Introduction
Pay Me is a rummy-style card game typically played by 2-8 players. It is a contract rummy game where the goal is to form all of the cards in your hand into valid melds before your opponents can do the same.
What makes this game unique is that both the number of cards dealt and the wild cards change every round over a series of 11 hands.
Goal
The goal of Pay Me is to be the first player to form your entire hand into melds during a hand. If no one melds their entire hand, players earn points for their unmelded cards at the end of each hand. The player with the lowest total score after 11 hands wins.
Quick Rules
Let’s have a glance at some of the key rules for Pay Me:
- Played over 11 rounds
- Players get 3 cards hand 1, one more each round
- Possible melds are sets and runs
- Jokers and 2s are always wild
- Another wild card every round
- Wild cards can fill in melds but max half of a meld’s cards
- Deadwood cards not melded score penalty points
Deal and Setting Up
To set up the game shuffle together the number of standard 52-card decks suitable for the number of players (2 players use 1 deck, 3-4 players use 2 decks shuffled together, 5-8 players means adding a 3rd deck). Jokers should be included as part of each deck.
The dealer then deals each player cards based on which hand is being played – starting with only 3 cards each on the first hand, then dealing one additional card each hand after that up to 13 cards on the 11th and final hand.
The remaining cards form a draw pile stock with the top card turned face-up to begin a discard pile.
Possible Melds
During gameplay, players aim to form their hand of cards into valid melds. The possible melds in Pay Me are:
- Sets – Also called groups, these are 3 or 4 cards of the same rank but different suits (no duplicate suits in a set). Example: 2♣ 2♠ 2♦ or Q♠ Q♦ Q♣ Q♥
- Runs – Also known as sequences, these consist of 3+ consecutive cards of the same suit. Example: 8♣ 9♣ 10♣ J♣
Jokers and 2 are wild.
Rounds or Hands
As already mentioned before, Pay Me is played over the course of 11 rounds or hands. At the start of each new hand, the dealer deals out an increasing number of cards to the players.
| Hand # | Cards Dealt | Wild Cards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Jokers, 2s, 3s |
| 2 | 4 | Jokers, 2s, 4s |
| 3 | 5 | Jokers, 2s, 5s |
| 4 | 6 | Jokers, 2s, 6s |
| 5 | 7 | Jokers, 2s, 7s |
| 6 | 8 | Jokers, 2s, 8s |
| 7 | 9 | Jokers, 2s, 9s |
| 8 | 10 | Jokers, 2s, 10s |
| 9 | 11 | Jokers, 2s, Jacks |
| 10 | 12 | Jokers, 2s, Queens |
| 11 | 13 | Jokers, 2s, Kings |
In addition to Jokers and 2s always being wild cards, each hand also designates another rank as wild – the wild rank matches the number of cards dealt that hand.
So on the 4 card 2nd hand, all 4s are wild. When 10 cards are dealt on the 8th hand, 10s become wild cards.
Gameplay
After cards are dealt for the hand and a discard pile is started with the top card from the remaining draw pile, gameplay begins. The player to the left of the dealer goes first.
On a turn, a player draws the top discard pile card or the top card from the draw pile, and then discards one card. Remember, the goal is to draw cards that can be melded into sets or runs.
When a player forms their entire hand into valid melds, they can declare “Pay Me!” which ends the hand (no discard is required, but allowed if a player wants).
The other players get one more draw turn each (from the draw pile only now) and then all lay their melds face-up.
Players can optionally lay off extra cards onto the declarer’s melds if possible.
Scoring in Pay Me
After each hand, players tally up penalty points for their deadwood – cards left unmelded in their hand:
| Cards | Value |
|---|---|
| King through 8s | 10 Points |
| Aces through 7s | 5 Points |
| Wild Cards | 15 Points |
Every player calculates their penalty points each hand. These scores accumulate over the full 11 hands played.
It is possible for the “Pay Me” declarer and other players laying off cards on that player’s melds to have 0 penalty points for a hand. The goal is to minimize penalties every hand.
At the conclusion of the 11 hands, the player with the lowest total penalty score wins the overall game.
Strategy Tips
Take Advantage of Wild Cards
With wild cards changing every hand on top of Jokers/2s always being wild, strategically use the wilds when forming/extending melds to maximize their value. But remember no more than half a meld’s cards can be wild. Save wilds to fill in gaps in potential melds.
Watch What’s Discarded
Pay close attention to what cards your opponents are picking up and discarding, as knowing what cards may now be out of their hands can help shape your meld strategy. See which potential melds align with what cards you observe being discarded.
Go for the Quickest Possible Meld Out
Don’t hold onto low-scoring cards in hopes of a better meld later – go for melding your entire hand as fast as possible every hand. Getting out first avoids any penalty points, so speed should be prioritized over greed for future meld options. The player who consistently melds first gains an advantage over time.
