Getting the game ready. Depending on the variation being played, a set number of cards—typically seven or ten—are dealt to each player to begin. The top card formssaattking the discard pile when it is face-up, & the remaining cards form the draw pile. The game's goal. The goal of rummy is to combine cards to create legitimate sets or runs. A run is made up of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit, whereas a set is made up of three or four cards of the same rank but different suits.