How to Play Gin Rummy:
Gin Rummy is
one of the most popular and famous card games in the rummy
family of games. It’s a two player game that uses a
fifty-two count standard deck of cards, without jokers.
The point value of cards in a game of Gin Rummy are as follows
- face cards, including jacks, queens, and kings, are valued
at ten points. Ace cards are valued at one point. Numbered
cards are valued based on face value; in other words, a two
card is worth two points, a three card is worth three points,
and so on.
Gin Rummy is played in turns. Each player is attempting to
collect a hand of either three plus sequential cards, such as
a jack, queen, king hand, or collect a hand of three to four
of a kind, such as three or four queens.
The dealer position will alternate between players. Each
player is dealt ten cards. The deck is then placed face-down
in a community position between the players. The dealer will
take one card from the deck and place it face-up beside the
deck; that card starts the discard pile. The remainder of the
deck is now considered the draw pile.
Whichever player didn’t deal will begin play. During each
turn, the player will decide whether to draw a card from the
top of the draw pile or draw a card from the top of the
discard pile. The objectives for each player are to attempt to
create the hands described above as soon as possible and to
establish more of them than the opposing player. At the end of
each turn, the player must discard one of the cards in hand to
the discard pile.
During any turn, the player may declare Gin, also sometimes
referred to as “knocking.” This action means that the
player places their cards on the table face-up. The cards in
suit will be ignored. Points are calculated for the cards not
in a suit. In the event that all the cards are in suits, then
the player has a “Gin.” Twenty-five points are given for
Gin. Non-suited cards for both players will now be calculated.
The player that knocked will score the difference between each
hand if he/she has a lower point total than their opponent. If
the player that knocked didn’t have a lower score, then the
opponent will score ten points and the difference between each
hand. The player that didn’t knock may also play their hand
into any of the suits created by the knocker.
The turn is considered a draw when there are only two cards
remaining in the draw pile. In this event, the cards will be
reshuffled and another deal will take place.
Rounds will continue until a player attains a pre-agreed upon
total, which usually is one-hundred.
