The five classes of condition melds are as follows:
A group of valle cards of different suits (worth one chips from each poker player).
A group of non-valle cards in the same suit (worth two chips in spades, one in other suits).
A sequence of Ace, 2,3, (worth two chips in spades and one in other suits).
A sequence of King, Queen, Jack (worth two chips in spades and one in other suits).
A player who lays off on a condition collects again from each player its value, except that in the case of three valle cards in the same suit he collects only two chips in spades and one in other suits. A player collects each time he lays off on a condition.
If a player lays off three or more cards on a meld, he may split it into two separate melds, provided that each half is valid. By doing so he may create a condition.
For example, if he adds to a play sequence of ♦ 5, 4, 3 the ♦ 2, the ♦ 6 and the ♦ A, he may split the sequence of six cards into two sequence: ♦ A, 2, 3 and ♦ 6,5,4. This creates a condition (Ace, 2,3) and the player collects one chip from every other player (or two if it is in spades).
A player may also take a card or cards from a meld to which he has laid off to form a new meld, provided that he leaves a valid meld. This is called ‘borrowing’. For example, if he makes a meld of ♥ J, 7, 6 to which he adds ♥ 5, 4 he may later borrow the ♥ 5,4 to make a new meld with ♥ 3 or another ♥ 6. or he may borrow the ♥ J to make, for example, a meld of ♥ J, ♣ J, ♠ J. But he could not borrow the ♥ 7, or ♥ 6, or ♥ 5 , because to take one of those cards would destroy the sequence, i.e. it would not leave a valid meld.
The object of each player is to meld all his cards, called’ going out’, whereupon he wins the game.
A player’s turn consists of taking either the top card of the discard pile or stock, melding or laying off, if he wishes, and except when going out, discarding. A player who goes out may not discard; thus to go out a player need 11 cards melded on the table.
If the top card of the discard pile can be laid off on a meld of the player whose turn it is, any other online poker player can demand that he take the card and lay it off. This might be done to disrupt the hand of the player in play, since having laid off the card he is forced to discard.
It follows that a player with nine cards melded and one in his hand still requires to find two cards to lay off. Should he draw a card from stock which he lays off on his melds, he must still discard the card in his hand.
This leaves him with ten cards melded and none in his hand, but he has not gone out. He must continue to draw, on his turn, from the discard pile or the stock until he draws a card which he can lay off, and thus go out with 11 cards melded.
If a player is in the situation of having ten cards melded, the previous player must not discard a card which would allow him to go out (unless the previous player has no alternative, i.e. he cannot make a safe discard).
The winner of the poker game (i.e. the player who goes out) wins one chips from all others remaining in the game (in some schools he collects two chips from any player who has No-Trumps melded).
He also collects from each player chips representing the values of his conditions. (As a player collects for condition as he melds them, the winner therefore collects twice for his conditions.) The winner also takes the chips of those players who dropped, i.e. those chips stacked on the foot of the stock.
In the unlikely event of the stock (both head and foot) being exhausted before any player has gone out, the discard pile is turned over and becomes the stock, play continuing as usual.
So far as strategy is concerned, the usual principles of good play at all Rummy-type games apply i.e. a player should try to hold cards giving multiple options of melding rather than isolated pairs or possible sequences with gaps in the middle.
As the number and rank of cards held in the hand are immaterial in the settling when an opponent goes out, there is no point in laying down melds prematurely.
However, a player should lay down and collect for conditions and get down a first meld if there is a double payment to the poker winner by players who have failed to meld.