Machiavelli Rules: Melds, Rearranging the Table and Winning
Machiavelli is an Italian rummy for 2–4 players with two decks and four jokers (108 cards) where all melds lie on one shared table. Everyone gets 13 cards. On your turn you may take the table apart and rebuild it any way you like, as long as every meld is valid at the end and you add at least one card from your hand. If you can't play, you draw one card. The first player to empty their hand wins.
The cards and the deal
Use two 52-card decks and four jokers (108 cards). Deal 13 cards to each player; the rest is the deck. The table starts empty. There are no scores or opening points: Machiavelli is a single race to empty your hand.
Valid melds
A meld has at least 3 cards. A set is 3 or 4 cards of the same rank in different suits; a run is 3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit.
The Ace is low or high, never both: A-2-3 and Q-K-A are valid, K-A-2 is not. A meld can hold only one joker.
A turn
- Rearrange the table if you want: split runs, join melds, move cards between melds, take a joker out by putting the real card in its place.
- Add at least one card from your hand to the table, in a new meld or an existing one.
- Check: every meld on the table must be valid and no table card may disappear. Then the turn passes.
- If you can't or don't want to play, draw one card and your turn ends.
What you can do with the table
Because the table is shared, you can free cards that others have laid. A run of seven can be split into two runs of three with a middle card left over for your own set.
- Take the end card of a run of 4 or more, or a card from a set of 4, and use it in a new meld.
- Cut a run of 7+ in two to take the middle card.
- Replace a joker with the card it stands for and use the joker elsewhere.
Winning and stuck games
The first player with an empty hand wins. If the deck runs out and nobody can play for a full round, the game ends and the player with the fewest points in hand wins (Ace 11, 10 and face cards 10, joker 25, others face value). Equal points are a draw.
Try it in Machiavelli against Hops and press Teach me, or read how to play Machiavelli and the strategy guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards are in Machiavelli?
108: two standard decks plus four jokers. Each player gets 13 cards.
Can you take cards from the melds on the table?
Yes. You can rearrange the whole table, as long as every meld is valid when your turn ends and you add at least one card from your hand.
What happens if you can't play?
You draw one card from the deck and your turn ends.
How do you win Machiavelli?
The first player to empty their hand wins. If nobody can play and the deck is empty, the fewest points in hand win.
How many jokers can a meld have?
Only one. You can replace it with the real card and use the joker elsewhere.