Each player is dealt eleven cards for each of the ten rounds. One person begins as dealer for the first hand, and then the person to the dealer's left becomes dealer for the next hand, and so on. Each game has ten hands, and the rules for each hand are unique. Aces are high (above a King) or low, (below 2). Two decks are required for a game of up to four players. Shanghai Rummy is played with multiple decks of 54 standard playing cards, including the Jokers.

Shanghai rum is a Rummy card game, based on gin rummy and a variation of Contract rummy played by 3 to 8 players.

A meld of four cards in the game Shanghai rum