A predetermined number of cards—typically ten in most variations—are dealt to each player at the start of the game. A draw pile is formed by the remaining campfstsrds, & the discard pile is initiated by placing the top card face-up. By creating legitimate combinations, players try to improve their hands as they alternately draw from the draw or discard piles. The game goes on until either the draw pile runs out of cards or one player successfully melds all of their cards.