Gin Rummy Rules

Introduction

Introduction

Gin Rummy is one of the most popular forms of rummy. The game is generally played by two players, each receiving ten cards.

The Deck

One standard deck of 52 cards is used. Cards in each suit rank, from low to high:

A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K

The cards have values as follows:

Face cards (K, Q, J)= 10 points
Ace= 1 point
Number cards are worth their number value.

The Deal

The first dealer is chosen randomly, and the turn to deal alternates between the players. Each player is dealt ten cards, one at a time. The twenty-first card is turned face up to start the discard pile and the remainder of the deck is placed face down beside it to form the stock. The players look at and sort their cards.

Object Of The Game

The object of the game is to arrange as many as possible of the ten cards in your hand into sets. There are two kinds of sets: sequences and groups.

A sequence consists of three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive order, such as 4, 5, 6 or 8, 9, 10, J.

A group is three or four cards of the same rank, such as 7, 7, 7.

A card can belong to only one set at a time.

The Play

A normal turn consists of two parts:

The Draw -- You must begin by taking one card from either the top of the stock pile or the top card on the discard pile, and adding it to your hand. The discard pile is face up, so you can see in advance what you are getting. The stock is face down, so if you choose to draw from the stock you do not see the card until after you have committed yourself to take it. If you draw from the stock, you add the card to your hand without showing it to the other players.

The Discard -- To complete your turn, one card must be discarded from your hand and placed on top of the discard pile face up.

For the first turn of the hand, the draw is done in a special way. First, the person who did not deal chooses whether to take the turned up-card. If the non-dealer declines it, the dealer may take the card. If both players refuse the turned-up card, the non-dealer draws the top card from the stock pile. Whichever player took a card completes their turn by discarding and then it is the other player's turn to play.

Knocking

The play ends when a player knocks. This can be done on any turn (including the first), immediately after drawing, provided that you can form sufficient of your cards into sets. Having knocked, you complete your turn by discarding one card as usual and then spreading your remaining cards face up on the table, arranged into sets and unmatched cards. In order to be allowed to knock, the total value of your unmatched cards must be ten points or less. Knocking with no unmatched cards at all is called going gin, and earns a special bonus.

You are never forced to knock. A player who is able to knock may choose instead to carry on playing, to try to get a better score.

The opponent of the player who knocked must then spread their cards face-up, arranging them into sets where possible. Provided that the knocker did not go gin, the opponent is also allowed to lay off any unmatched cards by using them to extend the sets laid down by the knocker - by adding a fourth card of the same rank to a group of three, or further consecutive cards of the same suit to either end of a sequence.

If a player goes gin, the opponent is not allowed to lay off any cards. Note that the knocker is never allowed to lay off cards on the opponent's sets.

The play also ends if the stock pile is reduced to two cards, and the player who took the third last card discards without knocking. In this case, the hand is cancelled, no points are scored, and the same dealer deals again.

Scoring

Each player counts the total value of their unmatched cards. If the knocker's count is lower, the knocker scores the difference between the two counts.

If the knocker did not go gin, and the counts are equal, or the knocker's count is greater than that of the opponent, the knocker has been undercut. In this case the knocker's opponent scores the difference between the counts plus a 10-point bonus.

A player who goes gin scores a bonus 20 points, plus the opponent's count in unmatched cards, if any. A player who goes gin can never be undercut. Even if the other player has no unmatched cards at all, the knocker gets the 20-point bonus and the other player scores nothing.

The game continues with further deals until one player's cumulative score reaches 100 points or more. This player then receives an additional bonus of 100 points. If the loser failed to score anything at all during the game, then the winner's bonus is 200 points rather than 100.

In addition, each player adds a further 20 points for each hand they won. This is called the line bonus or box bonus. These additional points cannot be counted as part of the 100 needed to win the game.