Liverpool is a Rummy game of seven hands. Each hand gets progressively harder.

For up to 4 players you use 2 decks including all 4 jokers. For 5 players you need 3 decks and all 6 jokers.

The object of the game is to get rid of all your cards before anyone else does, and (when you don't) to have the lowest amount of points at the end of any given hand and ultimately at the end of the game.

Points: Jokers and Aces are 15 points, Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) are 10 points, all others are equal to their numerical value.

Each hand requires the players to collect a specific combination of sets and/or runs.

Sets are 3 or more of a kind

Runs are 4 or more in a row of the same suit. You can build ace, two three, four or you can build jack, queen, king, ace, but not queen, king, ace, two.

Jokers are wild

The order of the hands is as follows:
1) Two Sets
2) One Set, One Run
3) Two Runs
4) Three Sets
5) Two Sets, One Run
6) Two Runs, One Set
7) Three Runs All Out (no discard, even the last card you pick up must fit into your hand)

The person to the right of the dealer cuts the cards. For each hand, the dealer gives each player 11 cards. The person to the left of the dealer draws first. After that, each player either draws from the deck or the discard pile.

Going Down

Once you have the minimum requirement of the hand (or more) you can "go down"

And, once you've gone down, if some one else has also gone down and has, for example, a set of 3 twos as part of their hand on the table, and you draw a two, or have a two, you can lay off that card on to their set, allowing you to get rid of additional cards besides your discard.

However, once you've gone down, you can no longer pick or buy cards off the discard pile.

The hand ends when one person gets rid of all their cards. Everyone else must tally up the point value of the cards that they're still holding.

Buying

If someone discards a card and you are not next in line for a turn, you can "buy" that card, if the person who's turn it is doesn't want it, but you have to also take a penalty card. (the priority for being allowed to buy follows the order of turns around the table)

Jokers

If someone has already gone down and they have a run that has ace, two, joker and then four of spades (assuming you have also already gone down and are playing off cards), if you have the 3 of spades you can replace the joker and then play the joker off somewhere else to your best advantage but you must use it before the end of your turn. A joker can only be pulled out of a run, not out of a set.