Recognizing the Main Goal of Rummy. Rummy is fundamentally a card game in which players must form sets and runs from a hand of cards. Becoming the first player to combine allrummyloa of your cards into legitimate combinations—which can include runs (three or more consecutive cards of the same suit) or sets (three or four cards of the same rank)—is the main goal. The objective is to lower the total value of unmelded cards in each player's hand as they alternately draw and discard cards. The fundamentals of gameplay and setup.