Contract rummy

Contract rummy is a version of rummy played over a fixed series of rounds, in which every round sets a different contract, a particular combination of groups and sequences a player must collect before being allowed to meld or lay off any cards. The contracts grow harder with each deal. The usual form is for three to five players, using two standard decks plus jokers, and covers seven rounds, with ten cards dealt in the first three rounds and twelve in the last four. Scoring is by penalty points for cards left in hand, so the lowest total after the final round wins. Closely related games such as Liverpool rummy, May I, Shanghai rummy and Progressive rummy are treated as variants or alternative names of the same idea.