The Pack
Two standard 52-card packs shuffled together plus all four Jokers (108 cards total). Jokers are permanently wild throughout the entire game.
Object of the Game
To lay matched number sets of 3 or 4 and/or sequences of 3 or more cards of the same suit to be the first player to get rid of all your cards each round. The ultimate goal is to complete all 11 rounds with the lowest cumulative penalty score.
Rank of Cards
Ace (can rank high or low), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A. Sequences may not “go round the corner” (e.g., K-A-2 is invalid).
The Buy-In (The "Nickels" Rule)
Before the game begins, every player is given an equal stack of real nickels or betting tokens (usually 6 to 10 nickels per person). At the start of every round, each player must place one nickel into a central pot (the "kitty") to build the prize pool.
The Deal
This game is played across 11 distinct rounds. The number of cards dealt to each player grows by one card every round, starting at 3 cards and ending at 13:
Round 1: 3 cards dealt
Round 2: 4 cards dealt
...continuing sequentially up to:
Round 11: 13 cards dealt
The remainder of the cards are placed face down in the center of the table, forming the stock. The top card is turned face up and placed beside the stock to start the discard pile.
The Play
Beginning with the player to the left of the dealer, players take turns moving clockwise. On your turn, you must draw either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile, and add it to your hand. To end your turn, you must discard one card face up onto the pile.
The Shifting Wild Cards: In addition to the four Jokers being permanently wild, the numeric rank matching the round's card count also becomes wild for that specific deal:
Round 1 (3 cards): 3s and Jokers are wild
Round 2 (4 cards): 4s and Jokers are wild
...up to Round 11 (13 cards): Kings and Jokers are wild
Going Out: Unlike traditional Rummy, players do not lay down cards mid-game. You must keep all cards hidden in your hand until you can form your entire hand into valid sets or runs. When a player achieves this, they lay their entire hand face up on the table and discard their final card.
Once a player goes out, every other player gets exactly one final turn to draw, attempt to make sets or runs in their own hand, and discard.
Card Values / Scoring
At the end of the round, players count up the penalty value of the unmatched cards left trapped in their hands:
Jokers: 50 points each
Shifting Wild Cards (of that round): 20 points each
Aces: 15 points each
Face Cards (K, Q, J): 10 points each
Numbered Cards (2-10): Face value (a 6 is worth 6 points, etc.)
Scores are added up across all 11 rounds. The player with the lowest cumulative score wins the game and collects the entire pot of nickels.