Rummy 17 is a somewhat standard rummy game in that players want to meld sets and runs — and play cards on the sets and runs of others — in order to rid themselves of cards. A round ends whenever one player discards their final card, then everyone else loses 1 or 2 points for each card still in hand.
At the start of a round, five goal cards are chosen at random from the deck, and at the end of the round each player who has satisfied a goal card scores points for doing so. On a turn, a player draws the top card from either the deck or the discard pile; if they draw from the deck, then other players have the option of knocking to take the top card from the discard pile. A player must lay down a set or run of at least three cards before being able to play on opponents' sets and runs, and a player must discard one card at the end of their turn, including their final turn when they go out.
After a predetermined number of rounds, whoever has the highest score wins.
Rummy 17 includes one joker card in each of the five suits, with each suit being numbered 1-17. A player can use the joker when laying down a run as long as the run includes at least three numbered cards. This joker can be replaced with the actual number on a later turn as long as the player who does so immediately uses the joker in a new run.