Phỏm
Vietnam’s rummy. Four discards each, take a discard only by melding it, and finish with the lowest count. Meld everything for Ù. 2–4 players.
How to play Phỏm
- 1Vietnam’s rummy for two to four players with a 52-card deck. Everyone gets 9 cards; the starter gets one more and begins by discarding. Each player keeps their discards in a row in front of them.
- 2Melds are three or four cards of a rank, or three or more in a row in one suit. Aces are low only (A-2-3, never Q-K-A). Cards count their face value: ace 1, jack 11, queen 12, king 13.
- 3On your turn, draw from the stock, or take the card the player before you just discarded, but only by melding it straight away with two or more cards from your hand. Then discard one card.
- 4Taking a discard costs the player who threw it: 1 point, or 4 points if it was their fourth and last discard.
- 5Everyone discards 4 times. Then every hand is laid down: melds go down, and loose cards can be added to anyone’s melds. The lowest count of loose cards wins the hand, and the others pay the winner 1, 2 and 3 points by place. Anyone with no meld at all is burnt and pays 4.
- 6Ù: if your cards all fit into melds, with one left over to discard, you win the hand at once and everyone pays you 5.
- 7The winner starts the next hand. After 6 hands, the most points wins.
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