Gin Rummy
The two-player Rummy. Knock early with a few stray cards, or hold out for gin and take the bonus.
Gin Rummy is Rummy stripped down for two, with one decision that makes the whole game: knock now with an imperfect hand, or wait and risk your opponent knocking first.
Goal
Arrange your ten cards into melds, then end the hand while whatever is left over is worth as little as possible.
A meld is three or four of a rank, or three or more in sequence in one suit. Everything not in a meld is deadwood, and deadwood is what you score against.
Setup
Deal ten cards each. Put the rest face down as the stock and turn the top card face up beside it to start the discard pile.
The non-dealer may take that first upcard or pass; if they pass, the dealer may take it. If both pass, the non-dealer draws from the stock and play begins.
A turn
- Draw one card, either the top of the stock or the top of the discard pile.
- Discard one card face up.
You always hold ten cards between turns. You may not take the card you just discarded on your next turn.
Knocking
You may knock when your deadwood totals ten or less. Discard as usual, then lay your hand out face up, melds separated from deadwood.
Your opponent then lays out their melds and may lay off: add any of their deadwood to your melds, which shrinks what they are counting. Face cards are ten, aces are one, everything else is face value.
Gin and undercutting
Gin is knocking with no deadwood at all. It scores your opponent’s deadwood plus a 25 point bonus, and they may not lay off anything.
Undercut is the other way round: if the player who did not knock has deadwood equal to or lower than the knocker’s, they score the difference plus 25. Knocking too eagerly with eight or nine is how you get undercut.
Scoring
A successful knock scores the difference between the two deadwood counts. Play to 100.
Most houses add end-of-game bonuses: 100 for reaching the target, 25 per hand won, and double everything if the loser never scored at all. Agree which of these you are using before the first deal.
When the stock runs out
If only two cards remain in the stock and the player whose turn it is does not knock, the hand is dead. Nobody scores and the same dealer deals again.
Questions
How much deadwood can I knock with?
Ten or less. Ten exactly is allowed, which is where the phrase "knocking with ten" comes from.
What is an undercut?
Your opponent knocks, and after laying off their deadwood is equal to or lower than yours. They score the difference plus 25 instead of you scoring anything.
Can my opponent lay off against a gin hand?
No. Going gin blocks all lay-offs, which is part of why the bonus is worth chasing.
Is the ace high or low?
Low, worth one point. A-2-3 is a run and Q-K-A is not, unless you have agreed otherwise before dealing.