How to Play Gin Rummy & Game Rules

Okay, I love a good card game showdown, and the Gin Rummy card game is a classic for a reason. It’s that perfect mix of luck and strategy: you gotta make the best of the cards you’re dealt, but also outthink your opponent with sneaky discards and surprise knocks.

Think you can handle it?

Here’s the lowdown on how to play, and trust me, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be hooked! One of the best two-player card games around, and probably always will be.

How to Play Gin Rummy & Gin Rummy Rules

The Setup

Gin Rummy is a two-player game, although variations can be played for multiple people. In this guide, we’re covering the classic 2-v-2 showdown – the perfect game for a head-to-head challenge that’s a ton of fun any time of the day.

Start with a standard 52-card deck, shuffle the cards, pick a card each. Whoever has the highest value is the first dealer. Shuffle the full deck again and deal out ten cards per player. The leftover cards go in the middle of play and become the Draw Pile. Flip the top card to start the Discard pile.

The Gameplay

Objective: Make sets (like three 7s) or runs (like 4-5-6 of hearts). Get rid of cards that don’t fit, and try to have as few points left in your hand as possible. Scores are added each round and the first player to reach 100 points across multiple rounds wins.

This might sound a bit crazy, but trust me, it’ll make sense after reading this. Make sure you play a dummy round while reading this to fully understand how the game works!

The aim of the game is to make sets or runs of cards, known as “melds”, and get your hand down to the fewest number of points possible.

A meld could be;

• A set, like all the 3s, one from each suit
• A run, like 4, 5, 6, 7 of the same suit (MUST be the same suit)

Taking Turns

The non-dealer starts, drawing one card from either the facedown Draw Pile or the face-up Discard Pile. This is a card you think will help you make a meld as quickly as possible. After drawing, you then discard a card you don’t want into the Discard Pile.

You must always end your turn with 10 cards in hand. Then the next player repeats the process on their turn.

Note: Traditional versions of the game allow any player to claim the first card in the Discard Pile. The game starts with the non-dealer either taking it or passing, then the dealer taking it or passing. Then the rounds begin as outlined above.

Rounds continue with both players trying to create the best melds possible out of runs and sets. When you’re happy with your hand and have the fewest points possible, you knock on the table, and discard your final card face down on the discard pile.

How Does Gin Rummy Scoring Work?

The player who knocks then reveals their hand. A knock is only valid if the remaining unmatched (unmelded) cards equal less than 10 points in total. Unmelded cards are traditionally known as Deadwood.

However, before entering scoring, the player who didn’t knock as a chance to lay their cards off. This means they can add their unmatched (unmelded) cards to the runs or sets that the knocking player has put down.

Both players then add up the deadwood value of their hands and that’s their score. The lowest score wins.

See, the trick here is to score the lowest number of points in your hand because the opposing player will then earn less points.

For example, if you have 5 points of deadwood and the other player has 15, the difference is 10 points, so you win 10 points. If the other player is playing well and has 7 points, then you’ll only win 2 points.

Note: If the player who didn’t knock has fewer total deadwood points than the knocking player, then they earn an extra 10 points, plus the point difference. This is known as an “Undercut”.

Points are added up round after round, and the first player to reach 100 points wins!

How to Score Cards in Gin Rummy

Scoring cards in a Gin Rummy card game is pretty simple, as outlined in the table below;

Calling Gin

As this is Gin Rummy, you get the opportunity to call gin for some bonus points. You can only call Gin if you have zero deadwood points in your hand. In other words, all the cards in your hands are parts of runs or sets.

In this case, if it’s valid, so make sure to always check, there’s no laying off as outlined above and the player calling Gin gets a bonus 30 points!

If you want to risk things and go for gold, you can call a Big Gin. The knocking player with Gin then draws the top card of the deck. If it fits their melds and doesn’t give them deadwood, they get 50 points instead of the 30.

Always a fun way to add a bit of tension to the game!

The winner is… The first player to hit 100 points!

Gin Rummy Tips & Tricks

• Knock at the right time: Usually, knocking when you have the lowest amount of deadwood is the best time, but you might not need to go all the way down if you think you’re ahead. Learn to read the opponent. If they don’t seem to have much, you might be more ahead than you may think.
• Think ahead: Each card you toss in the discard pile gives your opponent info. Each card your opponent discards teaches you want they’re after and not. Don’t hesitate to hold onto cards you think they want to stop them from building melds.
• Keep low values: if you have a King as deadwood and draw a 2, swap the deadwood to a lower value. If your opponent knocks and is out, you’ve minimized how many points they win but a huge margin.
• Sets vs. runs: Runs are often easier to build, so don’t hang onto sets too long hoping for more.
• Know when to fold: If your hand is terrible, knocking early might cut your losses.

Think you’re ready to try your hand at Gin? Grab a friend and give it a whirl!