Gin Rummy and alternate names
Sometimes called Gin, Poker Gin, Knock Poker
and Gin Poker
Number of players
Two
Deck used
52 cards without Jokers. Cards used are Ace, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen and King.
Value of cards
Face cards (Jack, Queen and King) = 10 points
Ace = 1 point
Number cards are worth their face value
Play
Clockwise
Object of the game
The object of the Gin Rummy card game
is to score more points than your opponent. This can be
done by the basic game strategy of improving one's hand
by forming melds and eliminating
deadwood.
There are two kinds of melds, Sets and
Runs. Sets are 3 or 4 cards that are
of the same rank. For example, 5
, 5
, 5
. Runs are 3 or more cards
that are of the same suit. For example,
4, 5, 6, 7, 8. In Gin Rummy the Ace is always
low. A-2-3 is valid but A-K-Q, is not.
Intersecting melds are not valid, for example, a 3
card run and a 3 card set cannot share a common
card. Two cards must be counted as deadwood.
The Deal
After shuffling the deck, the dealer is usually
determined by cutting the deck, (low card deals).
Dealership alternates from round to round. the dealer
deals a 10 card hand to his opponent and to himself.
The 21st. card is called the upcard and is
placed face up in a central location and is the start
of the discard pile. The remaining cards are
placed face down next to the discard pile and is called
the stock pile.
Ordering your hand
You should try to organize your hand so that you can
easily identify sets and runs.
Play
A turn consists of two mandatory actions, a
draw and a discard. A player may draw
one card from the top of the stack or one card from the
top of the discard pile. To complete a turn, the player
must discard one card from his hand face up on the
discard pile. The player may not discard the same card
drawn from the discard pile during the same turn. A
different card must be discarded.
After the draw and before the discard
a player may optionally meld.
Knocking
After drawing a card a player can Knock or end
play if the player can form sufficient cards into valid
sets and runs. This is done by discarding one card face
down on the discard pile and showing your entire hand
arranged into sets and runs. Cards that cannot be
formed into sets and runs are called unmatched
cards or deadwood. The deadwood cards
should be clearly indicated. The total value of the
deadwood must be 10 points or less. Knocking with no
unmatched cards is called Going Gin.
A player with not more than 10 points of deadwood can
knock on any turn. Knocking is optional and a player
may continue in the game if he wishes to obtain a
higher score.
The opponent must spread his cards face up and arrange
them into sets and runs if possible. They can then lay
off unmatched cards by using them to extend the sets
and runs of the knocker. If a player goes gin, the
opponent is not allowed to lay off his cards. A knocker
may not lay off cards on the opponent's sets or runs.
Play can also end if the stock pile only has two cards
and the player who drew the last card discards without
knocking. If this happens the hand is cancelled and
there is no score. Cards are then dealt again by the
same dealer.
Scoring
Knock Points - Players count
the total amount of the unmatched cards. If the
knocker's count is lower, he scores the difference
between the two counts.
Gin Bonus - The player who
goes gin receives a 25 point bonus plus the count of
deadwood of their opponent's hand. There is no lay off
when going gin.
Game Bonus - When a player
acquires 100 points or another agreed sum, the match is
over. That player receives a game bonus of 100 points.
Line Bonus - A bonus of 25
points for every hand won during the match.
Shutout Bonus - If the entire
match is completed with the winner having won every
hand. The score for each hand is doubled before
applying the Line Bonus.
Variations
You will find variations to the above rules in Gin
Rummy itself and the games off-shuts such Oklahoma
Gin, Hollywood Gin, Single Match, and
Multi-match.
