Gin Rummy
Two-player knock-and-score rummy. Keep your hand secret, minimize deadwood, and race to 100 points.
Players
2 players, standard 52-card deck (no jokers). Aces are always low.
Objective
Be the first to reach 100 points across multiple hands by knocking with low deadwood, undercutting your opponent, or going Gin.
Card Values (Deadwood)
Melds
•
Set: 3 or 4 cards of the same rank (e.g. 7♠ 7♥ 7♦).
•
Run: 3+ consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g. 4♣ 5♣ 6♣). A-2-3 is valid; Q-K-A is not.
A card may belong to only one meld. Cards not in a meld are deadwood.
Setup
Each player is dealt 10 cards. The next card is turned face-up to start the discard pile; the rest form the stock.
Opening Offer
The deal alternates every hand. The first player alternates between games: Player 1 is the non-dealer and plays first in the first hand of the first game, Player 2 in the next game, and so on.
The non-dealer may take the upcard or pass. If they pass, the dealer may take it or pass. If both pass, the non-dealer must draw from the stock.
Turn Structure
1.
Draw one card from the stock or the top of the discard pile.
2.
Lay melds (optional but required before a knock): put sets and runs into
meld slots on the table. In this digital edition, melds must be laid before
knocking so remaining hand cards are the deadwood total.
3.
Discard one card face-up (you may not discard the same card you just took
from the discard pile) — or knock / go Gin instead.
Knocking and Gin
After drawing (and laying melds), you may:
•
Knock if your remaining hand (after discarding one card face-down) is
10 points or less and greater than zero. The opponent may lay their own
melds and lay off unmatched cards onto your melds.
•
Go Gin if your remaining hand would be 0 after discarding face-down.
The opponent may not lay off.
•
Big Gin if you lay all cards as melds with no discard. +31 bonus; no
lay-offs.
Scoring
After any lay-offs, compare deadwood:
•
Knock win: knocker scores the difference in deadwood.
•
Undercut: if the defender’s deadwood is equal or lower, the defender scores the difference (if any) plus 25.
•
Gin: knocker scores the defender’s deadwood plus 25.
•
Big Gin: knocker scores the defender’s deadwood plus 31.
If the stock is reduced to 2 cards with no knock, the hand is a wash (no points) and is redealt.
Winning the Match
First to 100 points wins. The winner receives a 100-point game bonus plus a 25-point line bonus per hand won. If the loser scored 0 for the whole match (shutout / skunk), the winner’s total is doubled.