Although there are numerous card game variants that fall under the category of ‘Rummy’, you’ll find none more overwhelmingly popular than Gin Rummy. This fantastic turn-based card game has been played in homes, among friends and in community groups for decades, but it wasn’t until online Gin Rummy became available that the game received that final boost that has brought it back into mainstream among all ages.

Please continue reading to learn the complete rules of Gin Rummy, from game structure and common terms to actual game play, scoring and conditions of winning.

Gin Rummy Rules – Objective

The object of Gin rummy is quite simple. Players are competing to get rid of all of their cards from their hand by Melding Sets and Runs, and building on the Melds of other players. The first player to run completely out of cards wins the hand. Score is taken and a new hand begins until one player meets or exceeds the winning score; then declared the winner!

Gin Rummy Rules – Useful Terms

We’ve made a list of all terms and definitions you’ll need to know in order to learn how to play Gin Rummy.

Set: A Set is a kind of Meld that requires three or more same-value cards, like 3-3-3, or 9-9-9-9.

Run: A Run is a kind of Meld that requires four or more cards of the same suit, and in sequence, like 6h-7h-8h-9h, or Ac-2c-3c-4c-5c.

Meld: To Meld is to play Sets and/or Runs face-up in front of you on the table, thus getting rid of as many cards as possible.

Laying Off: Laying Off only becomes available in Gin Rummy after a player has Knocked. Players are able to Lay Off any Melds in their hand, as well as any remaining cards that fit into the Melds of other players; known as Building. Building is done by adding relevant cards to the other player’s Sets and Runs. For instance, you could add a 7 to a Set of 7’s, or a Queen of Diamonds to 7d-8d-9d-Td.

Deadwood: Deadwood is the point value of the cards remaining in a player’s hand. When a player has Melded, and his/her Deadwood totals 10 or less points, they are allowed to Knock.

Knock: When a player has Melded, and his Deadwood total is 10 points or less, he is able to Knock. The player will place all Deadwood onto the discard pile, signifying the end of the hand. When this occurs, all other players are given an opportunity to Lay Off before score is calculated.

Going Gin: If a player is able to get rid of all cards without any Deadwood remaining (Meld all cards, or Meld all but one card and discard the final card), it is called Going Gin. When a player Goes Gin, no other player will be permitted to Lay Off. Score is immediately calculated.

Gin Rummy Rules – Game Play

Gin Rummy is played by 4 players using a standard 52-card deck. The first hand begins with each player drawing one card. The highest card determines the dealer. The deal will move clockwise from one player to the next for subsequent hands. The cards are shuffled and cut, then dealt, 10 cards to each player. The remaining deck is placed in the center of the table as the Draw Pile.

The player left of the dealer goes first. Each turn consists of the player drawing one card from the Draw Pile (or taking the top card on the Discard Pile if desired). A player can place any Melds on the table if he so chooses, as well as Building on the Melds of other players. The turn ends when the player Discards one card onto the Discard Pile.

This continues until one player is able to Knock, or Go Gin. If the winner Knocks, all other players may Lay Off, followed by scoring. If the winner Goes Gin, there is no Lay Off phase – all score is taken immediately.

Gin Rummy Rules – Scoring & Winning

At the end of each hand, the score is calculated as follows:
Aces = 1 point
10s and Face Cards = 10 points
2 – 9 = Face Value

Any cards remaining in a players hand after another player wins will be calculated in the manner above. The winner of the hand receives all points.

There are also two ways to receive Bonus Score in Gin Rummy.

Going Gin is worth an extra 25 points to the winner.

Undercutting another player is also worth 25 points to the winner. Undercutting is when a player Knocks, thereby winning the hand, but another player has equal or less Deadwood than the player who knocked.

Winning a hand is not the same as winning the game. To win the entire game, a player must reach the winning score. This score will be agreed upon by all players before the game starts (i.e. 200 points). The first player to meet or exceed this score wins the game!