The Complete Guide to Gin Rummy Rules

Learn the basics of gin rummy rules and understand why this card game is so enjoyable!

Welcome to the Grand Gin Rummy Hotel! I’m Robert, the bellboy, and I’m here to show you how to play Grand Gin Rummy. If you prefer to see the rules in action, we have a great tutorial available in the game, which you can download for free from the Apple and Google Play app stores.

Aces count as 1 point, face cards like jacks, queens, and kings are each worth 10 points, and all other cards are valued at their numerical value. For example, 2s are worth 2 points, 3s are worth 3 points, and so forth.

The goal of the game is to create sets of cards called “melds.”

They can form groups with identical numbers or create sequences of consecutive numbers within the same suit.

SET:

SEQUENCE:

At the start of the game, every player receives 10 cards. Cards in your hand that do not contribute to melds are referred to as deadwood, and your goal is to minimize the amount of deadwood you have.

The leftover deck of cards is positioned face-down to form the stock pile, while one card is placed face-up to initiate the discard pile.

On the first turn, a player can either take the face-up card or pass. If the player passes, the dealer can take it or pass. If both pass, the player can draw from the stock pile. On the following turns, you can draw from either the stock pile or the discard pile, and at the end of each turn, you must discard one card.

If your deadwood is 10 points or fewer, you may knock to conclude the round. In Grand Gin Rummy, a green knock button will then be visible.

Scores are calculated with each player’s hand face-up. Add up your deadwood points and subtract your opponent’s deadwood points to get your score for that round. For example, if you have 8 points of deadwood and your opponent has 26, your score is 26-8=18, so you get 18 points.

Your opponent can lay off cards that match your melds to reduce their deadwood. For example, if you have a meld of three jacks and your opponent has a jack as deadwood, they can add it to your meld, reducing their deadwood by 10 points. Your score then becomes 8 points instead of 18.

If you end up with more deadwood points than your opponent after knocking, you’ll be undercut, and your opponent will receive both the points and an additional 25 bonus points. In Grand Gin Rummy, winning a hand also earns you 15 bonus points, which speeds up the game.

If you match 10 out of 11 cards after the draw phase, you achieve gin and get 25 bonus points. If all 11 cards form melds before knocking, you achieve big gin and receive 50 bonus points.

If no one knocks or goes gin when only two cards remain in the stock pile, the hand is considered a tie and the dealer will re-deal. The game is won by the first player who accumulates 100 points.