Gin Rummy

How to Play Gin Rummy

Objective

A classic 2-player card game. Form melds (sets and runs) to reduce your deadwood. The first player to reach 100 points wins.

Card Values

• Ace = 1 point
• 2–10 = face value
• J/Q/K = 10 points each

Melds

• Set: 3 or 4 cards of the same rank (e.g., 7-7-7)
• Run: 3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g., 4-5-6 of hearts). Ace is low only (A-2-3 is valid, Q-K-A is not).

Turn Flow

Each turn consists of two actions:

1. Draw: Take a card from the stockpile (face-down) or the discard pile (face-up)
2. Discard: Place one card from your hand onto the discard pile

Ending a Round

A round ends when a player knocks, calls gin, or the stockpile runs low:

• Knock: After drawing, if your deadwood (unmelded cards) totals 10 or less, you may knock. The opponent can then lay off their deadwood cards onto your melds.
• Gin: If your deadwood is 0, you call gin. The opponent cannot lay off cards.
• Draw: If the stockpile runs too low with no knock or gin, the round is a draw and no points are scored.

Scoring

• Knock: You score the difference between your opponent's deadwood and yours.
• Undercut: If the opponent's deadwood is equal to or less than yours after layoffs, they score the difference + 25 bonus points.
• Gin bonus: If you call gin, you score your opponent's deadwood + 25 bonus points.

Winning

The first player to reach 100 points across multiple rounds wins the game.