With a standard 52-card deck, two to six players usually play classic rummy. The goal is to minimize the total value of unmelded cards at the end of each round while forming sets & runs by melding the cards in hand. While a run lottery slotsis made up of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit, a set is made up of three or four cards of the same rank but different suits. In order to get better hands while watching their opponents' moves, players alternately draw and discard cards. Players need to balance defense and offense strategically. Watching which cards opponents are discarding or picking up can reveal information about their possible melds, making it an effective tactic.

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