How to play Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy is a card game for two players in which you form your cards into sets and runs and try to end the hand, by knocking or going gin, before your opponent does.

Gin Rummy against a computer player: knock with 10 or less deadwood, played to 100 points.

About Gin Rummy

The classic game lets you knock when your deadwood is 10 or less, and ends as soon as a player reaches 100 points.

A knock scores the difference in deadwood, so knocking early often beats waiting for gin. Take care when knocking with 8 or 9: if your opponent lays off a card or two, you can be undercut and give away 25 points plus the difference.

Every hand you win adds 25 points to your final total, so a string of small knocks counts as well as a few big hands.

The goal of Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy is a card game for two players, and here you play against one computer player. In each hand you try to form your cards into melds and bring down the points left over, and to end the hand before your opponent does.

How to set up Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy uses a 52-card deck. The first dealer is chosen at random, and after that the deal alternates. Each player is dealt 10 cards, one at a time, starting with the player who is not dealing.

The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile; this card is the upcard. The other 31 cards are placed face down as the stock.

Gin Rummy rules

A meld is a set or a run. A set is three or four cards of the same rank. A run is three or more cards in sequence in one suit. Ace is always low, so A-2-3 is a run but Q-K-A is not. A card can belong to only one meld.

Deadwood is every card that is not in a meld. Aces count 1, twos to tens count their face value, and jacks, queens and kings count 10 each.

Each hand opens with the upcard. The player who did not deal may take it or pass, and if they pass, the dealer may take it or pass. Whoever takes it then discards. If both pass, the player who did not deal starts by drawing from the stock.

On each turn you take the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile, then discard one card face up. You may not discard the card you just took from the discard pile.

Instead of an ordinary discard you may knock when the deadwood left in your ten cards is no more than the knock limit, which is 10 in the classic game: you discard and the hand ends. Knocking with no deadwood at all is gin. If all eleven of your cards form melds after you take a card, you can declare big gin without discarding. You may knock on your very first turn.

You never have to arrange your cards yourself. When a hand ends, both hands are laid out in the melds that leave the least deadwood.

After a knock, the other player lays off deadwood onto the knocker's melds: a fourth card on a set of three, or the next card at either end of a run, one after another. Layoffs are also made for you, in the way that leaves the least deadwood. Nothing can be laid off after gin or big gin.

Once only two cards are left in the stock, a player who discards without knocking ends the hand, and it is void. Nobody scores, and the same dealer deals again.

Gin Rummy scoring

After a knock, the knocker scores the difference between the two players' deadwood, counted once the layoffs are made.

If the other player's deadwood is equal to or lower than the knocker's, it is an undercut: the other player scores the difference plus a bonus of 25 points.

Gin scores 25 points plus the opponent's deadwood, and big gin scores 31 points plus the opponent's deadwood.

How to win at Gin Rummy

The game ends as soon as a player's score reaches the target, and that player wins. The classic game is played to 100 points.

The final totals add a line bonus of 25 points for every hand each player won, and a game bonus of 100 points for the winner. If the loser won no hand at all, it is a shutout, and the winner's hand points are doubled before the bonuses are added.

Gin Rummy strategy tips

Throw away high cards that are not close to a meld early. A king left in your hand counts 10 against you when your opponent knocks.

Watch the discard pile. A card your opponent picks up tells you what they are collecting, so avoid discarding cards that fit with it.

Knocking early often wins the hand, but knocking with deadwood close to the limit risks an undercut if your opponent's hand is nearly complete.

Middle cards such as sevens and eights can join more runs than aces or kings, so they are usually worth keeping.

Gin Rummy questions and answers

How many cards do you deal in gin rummy?

Each player is dealt 10 cards, one at a time. The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile, and the other 31 cards form the stock. The player who is not dealing gets the first card and the first chance to take the upcard.

What is an undercut in gin rummy?

An undercut happens when a player knocks and the other player's deadwood, after laying off cards, is equal to or lower than the knocker's. The other player then scores the difference plus a bonus of 25 points, and the knocker scores nothing. A player who goes gin can never be undercut.

Can you knock on the first turn in gin rummy?

Yes. You may knock on your first turn, even right after taking the upcard, as long as the deadwood left after your discard is within the knock limit.

Is ace high or low in gin rummy?

Ace is low. It counts 1 point as deadwood and can only start a run, as in A-2-3 of one suit. Q-K-A is not a run.

What is big gin in gin rummy?

Big gin is when all eleven of your cards form melds right after you take a card. You declare it without discarding, and it scores 31 points plus your opponent's deadwood.

What happens when the stock runs out in gin rummy?

Once only two cards are left in the stock, a player who discards without knocking ends the hand, and it is void. Nobody scores, and the same dealer deals again.

How many points do you need to win gin rummy?

The classic game and Straight are played to 100 points, Oklahoma to 150 and the short game to 50. The first player whose score reaches the target wins, and the final totals then add 25 points for each hand won and 100 points for winning the game.

Can you play gin rummy against the computer?

Yes, each Gin Rummy page is you against one computer player, and you do not need to sign in. The computer decides only from its own hand and the cards it has seen, such as the discard pile and the cards you took from it. There is no undo, since taking a card back could show what is in the stock.

Can you play gin rummy online with a friend?

Yes. Sign in, follow the Play Gin Rummy online link and open a table, then send its code to the friend you want to play or list the table in the lobby. You choose the classic game, Oklahoma, Straight or the game to 50 points when you open it. If a player leaves, the computer plays their seat for the rest of the game.