Gin Rummy is a two-player card game of melds and deadwood, created in 1909 and played ever since. Draw and discard to build sets and runs, then knock when your leftover cards are low enough — or go gin with none at all. Play a hand above against the computer, then read the full rules below.
The deal
Each player receives ten cards. The next card is turned face-up to start the discard pile; the rest form the face-down stock. Aces are low and worth one point, face cards are worth ten, and every other card is worth its number.
Melds: sets and runs
A set is three or four cards of the same rank (7♠ 7♥ 7♣); a run is three or more consecutive cards in one suit (4♦ 5♦ 6♦). Each card belongs to only one meld. Cards left unmatched are your deadwood, and their combined value is what you try to reduce.
A turn, knocking and going gin
On your turn you draw one card — from the stock or the top of the discard — then discard one. When your deadwood totals ten or fewer you may knock to end the hand; if every card is melded you go gin for a bonus and your opponent cannot lay off. Beware the undercut: if the player you knocked on has equal or less deadwood, they score the bonus instead.
Scoring
A knock scores the difference in deadwood to the knocker. Going gin adds a 25-point bonus plus the opponent's deadwood; an undercut also scores 25 plus the difference. Games run to 100 points across several hands, with bonuses for each hand won and for reaching 100 first. Prefer a twist? Try Oklahoma Gin or Straight Gin.