Gin Rummy Rules

Game Rules

1. Both players will receive 10 cards each, and the remaining cards will be placed in the Draw Pile. One card will then be turned and shown from the Discard Pile.

2. On the first turn of the round, players will take turns picking up the Discard or passing. If both players Pass, the first player will get to choose and draw the card to play the initial round.

3. On each subsequent turn, players must draw either the top card from the Draw Pile or the top card from the Discard Pile and discard one card from their hand onto the Discard Pile.

4. A player with 10 or fewer Deadwood points may “Knock“; knocking with no Deadwood points is known as “Gin“.

*Deadwood: the cards in a player’s hand that are not part of any meld (a set or run).

5. A player may “Knock“ or “Gin“ to end the game and Lay Off deadwood cards if possible.

*Lay off: When a player “Knocks“, the other player is allowed to meld the Deadwood cards into knocking-player’s formed sets or runs to reduce the final Deadwood points.

6. The first player to reach the set Pt. at the table will win the game.

*Pt.: The winner gained the difference in Deadwood points during the settlement.

Cards

Number cards: There are 4 suits, each with a range from A to K, resulting in a total of 52 cards.

Jokers: To be used as a wild card that can represent any color or suit, 2 cards total.

Set

The 2 valid set types are called runs and groups and the set is composed of at least 3 cards.

Groups:

Same numbers, Different suits

Runs:

Same suit, Consecutive numbers (A and K are not consecutive numbers)

Face value

10

20

Scores

In a “Knock“ situation, the player with fewer Deadwood points wins and earns the point difference.

An “Undercut“ occurs when a player Knocks, and the opponent has ≤ Deadwood points. The opponent will also gain the point difference plus a 25 Pt. bonus.

When a player calls “Gin“, they win the game by earning the difference in Deadwood points, along with a 25 Pt. bonus.

The game ends when any player's total Pt. ≥ the target Pt. for the round.

At the end of the game, the difference between the two players’ Pt. will determine the number of chips a player wins or loses, based on the “Pt. Gap” displayed on the table in the game.