Three to eight cards
A pure sequence can run from three cards up to the full hand minus the second group and set. There is no upper length cap, but every card in the run must match suit and follow rank.
Meld anatomy · Adult readers
The meld anatomy, drawn from the AIGF and RMSI rulebooks.
A valid rummy show is a small set of mechanical rules, not intuition. This page reads the meld anatomy in the order the rulebook lays it out: pure sequence, impure sequence, set, and the moment of declaration.
Chapter 01 · Pure sequence
Same suit, consecutive, no jokers.
The pure sequence is the only mandatory group in a valid declaration. Read it as a mechanical rule first; the table manners come second.
No wild jokers
The wild joker is a substitution card. It may sit in an impure sequence; it may not sit in a pure sequence. Putting the wild joker into the pure group is the most common adult mistake.
Built in the first three turns
If the pure sequence is not visible by the third or fourth turn, the hand is a candidate to drop. Holding on past that point usually costs more points than the drop penalty.
Chapter 02 · Impure sequence
Same suit, consecutive, with at least one joker.
The impure sequence sits in the second group. It counts, but it cannot stand alone: every valid declaration has a pure sequence first.
Wild joker substitution
The wild joker replaces the missing rank. The substitute must follow rank order, not just fill a gap. A 5 of hearts followed by a wild joker followed by a 7 of hearts is valid; a 5 followed by a joker followed by a 9 is not.
Printed joker as zero discard
The printed joker is the joker card in the deck. It scores zero points and never substitutes for another card. It is best used as a zero-point discard, not as a meld card.
Chapter 03 · Set
Three or four cards of the same rank.
The set is the third group. It is the easiest group to build and the easiest group to misplay.
Suits may mix
Three or four cards of the same rank, suits may be mixed. Jokers may substitute one of the ranks but not two. A four-of-a-kind set is allowed and scores zero at declaration.