The Complete Guide to Rummy: Techniques, Abilities, and Variations The combination of skill, strategy, and a dash of luck has made rummy a popular card game that has enthralled players worldwide. Rummy's primary goal is to create ssattakingets and runs using the cards you are holding. For example, a run is a series of three or more cards in the same suit, whereas a set is three or four cards of the same rank but different suits. A set number of cards—typically seven or ten, depending on the variation being played—are dealt to each player at the start of the game. To improve their hands, players alternately draw from the draw pile, which is made up of the remaining cards, or the discard pile.