Gin Rummy

Gin rummy is a two-player card game where you form sets and runs and knock once your unmatched cards total 10 or less; here you play it free against the computer. Each player is dealt 10 cards from a 52-card deck with no jokers, and the game runs to 50, 100 or 250 points, depending on your choice.

The computer takes real turns. It draws, discards, knocks when its hand is low enough, and lays off cards onto your melds when you knock. The game runs in your browser and saves to this device. There are no accounts and no sign-up. A Hint button shows what the computer’s own logic would do, and a score sheet records every hand. The sections below explain the rules as the game applies them, so you can check how each hand was scored.

How to play gin rummy online

1. Choose a Game length (Play to 50, Play to 100 or Play to 250). The default is 100. The change applies at once, even to a game in progress.
2. Set Computer speed to normal or fast.
3. Read the status line. It says what the computer did and what you should do next.
4. On the first turn, press Take the upcard or Pass. If both players pass, you draw from the stock.
5. On your draw step, tap the stock (or press Draw from stock), or tap the discard pile (or press Take discard).
6. On your discard step, tap a card to select it, then tap it again or press Discard to throw it away. Your hand is arranged for you, so melds are already grouped.
7. To knock, select the card you want to discard (optional) and press Knock. If no discard leaves 10 or less deadwood, the button is greyed out. When a discard leaves no deadwood, the button reads Gin.
8. After each hand, press Deal next hand. After the game, press Play again.
9. Press Hint if you are unsure. The suggested pile, button or card is highlighted in gold for 6 seconds.
10. Use New game to start a new match at once.

Keyboard players can use the arrow keys to move over the hand, Enter or Space to select a card, S to draw from the stock, T to take the top discard, D to discard, K to knock, and H for a hint.

Basic gin rummy card game rules

Gin rummy is played with a standard 52-card deck. Each player gets 10 cards, one card is turned face up to start the discard pile, and the other 31 form the stock. The aim is to arrange your cards into melds and keep the unmelded cards, called deadwood, as low as possible.

A meld is either a set of 3 or 4 cards of the same rank, or a run of 3 or more cards of the same suit in sequence. The ace is low only, so A-2-3 is a run, but Q-K-A is not. A card can belong to only one meld. Deadwood values are: ace 1, cards 2 to 10 at face value, and jack, queen and king 10 each.

On each turn you draw one card, either from the face-down stock or the top card of the discard pile. Then you discard one card face up. You may not discard the card you just took from the discard pile. If the stock falls to 2 cards after a player discards without knocking, the hand is a draw.

Gin rummy scoring rules

A hand ends when a player knocks or goes gin, or when the hand is drawn. To knock, you discard one card so your remaining 10 cards have 10 or less deadwood. If your deadwood is 0, you have gin.

After a knock, the defender first lays off cards onto the knocker’s melds. A card of the same rank can go onto a set of three, and the next card up or down of the same suit can extend a run. The game finds the best lay-off automatically. The knocker scores the difference if the defender’s deadwood is higher. After gin there is no lay-off, and the knocker scores 25 plus the defender’s deadwood.

An undercut happens when the defender’s deadwood after laying off is the same as or lower than the knocker’s. The defender then scores the difference plus 25, so equal deadwood gives 25.

Game bonuses are added at the end. The first player to reach the target at the end of a hand wins the game and gets a game bonus of 100. Each player also gets 25 for every hand they won in the game. An undercut win counts as a hand won, and draws count for nobody.

For example, the knocker’s melded deadwood is 10. The defender starts with 66 deadwood. After laying off 9♠, 8♦ and 5♠, the defender’s deadwood falls to 44. The knocker scores 44 − 10 = 34.

Gin rummy rules for 2 players, and why not 3 or 4 players

Gin rummy is a two-player game. One player knocks and the other defends, and the scoring is built around exactly two hands. This page is set up as you against one computer opponent, so there is no option for three or four players.

The dealer alternates every hand, including after a draw. The computer deals the first hand, so you move first. The non-dealer always moves first on the upcard offer.

How gin rummy differs from other rummy playing rules

In gin rummy, you do not lay melds on the table during play. Your melds stay in your hand until you knock or go gin. When the hand ends, the melds are shown and the defender lays off cards onto them.

Many other rummy games let players show or lay down melds during the hand. In gin rummy, the decision is when to knock, and the round is decided at showdown by comparing deadwood.

Gin rummy strategy and tips

Keep your deadwood low by discarding the highest unmatched cards first.

Be careful with cards you have just picked up from the discard pile. You cannot discard that card straight away, so plan your discard from the rest of your hand.

Knock at a low total when you can, because the defender’s deadwood sets your score. Watch the stock count. The computer’s knocking thresholds get looser as the stock shrinks: it knocks with 5 or less at any time, with up to 8 when the stock has 18 or fewer cards, and with up to 10 when it has 12 or fewer. Avoid knocking with a total close to the computer’s, since equal deadwood gives it an undercut and 25 points.

Frequently asked questions

Are gin rummy card game rules different in the UK?

The core rules are the same, including melds, knocking and gin. Bonus amounts and target scores are house rules that vary between groups. This page uses the values described above: 100 for the game bonus, 25 per hand won, and targets of 50, 100 or 250.

Are there easy, simple rummy rules for beginners?

Yes. You only need to know three things: make sets of the same rank or runs of the same suit, count the cards you cannot meld as deadwood, and knock once your deadwood is 10 or less. The game arranges your melds and counts your deadwood for you, so you can focus on what to discard.

Is it free and do I need to sign up?

Yes, it is free. There are no accounts, so there is no sign-up step, and a game starts as soon as the page loads.

Can I play it on a phone?

Yes. The table fits a 320 px wide phone without sideways scrolling. On screens under 520 px, your 11 cards appear in two rows, and cards and piles scale with the width. Taps select, draw, discard and knock.

Is my game saved?

Yes. After every move, the page saves the whole game in your browser, including both hands, the stock, the discard pile, the scores and the score sheet. Reloading returns you to the same position, and the computer carries on from there. Saved data stays on this device only and nothing is sent anywhere.

Can I undo a move?

No. There is no Undo button, so check your selection before you press Discard or Knock.

Can I play against another person online?

No. The game is you against the computer, and there is no online multiplayer.

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• Euchre: a trick-taking game for four players in partnerships, using a short deck.
• Hearts: a trick-taking game where you try to avoid taking penalty cards.
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• Go Fish: a simple card game where you ask for cards to make sets of four.
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