How to play Gin Rummy
Gin Rummy is a two-player card game where you try to arrange your hand into sets and runs. Each turn you draw a card and discard one. When your leftover cards add up to 10 or less you can knock, and if you have none left over you go gin for a bonus.
Step by step
Deal ten cards each
Deal 10 cards to each player. Turn the next card face up to start the discard pile, and put the rest face down as the stock.
Know your melds
A set is 3 or 4 cards of the same rank. A run is 3 or more cards in a row in the same suit.
Draw a card
On your turn, take either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
Discard a card
Finish your turn by placing one card face up on the discard pile.
Knock when you are low
If your unmatched cards (deadwood) add up to 10 or less, you may knock and lay down your hand.
Go gin for a bonus
If every card in your hand is in a set or run, you go gin and score a bonus.
Score and play on
The difference in deadwood is scored. When someone reaches 100 points, bonuses are added and the higher total wins.
The full rules
What you need
Gin Rummy is for two players and uses one standard pack of 52 cards. Aces are low.
Card values
Each card has a points value, used for counting deadwood:
- Kings, Queens and Jacks: 10 points
- Aces: 1 point
- All other cards: their number (a 7 is 7 points)
Sets and runs
The aim is to arrange your cards into melds. There are two kinds:
- Set: three or four cards of the same rank, such as three 8s.
- Run: three or more cards in sequence, all of the same suit, such as the 4, 5 and 6 of hearts.
A card can only belong to one meld at a time. Cards not in any meld are called deadwood.
Setting up
Deal 10 cards to each player, one at a time. Place the next card face up to start the discard pile. The rest of the pack goes face down beside it as the stock.
For the very first turn, the non-dealer may take the face-up card. If they do not want it, the dealer may take it. If neither wants it, the non-dealer starts by drawing from the stock.
The deal passes to the other player after each hand. If a hand is a draw, the same dealer deals again.
Playing a turn
Each turn has two parts:
- Draw: take the top card from either the stock or the discard pile.
- Discard: place one card from your hand face up on the discard pile.
You always end your turn with 10 cards. You may not discard the same card you just picked up from the discard pile.
Knocking
When your deadwood adds up to 10 points or fewer, you may knock instead of discarding normally. Discard one card face down, then lay out your hand, showing your melds and your deadwood.
Your opponent then lays out their hand. They may lay off: adding any of their deadwood cards to your melds, for example adding a 7 of hearts to your run of 4, 5, 6 of hearts. This lowers their deadwood.
Going gin
If all 10 of your cards form melds, with no deadwood at all, you can go gin. Your opponent may not lay off cards when you go gin.
Scoring
- Knock: you score the difference between your opponent’s deadwood and yours.
- Gin: you score 25 points plus all of your opponent’s deadwood.
- Undercut: if your opponent’s deadwood is equal to or less than yours, they score the difference plus 25 points.
Winning
Keep playing hands until one player reaches 100 points. Many players then add bonuses: 100 points for winning the game, and 25 points for every hand won. The player with the higher total wins.
Common variants
- Oklahoma Gin: the first face-up card sets the knocking limit for that hand.
- Some players give 20 points for gin and 10 for an undercut.
- Some play to 150 or 250 points.
Tips for beginners
- Throw away high cards early. Kings and Queens cost you 10 points each if you are caught with them.
- Watch the discards. Notice which cards your opponent picks up, and avoid giving them what they need.
- Keep flexible cards. A 6 of spades can join a run or a set; cards that fit both ways are useful.
- Knock early. You do not need to wait for gin. Knocking quickly often catches your opponent with lots of deadwood.
- Beware the undercut. If your opponent has been picking up from the discard pile, they may be close. Knock only when you are fairly low.
Common questions
What is deadwood in Gin Rummy?
Deadwood is any card in your hand that is not part of a set or run. Picture cards count 10 points, Aces count 1, and other cards count their number.
What is an undercut?
If you knock but your opponent's deadwood is equal to or lower than yours, after they lay off cards, you have been undercut. Your opponent scores the difference plus a bonus, usually 25 points.
What is laying off?
When a player knocks, the other player may add their unmatched cards to the knocker's sets and runs to reduce their deadwood. This is not allowed when the knocker goes gin.
Is the Ace high or low in Gin Rummy?
Low. A run can go Ace, 2, 3, but not Queen, King, Ace.
What happens if the stock runs out?
In the common rules, if only two cards are left in the stock and nobody has knocked, the hand is a draw and is dealt again.
How is gin scored?
Going gin usually scores a bonus of 25 points plus all of your opponent's deadwood. Some players use a 20-point bonus instead.
Where it comes from
Gin Rummy is a member of the rummy family of card games and is thought to have developed in the United States in the early twentieth century. It became very popular in the middle of that century. It is still one of the best-loved two-player card games in the world.
