Gin, or Gin Rummy, is one of the varieties of the Rummy card games, in which a player may achieve victory by melding all his/her cards into sets of three or more cards, by suit and/or rank, and in which a player may end the turn when they hold less than 10 points in their hand.

Gin Rummy can be played for fun, or for money. It can be played in private, or in tournaments. Gin Rummy can be played on just about anywhere there's a flat surface. Not much is required to play the game, just a single standard deck of fifty two cards with thirteen cards in each of the traditional four suits (hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs), a piece of paper and a pencil or pen. And money, if all players wish to put money on the game.

This How-to Guide will state and elaborate upon the rules of the most common varieties of Gin Rummy, as well as offering valuable tips to sharpen your game, and help you to clean up at the Rummy table. So let's get started!

It does not take much to put together a game of Gin Rummy. The following is a list of pre-requisites you will need in order to play the game:

1. Players: The game of Gin Rummy is generally played by 2 players, though variations exist which allow for more players, so grab a friend, or two or three, to play the game with you.
2. Playing Surface: Though it is not mandatory that the game be played on a flat surface, it is highly recommended. A card table, coffee table, or some other flat surface is recommended, in order to keep the cards in play from sliding all over the place.
3. Cards: Gin Rummy uses a single standard 4 suit deck of 52 playing cards. These can be found just at just about any grocery store, drug store, hobby store, or retail outlet.
4. Writing implements: Unlike other gambling card games, like Poker or Blackjack, which utilize plastic chips as the basis of their betting systems, scratch paper and a writing tool of some sort, in lieu of chips, are necessary for this game. A pencil or pen is recommended (though certainly there are no rules against using a marker, colored pencil, or even crayon to keep score). So long as it writes, you're good.

Before one begins a game of Gin Rummy, it is important to know the rank and value of the cards involved in the game. Knowing the value of your cards can make the difference between victory and defeat.

1. Aces: All cards in Gin Rummy have an inherent point value based upon card-ranking, though the Suit of any given card does not affect scoring. The Ace of any suit is the lowest card in the Gin Rummy deck, with an inherent value of only 1 point.
2. Numbered Cards: Numbered cards are worth their face value (i.e. a 2 of any suit is worth 2 points, whereas a 10 of any suit is worth 10 points.
3. Face Cards: The Face Cards of any suit (Jack, Queen, King) are all worth 10 points, regardless of Card rank.

Before one begins a game of Gin Rummy, it is also recommended that they familiarize themselves with the terminology of the game. The following is a glossary of terms commonly used in Gin Rummy.

Box: A term used in the scoring of a game of Gin Rummy. Also known as a "Box Bonus" or a "Line Bonus". The Box is a bonus given in standard Gin Rummy to everyone who wins a hand.

Deadwood: Deadwood, also known as "Unmatched Cards" are cards in a player's hand which cannot be combined with other cards to make either a set of three or more cards of the same rank, or a sequence of three cards in the same suit in numerical order.

Deal: The Deal is the act of dealing cards to all players involved in the hand. The Deal is always performed at the beginning of a hand.

Dealer: The person who performs the act of dealing the cards to all active players. In the most common variation of Gin Rummy, in which there are only two players, the Dealer of the first hand is chosen randomly. One method of doing this is for each player to draw a card at random from the deck, and the person with the high card or low card may be designated the initial Dealer.

Discard: The act of taking a card out of one's hand and placing it, face-up, at the end of the discard pile. A card must be discarded from a player's hand at the end of every turn.

Discard Pile: The Discard Pile is a pile of face-up cards, overlapped one over the other in a horizontal pattern, face-up, so that all players can clearly see the rank and suit of each card in the discard pile. The Discard Pile is usually located next to the "Stock", or the face-down remainder of the deck.

Draw: The act of collecting a new card to add to one's hand. A card must be drawn either from the top of the Stock, or from the discard pile.

Gin: Gin is a term to describe the condition of victory which is met when a player ends the hand either by matching every single one of their cards into melds, or "plays:" of 3 or more cards, and/or by adding single cards to already existent melds. Gin occurs when a player completely empties his/her hand of cards.

Going Gin: Another name for "Gin" as defined in the previous entry.

Group: In Gin Rummy, the term "Group" denotes three or four cards that all share the same numerical rank (i.e. 3 Kings or 4 Aces).

Hand: A term that denotes the collection of cards dealt a player, including also those cards drawn from the Stock during the course of a turn.

High Card: In Gin Rummy, the highest ranking card in the entire deck is the King of any suit.

Hollywood Gin scoring: A method of scoring in which players score for three games of Gin Rummy simultaneously.

Knocking: A term to describe the act of ending a hand of Gin Rummy. This is accomplished when a player is able to play most or all of the cards in his/her hand, and discards a card face down at the end of the discard pile.

Laying Off: "Laying Off" cards is the act of playing cards from one's own hand to extend the already existent melds of one's opponent. This action is performed after one player knocks, or ends the play.

Line: Another term, like "Box" to describe the special bonus applied for each hand won while tallying points.

Low Card: In Gin Rummy, the lowest ranking card in the entire deck is the Ace of any suit.

Melding: Melding is a term denoting the action of playing three cards or more, either of sets of cards of the same rank, and of suited consecutive sequences of cards (i.e. 4,5,6 of the same suit). These plays are called "Melds", and are openly displayed, face-up, so that all players can see them clearly.

Misdeal: Misdeal is the condition met when the Dealer deals an incorrect number of cards to one or both players. At misdeal, the hand is voided, all cards are returned to deck, the deck is reshuffled, and the same Dealer deals again.

Play: A term which denotes a specific stage of participation in the game of Gin Rummy. Play consists of two stages, these being the draw and the discard. Play is the only part of the game in which cards may be drawn or discarded.

Points: Points are used in the scoring of Gin Rummy games to determine total victory. Every card has an inherent point value, and when all points are tallied, the first player to reach a score of 100 points (not counting box or line bonuses) is declared the winner. When playing for money, these points (with all bonus added on) can be translated into monetary winnings, by assigning a monetary value to each point, and the loser paying the winner accordingly.

Run: In Gin Rummy, the term "Run" denotes a meld of three or more cards that are in direct numerical sequence and are of of the same suit (i.e. 9,10,J of Hearts).

Sequence: The term "Sequence" is another name for a "Run", as defined in the above entry.

Set: The term "set" is another name for a meld 3 or 4 cards of the same rank, as defined in the above entry "Group".

Stock: In Gin Rummy, the term "Stock" denotes the pile of unused cards, all face-down, which is left over after both hands have been dealt. Throughout the course of play, cards may be drawn, one per turn, from the top of Stock.

Undercut: "Undercut" is a term to describe the action of the non-knocking player in claiming the difference in points between the knocker and the non-knocker's unmatched cards, or [[]deadwood], plus a 10 point bonus. The non-knocker can undercut the knocker if the knocker did not go gin, and the value of both players' deadwood is the same, or if the Knocker knocks with more points in his/her hand than his/her opponent.

Unmatched Cards: The term "Unmatched Cards", otherwise called "Deadwood", denotes those cards which are left over in a player's hand, which cannot be grouped together into melds.

Up-Card: The "Up-Card" is the top card on the discard pile. The first upcard of any game of Gin Rummy is the 21st card of the deck, the first card put in the discard pile after each player has been dealt 10 cards.

50th Card Rule: The 50th Card Rule denotes a condition of play in which the Stock pile is down to only 3 cards left. If the player who drew the 50th, or third-to-last card, does not knock and discards a card which is unable to be added to any existent melds, his/her opponent may draw the top card at the end of the discard pile, but if they do not go knock after doing so, the hand is rendered a draw, and is redealt by the same dealer.

Now that you have what you need and know what the cards are worth, it's time to familiarize yourself with the basic rules and terminology of Gin Rummy.

1. Number of Players: 2 - 4. In games in which more than two players are involved, only two players at a time play, while one of the inactive players deals.
2. Object: The object of Gin Rummy is to gather a hand in which most if not all cards can be joined together by rank or suit into plays of three or more cards either of consecutive sequence of the same suit, or a "run" (i.e. a 4 card, a 5 card, and a 6 card, all three of them spades) or groups of three or four cards of different suits, all of the same ranking, called "sets" (i.e. three 7's or three Jacks).http://www.pagat.com/rummy/ginrummy.html
3. The Deal: The Dealer of the first hand is chosen randomly. In two player games, the Dealer deals his/her opponent a card face-down and then him/herself a card face-down, and repeats this 10 times, so that each holds 10 cards in their hand. After this is done, the top card on the Stock pile is turned face-up and is laid beside the Stock, thus starting the discard pile. On all subsequent hands, the role of dealer alternates between the two, so that the opponent of the initial dealer deals the second hand, and the fourth, and so on.http://www.rummy-games.com/rules/gin-rummy.html
   • One variation on the deal used in Gin Rummy is that some dealers in fact deal 11 cards to their opponents and 10 cards to themselves, and then it is the opponent who lays down the initial discard, rather than it being pulled from the stock.
   • When players receive all their cards, it is recommended that they organize their cards into matchable, or meldable combinations (sets and runs). This is not mandatory, but it's a technique which improves one's ability to know their options, and formulate their strategy accordingly.
4. Play: Play consists of two stages. The first stage of play is the draw. The player who is not the dealer takes his/her turn first, drawing the top card from the Stock pile and adding it to their hand, or, if they so choose, picking up the top card of the discard pile and adding that to their hand. When a player draws a card, they are to add the card to their hand without showing it to anyone else.
   • After drawing a card, the player must choose a card to remove from their hand and place face-up at the end of the discard pile. Play continues until either one player knocks, and lays down all the valid melds in his/her hand, being left with less than 10 points in their hand, or until one player Goes Gin by laying down every single one of their cards in melds, or until there are only two cards left in the Stock, and the player who drew the third-to-last card places a card on the discard pile without knocking.
   • In the first two cases given above, the play is over and both players proceed to the counting of melds and the scoring of points. In the third case, the hand is rendered null and void, all cards are returned to the deck, and the same dealer re-deals in the manner described above.
5. Knocking: In any hand, when a player has sufficient cards to meld everything in their hand but 10 points' worth of cards, they have the option to "knock", displaying their cards and laying down all the melds of sets and runs they can make and thereby end the play of the hand. This is, it must be stressed, only one option. Another option is to keep playing subsequent hands in order to accrue more points. So long as there is no more than 10 points or less of deadwood in a player's hand, that player can knock and end the play of the hand on any turn they choose.
   • If a player performs an illegal knock, that is, a knock in which his deadwood point-total does not meet the 10 point or under rule, the game continues, though he/she must play the rest of the game with their hand exposed to their opponent.http://www.rummy-games.com/rules/gin-rummy.html
6. Going Gin: A player goes gin when they knock and lay down all their cards in sets and runs, and thus is left with zero deadwood in his/her hand. A player who has gone gin cannot be undercut by his opponent, meaning the opponent cannot claim the undercut bonus.
7. Scoring: Once the knocking player has laid down all cards which are not deadwood, his/her opponent has the opportunity to lay off any of those cards in his/her own hand which are eligible to be combined with the melds laid down by the knocker. The knocker never gets the option to lay off any cards on their opponent, and the opponent does not get the option to lay off any cards if the knocker went gin.
   • Once this is done, both players add up the total point-value of the deadwood cards in their hands, and if the person who knocked has a point-total lower than his/her opponent, then the knocker gets the difference between their two totals as his/her score for the hand.
   • Undercut Bonus: If both players have the same point-total and the knocking player does not go gin, the knocker's opponent can claim the undercut bonus of 10 points plus the difference in their deadwood point-totals. The knocker's opponent may also claim this bonus if their point-total from the deadwood in their hand is lower than that of the knocker.
   • Gin Bonus: The bonus for a knocker going gin is 20 points plus his/her opponent's point-total from the deadwood in their hand, and even if the opponent also has no deadwood left in their hand, they still get no points because the knocker who goes gin always gets the bonus.
   • Once point-totals are determined and duly written down on the scratch paper, the whole process begins all over again with the deal, and this is repeated until one opponent scores 100 points in cumulative score.
   • One can then apply the following bonuses if the prerequisites are met.
   • Box or Line Bonus: Any player who wins a hand of Gin Rummy receives a box bonus, which is worth 20 points, every time they win a hand. The box bonus is not applied to the cumulative score needed to achieve victory, but is rather applied in the final tally of points after one player has reached 100 points.
   • Shut-out or 100 Point Bonus: The 100 Point Bonus is received by the first player to reach 100 points in cumulative score. If the player's opponent scores nothing during the whole game, and additional 100 points is added to this bonus, making it a 200 point bonus.
   • "Hollywood Gin Scoring" variation: There is an alternate method of scoring called "Hollywood Gin". In Hollywood-style scoring, players record scores for three games of Gin Rummy simultaneously. The scores from the first hand are recorded in the first game's column. The score for the second hand is recorded both in the second spot on the first game's scoring column, but also in the first spot in the second game's column. The third hand is recorded in the third spot in the first game's scoring column, the second spot of the second game's scoring column, and the first spot in the third game's scoring column. This is repeated until the first game is completed (someone gets 100 points in the first game) and then the from then on, the scores are only recorded in the last two columns, until the second game is completed. After this, the players finish out playing the third game until it is completed, and a winner is decided by total points.
8. Total Victory and Monetary Stakes: When all totals are tallied up, the player with the most amount of points wins the game, and if the game were played for monetary stakes, the player who loses must pay the winner the agreed amount, generally a penny per point (though some play for a nickel, dime, quarter, even an entire dollar per point), and pays the winner for as many points as were the difference between their total scores at the end of the game.

There are several variations of Gin Rummy, affecting the number of players, play, and scoring. Here are a few of the more common variations:

1. Oklahoma Gin Rummy: This variation is dealt like standard Gin Rummy is, but the first card turned up after the deal, that is, the first card to be placed into the discard pile, determines the cutoff point for knocking. If the card is a 5, for instance, then a player needs 5 or less points in their hand to knock. Oklahoma has a different point-goal as a condition of victory. Whereas in standard Gin Rummy, the players play to 100 points, that number is raised to 150 points for Oklahoma Gin Rummy.
2. Straight Gin Rummy: Straight Gin is variation of the game in which knocking is not allowed. Also, this variation does not utilize the point-system of standard Gin Rummy, but instead is typically played as a series of an odd number of hands (3, 5, 7, etc.), with the winner of the majority of hands being the winner.
3. Rummy 500: Rummy 500 is a variation which is played like standard Gin Rummy, but players can draw more than just the top card of the discard pile when making their draw. Points scored in melds count towards a player's score, while all points from the deadwood cards in their hand count against their total score.http://rummy.com/rummy500.html