How to Play Gin Rummy

🎴 The Deck

Gin Rummy uses a standard 52-card deck. No jokers.

Card Values

• Face cards (King, Queen, Jack): 10 points each
• Aces: 1 point
• Number cards: Face value (2 = 2 points, 3 = 3 points, etc.)

🃏 The Deal

• Each player receives 10 cards
• The remaining cards form the stock pile (face down)
• The top card of the stock is turned face up to start the discard pile

♠ Melds

There are two types of melds you can form:

Sets (Groups)

Three or four cards of the same rank (e.g., 7♠ 7♥ 7♦)

Runs (Sequences)

Three or more consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g., 4♣ 5♣ 6♣)

🔄 Gameplay

On each turn, a player must:

1. Draw — Take either the top card from the stock pile or the top card from the discard pile
2. Discard — Place one card face-up on the discard pile

The goal each turn is to improve your hand by forming melds and reducing deadwood.

🏆 Ending the Round

Knocking

A player can "knock" when their deadwood value is 10 points or less. When you knock:

• Lay down your melds
• Your opponent can "lay off" their unmatched cards on your melds
• Compare deadwood totals — the lower total wins the round

Gin

If all 10 of your cards form melds (zero deadwood), you declare "Gin!" — a premium win. Your opponent cannot lay off cards.

Undercut

If the knocker's opponent has equal or lower deadwood, it's an undercut — the opponent wins with a bonus.

📊 Scoring

• Normal knock: Winner scores the difference in deadwood
• Gin bonus: 25 points + opponent's total deadwood
• Undercut bonus: 25 points + deadwood difference
• Game bonus: First to 100 points wins, with a 100-point game bonus