards and the challenge begins with remembering the different combinations of melds to be created in the progressive rounds.

In the first round the players are meant to create 2 Sets, when one player has achieved this, the round ends.

In the second round, each player is dealt seven cards, and the goal is to create one set and a sequence per person, when one player achieves this, the round ends.

In the third round, each player is dealt eight cards, and the goal is to create two sequences per person, when a player achieves this, the round ends.

In the fourth round, each player is dealt nine cards, and the goal is to create three sets per person, when one player achieves this, the round ends.

In the fifth round, each player is dealt ten cards, and the goal is to create two sets and a sequence per person, when one player achieves this, the round ends.

In the sixth round, each player is dealt eleven cards, and the goal is to create one set and two sequences per person, when one player achieves this, the round ends.

In the seventh round, each player is dealt twelve cards, and the goal is to create three sets per person, when one player achieves this, the round ends.

As per classic rummy rules, at the end of each round the points are calculated and the aim is to have the least number of points. To do this, high value cards must be discarded early on in the game. 

The value of the cards usually looks as given below even though it may vary in different groups of players.

Number Cards (2-10) – Face value (i.e. a 8♣️ card gives you 8 points)

Face Cards (King, Queen, Jack)  10 

Ace – 15 (Since it can be used as a 1, to create a sequence that looks like A♣️ 2♣️ 3♣️ or as a sequence with the face cards that looks like A♣️ K♣️ Q♣️ )

Joker – 25

If two players have created one meld each in a round then the game must go on till one of them achieves the second meld.

Another differentiator in Progressive Rummy is that when a player puts down a meld and if the next player has a card that can extend the meld then they can add their card to that meld.

So, if a player puts down a set of K♥️ K♣️ K♠️ , the next player can add a K♦️ to it.

How to play Rummy online

Download the A23 rummy app and learn to play rummy so you can master the game, the strategies, the power of each card and adapt them to multiple rummy variants like Progressive Rummy. The games don’t just provide enjoyment but also help you to build your strategic skills.