Gin rummy is a two-player card game played with a standard 52-card deck. The goal of the game is to collect sets of cards, called melds, and runs of cards of the same suit.
The game ends when one player “knocks,” or declares that they have formed enough melds to meet the minimum requirement. The other player then has the opportunity to lay off any unmatched cards onto the knocking player’s melds, and the player who manages to get rid of all their cards wins the game.
How to play gin rummy
- The game begins with both players drawing a card from the deck. The player who draws the lower card deals the first hand.
- The dealer deals 10 cards to each player, one at a time, starting with the non-dealer. The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table to form the draw pile. The top card of the draw pile is turned over to form the discard pile.
- The non-dealer starts the game by taking the top card from either the draw pile or the discard pile and adding it to their hand. They then discard one card from their hand face up onto the discard pile.
- The dealer then takes their turn, drawing a card and discarding as described above. This continues back and forth until one player “knocks.”
- To knock, a player must have a hand that consists entirely of melds, with no unmatched cards. The player must announce their intention to knock, and then lay their melds down on the table for the other player to see.
- The other player then has the opportunity to lay off any unmatched cards from their hand onto the knocking player’s melds. For example, if the knocking player has a meld of three kings, and the other player has an unmatched king, they can lay off that king onto the meld.
- Once the non-knocking player has had the opportunity to lay off any cards, the round is over. The knocking player wins the round if they have successfully melded all of their cards. If they have any unmatched cards left in their hand, they lose the round.
- The winner of the round scores points based on the cards in the loser’s hand. Face cards are worth 10 points each, aces are worth 1 point each, and all other cards are worth their face value. The game continues until one player reaches a predetermined score, such as 100 points.