How to Play Gin Rummy
Gin rummy is the two-handed rummy game that kept card tables busy through much of the last century, from front porches to lunch breaks. It moves quickly, every hand is a little puzzle, and a single good draw can turn things around. This guide covers the standard game to 100 points, exactly as our free online gin rummy game plays it, with examples you can follow card by card.
What You Need
Two players and an ordinary 52-card deck with the jokers taken out. Cards rank from ace (low) up through 2, 3 and so on to 10, jack, queen and king. Keep a pencil and paper handy for the score, because a game usually takes several hands.
The Goal
You want to turn your hand into melds, which are groups of cards that belong together, and keep the cards that don't fit as low as possible. When the leftover cards are low enough you can end the hand by knocking, and you score points for how much better your hand is than your opponent's. The first player to reach 100 points wins the game.
Melds: Sets and Runs
There are two kinds of meld:
- A set is three or four cards of the same rank, such as 8♠ 8♥ 8♣ or K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣.
- A run is three or more cards in a row in the same suit, such as 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ or 9♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♣.
The ace is always low. A♦ 2♦ 3♦ is a run, but Q♦ K♦ A♦ is not, and neither is K♠ A♠ 2♠. Each card can belong to only one meld at a time. If you hold 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ and also 7♠ 7♦, the 7♥ can be part of the run or part of a set of sevens, but not both. You pick whichever arrangement leaves you with fewer points of leftover cards. (Our game makes this choice for you and sorts your hand into its best melds automatically.)
Deadwood and What Cards Count
Cards that are not in any meld are called deadwood. They count against you:
| Card | Deadwood value |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 point |
| 2 through 10 | The number on the card (a 7 counts 7) |
| Jack, queen, king | 10 points each |
Example. You hold 3♣ 4♣ 5♣, J♥ J♠ J♦, 9♥, 6♦, 2♠ and A♥. The run and the set are melds. The deadwood is 9♥ + 6♦ + 2♠ + A♥ = 9 + 6 + 2 + 1 = 18.
The Deal
- Decide who deals first. In our game the computer picks at random from the deal number. After that the deal changes hands every hand.
- The dealer shuffles and deals ten cards to each player, one at a time, starting with the opponent.
- The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile. This is called the upcard.
- The rest of the deck goes face down next to it. This is the stock.
The First Upcard
The very first turn is a little different. The non-dealer is offered the upcard first. If they want it, they take it and discard a card, and play carries on as normal. If they pass, the dealer is offered it. If both players pass, the non-dealer begins by drawing the top card of the stock and discarding.
Each Turn: Draw, Then Discard
- Draw one card. Take either the top card of the stock (you see it, your opponent doesn't) or the top card of the discard pile (your opponent sees what you took).
- Discard one card face up onto the discard pile.
You always end your turn with ten cards. The one thing you cannot do is take the top discard and throw that same card straight back. A card you drew from the stock may be discarded right away if it doesn't help.
Knocking
After you draw, look at your deadwood. If you can discard one card and leave 10 points of deadwood or less, you may knock. You discard face down (in our game it simply goes on the pile), then lay your hand on the table arranged into melds and deadwood.
You never have to knock. Sometimes it is better to keep playing for a lower count or for gin. In our game, a Knock button appears only when a knock is allowed, and it tells you which card it will discard and what your deadwood will be.
Laying off
When you knock, your opponent lays down their own melds and then may lay off any of their deadwood cards that fit your melds. If you laid down 5♠ 6♠ 7♠, they can add the 4♠ or the 8♠. If you laid down three queens, they can add the fourth. A card laid off on a run can open the way for the next one: with the 8♠ added, the 9♠ fits too. Laid-off cards no longer count as their deadwood.
Going Gin
If every card in your hand is part of a meld after your discard, you have gin. Lay down your hand. Your opponent may not lay off anything against gin, so all of their deadwood counts. Gin is worth a bonus and can never be undercut.
Big gin. Some tables allow big gin: if all eleven cards in your hand form melds right after you draw, you lay them all down without discarding. It is worth a bigger bonus. Our game offers it as a house rule in Settings. See big gin.
Scoring a Hand
| What happened | Who scores | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Knock, and the opponent has more deadwood | The knocker | The difference in deadwood |
| Knock, and the opponent has the same or less (an undercut) | The opponent | The difference + 25 |
| Gin | The player who went gin | 25 + the opponent's deadwood |
| Big gin (house rule) | The player who went big gin | 31 + the opponent's deadwood |
| Only two stock cards left and nobody has knocked | Nobody | The hand is a draw |
Example 1: a knock
You knock with 3♣ 4♣ 5♣, 9♥ 9♠ 9♦, J♠ Q♠ K♠ and the A♥ left over. Your deadwood is 1. The computer lays down 6♦ 7♦ 8♦ and K♥ K♦ K♣, and has 6♣, 10♥, 2♠ and 6♥ left. It lays off the 6♣ on your clubs run. Its deadwood is 10 + 2 + 6 = 18. You score 18 − 1 = 17 points.
Example 2: an undercut
You knock with 8 points of deadwood. Your opponent lays off two cards on your melds and is left with only a 4♦ and a 2♣, which is 6. Six is less than your 8, so you've been undercut. Your opponent scores the difference, 8 − 6 = 2, plus the 25-point undercut bonus: 27 points. A tie counts as an undercut too: had they been left with exactly 8, they would score 0 + 25 = 25.
Example 3: gin
You draw the 6♥ and your hand becomes 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ 7♥, 10♣ 10♦ 10♠ and 2♠ 3♠ 4♠, with a K♣ to throw away. Discard the K♣ and you have gin. Your opponent can't lay off, and their deadwood comes to 34. You score 25 + 34 = 59 points.
When the Stock Runs Low
The last two cards of the stock are never drawn. If a player takes the 50th card and discards without knocking, leaving only two cards in the stock, the hand is over as a draw. Nobody scores, and the same dealer deals again.
Winning the Game
Keep a running total for each player. When someone reaches 100 points at the end of a hand, the game is over and the bonuses are added:
- 25 points for every hand you won during the game. Old score sheets call these "boxes" or "lines".
- 100 points to the winner as the game bonus.
Example. You finish with 104 points from five winning hands. The computer has 61 from three winning hands. Your total is 104 + 5 × 25 + 100 = 329. The computer's is 61 + 3 × 25 = 136. You win by 193.
Many families play a quicker or longer game, use a knock limit set by the first upcard (Oklahoma gin), or give a smaller undercut bonus. Our game lets you choose these in Settings. Read about them on the gin rummy variations page.
Quick Answers to Common Questions
Can I lay off when someone goes gin?
No. Against gin, all your deadwood counts.
Can the knocker lay off on my melds?
No. Only the player who did not knock lays off, and only on the knocker's melds.
Can I take the top discard just to keep it from my opponent?
Yes, as long as you discard a different card. It's a legitimate tactic, though it shows what you're keeping.
Does a run go around the corner, like Q-K-A?
No. Aces are low only.
Ready to try it? Play gin rummy now, or read our gin rummy strategy guide. If you enjoy matching cards, you may also like Rummy 500 or Canasta.