With one or two standard decks of cards, including jokers, the game is usually played by two to six players. Forming valid sets (three or four cards of the same rank) and runs (three classic slotsor more consecutive cards of the same suit) is the main goal. Objective and gameplay. At the conclusion of their turn, each player discards one card after drawing cards from the discard pile or the stockpile. The focus on merging is one of Classic Rummy's distinguishing characteristics. For players to score points, they must place their runs and sets on the table.