Saundra/Randy taught this to us. At first, it seems complicated, but it's super easy to learn and not really complicated at all.
Requirements:
1. 6 Decks of cards
2. 4 to 6 players [Individuals or teams]
3. If you pair off in teams; every other person is on the same team, works well with men against women when couples play.
Definitions:
MELD = A set of matching cards, typically three or more, that earn a player points and/or allow them to deplete their hand. These cards are laid in the player's meld area (see below) The player tries to meld sets into books.
BOOK = A set of 5 cards.
Each player has a "Meld" area and a "Book" area to place their cards (Side TV tray is good for this)
The Meld area is to play active melds (3 cards) before they are books (5 cards)
The Book area is to play complete books and Red 3's
Scoring:
1. To complete a library, you must have the following 4 books of 5 cards each. A library is worth 2700 points to the first person to complete it, everyone else gets 2500 points:
a. 7’s …………....……….… [ Five 7's ]
b. The wild book ……...…...[ Five wild cards ]
c. The red book ……...…….[ Five of a kind without using wild cards ]
d. The black book ……....…[ Five of a kind, using one or two wild cards ]
1. Additional wild books......add 500 points each
2. Additional red books.......add 300 points each
3. Additional black books....add 200 points each
2. After you have totaled the score for your books, you must add the score for each individual card per the following:
a. Jokers …………………..50 points
b. Aces ……… ....………...20 points
c. K through 8 …………….10 points
d. 7 through 3 ……………...5 points
e. Red 3’s which you have collected are worth 100 points each
f. Black 3’s you have in your hand are minus 100 points each
3. The person/team that doesn’t go out must count all the cards in their hands against their total score. (not the cards still in the meld area)
4. If this person/team has not picked up their Pony Tail, every card in each Pony Tail also counts against that team.
Beginning Play:
Shuffle all the cards together and select a good portion of them to put in the middle of the table. Turn the top card up next to the pile.
Deal 15 cards (The hand) to each player. Players can look at & sort these cards.
Deal 13 cards (Pony tail) to each player. Players can NOT look at these cards, but sets this pile aside for later play.
Person to dealers left begins by drawing three cards from the top of the deck, or taking the the top card plus 6 additional cards of the top of the discard pile. The person picking up the discard pile must use the top card to make a play, laying down three like cards or two like cards and a wild card in their meld area.
If you have any red 3’s in your hand you place it in your book area and draw a new card from the deck into your hand to replace the red 3's played.
That player may then meld from their hand or add to the melds he (or his partner) have started. This person than discards and play goes to the next player.
Once a meld has 5 cards, it is a closed book and is moved to the book area.
Once you have closed your first book and have discarded, you pick up your Pony Tail and add those cards to your hand, which can be used on your next turn.
Ending the Hand:
A player (or team) must collect the above mentioned (4) books and completed their library before they can try to end the hand.
The hand is over when a player (or member of a team) can play all his cards and has one left for a discard. (Must have a discard).
Record all points as outlined above.
The game ends after 3 hands have been played/ended.