500 Rum — also called Pinochle Rummy — is Rummy with a scoring engine. You may dig into the discard pile, taking every card above the one you want (and melding your pick at once), and the melds you lay score toward 500 points. Aces can be high or low and are worth a hefty 15. Free here against the computer.
How to play 500 Rum
Play follows Rummy — draw, meld, lay off, discard — with two big changes. First, instead of only the top discard, you may take any card in the discard pile as long as you immediately meld it, scooping up every card stacked above it into your hand. Second, cards score: the melds you put down add to your total, deadwood left in hand is subtracted, and the first player to 500 points wins the game. Aces are worth 15 and may run high (Q-K-A) or low.
500 Rum strategy
The discard dig is powerful but risky — taking a deep card loads your hand, so only reach when the meld it completes is worth the extra cards. Because scoring is cumulative, laying melds early banks points even if your opponent goes out, but it also gives them lay-off targets. Balance banking points against keeping your hand light. Prefer a purer race? Play classic Rummy.