TREPPENROMME

Hey there! My name’s Treppenromme, but you can call me Staircase Rummy in English because of how my discard pile works. It’s kind of like 500 Rummy, but with some exciting twists.

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

I’m played with a standard deck of 52 cards. To determine who gets to be the first dealer and scorekeeper, each player picks a card from the deck. The player who draws the highest card becomes the first dealer, while the one with the lowest card takes on the role of the game’s scorekeeper. After that, the dealer position moves to the left with each new round.

Now, the first dealer collects all the cards and gives each player seven cards, one at a time. The remaining cards form the draw pile. I suggest flipping the top card over to start the discard pile.

Welcome to the Game

I’m ready to start the game and I’ll be the first one to make a move. Are you excited? Let me explain how the game works. Each turn has three phases: draw, meld, and discard.

During the draw phase, you have a couple of options. You can either take the top card from the draw pile or choose a card from the discard pile. If you want the top card from the discard pile, simply pick it up. But if you want a card from the middle of the discard pile, you have to take that card along with all the cards on top of it. For example, if the discard pile has 3-9-J-2-Q, and you want the 9, you’ll also have to pick up the J-2-Q. Remember, the cards you draw from the discard pile don’t have to be played immediately.

Once you’ve finished drawing, you can play melds to the table. There are two types of melds you can make: sets and runs.

Let me explain how Treppenromme works. It’s a card game where you try to make sets and runs. A set is when you have three or four cards with the same rank. For example, if you have a 3♥, 3♦, 3♣, and 3♠, that’s a set. A run is when you have three or more cards of the same suit in order. So, if you have 3♠, 4♠, 5♠, 6♠, and 7♠, that’s a run.

In Treppenromme, you can also go around the corner. That means if you have Q♣, K♣, A♣, 2♣, and 3♣, it’s allowed.

Now, here’s an interesting rule. You can lay off cards during your turn. This means you can add cards to sets or runs that have already been played by you or your opponent. It’s a clever way to use your cards strategically.

When you’re ready to end your turn, you need to discard one card from your hand to the discard pile. But here’s a tip: make sure to stagger your discards so that each card in the discard pile is visible. This helps keep the game fair and transparent.

The game continues like this until one player gets rid of all their cards. And you don’t have to discard your last card to end the round. You can play it as part of a set or run you already have. Every move counts!

Now let’s talk about scoring.

After each round ends, it’s time for me to calculate the score. I earn points for the melds and layoffs I have played. And if I win, I also earn points based on all the cards left in the hands of my opponents. Here’s how the points for the cards are awarded:

For cards from 2 to 10, I earn points equal to the value of the card.

And for Jacks, Queens, and Kings, each card is worth 10 points.

When I play Aces as part of a set, they are worth 15 points. But if I play them as a high card, they are worth 10 points. When I use Aces around the corner, they give me 5 points. And if I use Aces as low, they give me 1 point. Aces left in my hand are worth 15 points to me if I win.

If I fail to lay off any cards or play any melds, the winner of the round gets double points for their hand.

WINNING

The game is won by the first person to reach 500 points or more.

The game is won by the first person to reach 500 points or more.