Gin Rummy

How to play Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy is a card game for two, played here against a computer opponent called Anne. You each hold ten cards and try to arrange them into melds, groups that belong together, while keeping the leftover cards as low as you can. The first player to reach 100 points wins the game.

Melds

A set is three or four cards of the same rank, like three 7s.
A run is three or more cards in a row in the same suit, like the 4, 5 and 6 of hearts. Aces are low: Ace, 2, 3 is a run, but Queen, King, Ace is not.
Any card that isn't in a meld is deadwood. It counts against you: an Ace is 1, number cards are worth their number, and Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10.

You don't have to work out the melds yourself. The game keeps your hand sorted, with each meld in a shaded group and the deadwood after them, and shows your deadwood total underneath.

Taking a turn

Start by drawing one card: tap the stock (the face-down pile) for an unknown card, or the discard pile to take the card on top.
Then discard one card: tap it, then tap Discard. You can't throw back a card you just took from the discard pile.
At the start of the game you and Anne cut for the deal, and the lower card deals. The other player goes first, and the deal changes hands each hand.

Knocking and gin

When your deadwood adds up to 10 or less after discarding, you can knock to end the hand: tap your discard, then Knock. Both hands are shown. Anne can then lay off unmatched cards onto your melds, adding a fourth 7 to your three 7s, say, or the next card at either end of a run. If every one of your cards is in a meld, that's gin, and nobody can lay off on it.

Scoring

The player who knocks scores the difference between the two deadwood totals.
If the other player ends up with the same or less deadwood, that's an undercut: they score the difference plus 25.
Gin scores 25 plus all of the other player's deadwood.
If the stock runs down to its last two cards before anyone knocks, the hand is a draw and nobody scores.

After every hand you'll see both hands laid out, any cards laid off, and how the points were worked out.

Tips

Throw high cards early. An unmatched King costs 10 if the hand ends suddenly, so get rid of high cards that aren't working.
Watch what Anne picks up. If Anne takes the 8 of clubs from the discard pile, think twice before throwing another 8 or the 7 or 9 of clubs.
Knock early when you can. Waiting for gin is tempting, but a quick knock with a few points of deadwood often wins the hand before Anne is ready.
Keep cards that can go two ways. A 7 of hearts next to a 6 of hearts and another 7 could become a run or a set.
Use the hint. It says whether to take the top discard or draw from the stock, which card to throw, and when you can knock.

Questions

Is any money involved?

No. Gin Rummy here is played just for fun: there's no betting, no prizes and no real money, and nothing to buy.

Does Anne cheat?

No. Anne sees only one hand of cards plus the discard pile, follows the same rules as you, and never looks at the stock. In our tests, a player making the same choices as Anne won a little under half the games, about 47 in 100.

How long does a game take?

In our test games, a game to 100 took about 11 or 12 hands, and each hand only a few minutes. Your game saves itself after every move, so you can stop at any time and carry on later on the same device.

Is this the same as other rummy games?

Gin is one of many rummy games, and probably the best known for two players. Rules vary a little from table to table; here you can knock with 10 or less, gin and undercuts are worth 25, and the game is played to 100.