Last Updated on May 23, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

ScorZo is a rummy-style card game designed for 2 to 6 players, suitable for ages 8 and up. The game is played over 11 rounds, with the objective of having the lowest total score at the end. Here’s how to play:

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see our disclosures here.

How to Play ScorZo

---

Game Components

ScorZo is played with two identical decks of 56 cards each. Every deck includes:

• 5 suits, each numbered from 1 through 10
• 6 Wild cards

---

Card Values

• Numbered cards are worth their face value (e.g., 1 = 1 point, 2 = 2 points).
• Wild cards are worth 15 points if they are not used in a meld.

---

Dealing Structure by Round

Round	Cards per Player
1	8 cards
2	7 cards
3	6 cards
4	5 cards
5	4 cards
6	3 cards
7	4 cards
8	5 cards
9	6 cards
10	7 cards
11	8 cards

---

Game Objective

Players compete over 11 rounds to form hands made entirely of valid melds (runs or sets). The player with the lowest total score after all rounds wins.

---

How to Play

Starting a Round

1. Each player is dealt cards according to the current round.
2. The player to the left of the dealer begins by drawing the top card from either the draw pile or the discard pile.
3. The player decides whether to keep the drawn card. If they do, they must discard a different card to maintain their hand size.
4. If they don’t want the drawn card, they place it back in the discard pile without changing their hand.
5. Play proceeds clockwise.

Note: The number of cards in each player’s hand must always match the number dealt at the start of that round.

Recycling the Draw Pile

If the draw pile is depleted, shuffle the discard pile and flip it over to form a new draw pile.

---

Ending a Round

Calling ScorZo

• When a player’s hand consists entirely of melds, they end their turn by discarding one card and calling “ScorZo.”
• This player must still discard a card before declaring ScorZo to maintain correct hand size.
• Once ScorZo is called, each remaining player takes one final turn to improve their hand or reduce point penalties.

---

Meld Rules

• Melds can be sets (same number, different suits) or runs (sequential numbers, same suit).
• Wild cards can substitute any number in a meld.
• Multiple Wild cards are allowed in the same meld.

---

Scoring

After the final turns, players calculate the value of all cards not part of any meld in their hand:

• Number cards = face value
• Wild cards (if unmelded) = 15 points

---

Winning the Game

• After 11 rounds, the player with the lowest cumulative score is the winner.
• If there’s a tie, a bonus round is played: each tied player receives 3 cards, and normal play continues to determine the final winner.

---