User:Moonlightrummy

"If 3 knaves have ye, then fine ye shall be; if 4, then a donnybrook shall be no more..." Such started the beginnings of what we now know as "moonlight rummy" in the mid 1800's in a small town in Ireland (Dunfasmoor). Much has been said and discussed about who started the game, but one fact remains clear: a Scottish gentleman with the name Fraser was purported to have suggested the erstwhile game when getting bored with the traditional rummy whilst attempting to abscond with the silver of the local gentry in Dunfasmoor.

I have put down the official rules as the game is played in the annual tournament in Dublin, and it should be noted that, while a few different variations have been adopted over the years (especially in colleges and camps in the Americas), these are the official tournament rules.

Start with a 52 card deck. 3 joker cards must be added (these are the wild cards, along with the 2's). When more than 3 players are engaged, 2 decks must be used (with 5 joker cards-the joker wild cards must ALWAYS be an odd number to encourage fair play). When 6 or more players are engaged, 3 decks must be used (with 7 joker cards-see note above). Deal 11 cards to each player (to the dealer's left). Once the cards are dealt, one card is placed face up by the dealer. Then the action starts in clockwise fashion (to the dealer's left hand). There are 7 phases to the game, in the following order: 1st phase-2 sets of 3 2nd phase-1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4 (must be the same suit) 3rd phase-2 runs of 4 4th phase-3 sets of 3 5th phase-2 sets of 3 and 1 run of 4 6th phase-2 runs of 4 and 1 set of 3 7th phase-3 runs of 4

A few notes-a player must first lay down their phase before playing off another. Also, "buys" are permitted. When a person wants to "purchase" the top card in the discard pile, they ask if they can purchase. If no one responds within a count of 5, the person can "purchase" the top card on the discard pile; they must also pick up an additional card to complete the "purchase." A person can make up to 3 "purchases" per phase (meaning that a person can never have more than 17 cars in their hand (with the exception of when they pick up a card-which will be followed by a discard, bringing the absolutely highest total to 17 cards in hand).

When the 7th phase is over, the person with the lowest score wins.

Scoring is as follows:

Cards 3-9 worth face value Cards 10-King worth 10 points 2's are worth 20 points Jokers are worth 45 points

Play well, and play often, but never play poorly...enjoy!

-William Lanchaster, UK