How to play Rummy with Gather
Rummy is for two to six players, with computer opponents if you like. You sort your 13 cards on your phone; the stock, the discard pile and all melds are out in the open on the game table.
Choose Rummy and join
On the game table, select “Rummy” and “With your phones” or “With computer opponents”; without a TV, start it in the iPhone app. Everyone taps “Ready”, then someone taps “Start game”.
Draw a card
On your turn, tap the stock or the top card of the discard pile. Before your first meld, you can only take the discard if you meld it in the same turn – otherwise “Put back” returns it.
Sort your hand and select cards
“Sort” arranges your hand by “Suit” or “Rank”. Tap the cards that form a combination.
Meld or line up
The main button shows the points of your selection. If you’re still short for your first meld, it reads “Line up” and collects the combination; once you reach the minimum, it reads “Meld”. “Back to hand” takes lined-up cards back.
Lay off and swap jokers
Once you’ve melded, select a card and tap a glowing meld. If both are possible, Gather asks “What would you like to do?” with “Lay off” or “Swap the joker”.
Discard
Select exactly one card and tap “Discard”. That ends your turn.
Score the round
When someone is out of cards, the TV and phones show the penalty points. Then choose “Another round” or “End and score the game”; at the very end, “Play again” takes you back to the waiting room.
TV and phone
The TV shows the stock and discard pile, all melds grouped by player, and for everyone how many cards they still hold and whether they’ve melded yet. A note reminds you of the minimum points for a first meld.
Your phone shows your hand at the bottom, with the stock, discard pile and the melds you can lay off on above it. A hint line always tells you what you can do next – or why a button is greyed out.