Gin Rummy

Ten cards each, one stock, one discard pile. Build sets and runs, cut your deadwood to 10 or less and knock, or hold out for gin. First to 100 points wins.

How to Play Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy is a card game for two players. You collect cards into groups called melds, and try to be the first to get rid of the cards that don't fit. Here you play against the computer.

The Objective

Score points by ending hands with fewer unmatched points than your opponent. The first player to reach 100 points wins the game.

The Deal

One 52-card deck is used. Each player gets ten cards. The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile, and the rest form the stock, face down. The deal alternates from hand to hand, and the player who did not deal goes first.

Your cards are at the bottom of the screen, the computer's at the top, and the stock and discard pile in the middle.

Melds and Deadwood

• A set is three or four cards of the same rank, such as three 8s.
• A run is three or more cards in a row in the same suit, such as the 4, 5 and 6 of hearts. Aces are low: A, 2, 3 is a run, but Q, K, A is not.
• A card can belong to only one meld at a time.
• Cards that are not in a meld are your deadwood. Face cards count 10, Aces count 1, and other cards count their number.

The game sorts your hand for you: melds come first, marked with a gold line along the top of each card, then your deadwood from low to high. Your deadwood total is shown under your name, and it is always worked out the best possible way.

Your Turn

1. Draw. Tap the stock to take its top card, or tap the discard pile to take the face-up card.
2. Discard. Tap a card in your hand to put it face up on the discard pile. You may not throw away the card you just took from the discard pile.

If the stock is down to two cards and nobody has knocked, the hand ends in a draw and no one scores.

Knocking and Gin

When your deadwood, after you discard, would come to 10 points or less, a Knock button appears. Press it, then tap the card you want to discard; the hand ends at once. If you can discard and have no deadwood at all, the button reads Gin.

When a hand ends, both hands are shown. If the knocker did not go gin, the other player may lay off deadwood on the knocker's melds, adding a fourth card to a set or extending a run. The game does this for both players automatically.

Scoring

For example, if you knock with 6 and the computer is left with 19 after laying off, you score 13. If it is left with 5, it has undercut you and scores 25 plus 1.

Gin Rummy Strategy Tips

1. Throw high cards early. A lone King or Queen costs 10 points if the hand ends suddenly. Unless it is close to a meld, let it go in the first few turns.
2. Keep cards that can grow two ways. The 6 and 7 of clubs can become a run with the 5 or the 8. A pair of 9s can become a set with either of two other 9s. Cards like these are worth more than a lone card.
3. Watch what the computer picks up. If it takes the 8 of diamonds from the discard pile, it probably wants 8s or diamonds near 8. Avoid discarding the 7 or 9 of diamonds, or another 8, if you can.
4. Take the discard only when it helps. Taking the face-up card shows the computer what you are collecting. Take it when it completes or nearly completes a meld; otherwise draw from the stock.
5. Knock early, gin late. Early in a hand, knocking as soon as you can is usually right, because your opponent still holds lots of deadwood. Late in a hand, with low deadwood of your own, waiting for gin can pay off, but watch the risk of an undercut.
6. Keep your deadwood low. If you sense the computer is close to knocking, swap high deadwood for low cards, so a knock against you costs little and might even let you undercut.

Playing Gin Rummy on Solitaire Parlor

• Tap the stock or the discard pile to draw, then tap a card in your hand to discard it. The card you just drew stands up a little so you can find it.
• Hint highlights the pile or card the computer would choose in your place, and tells you when you can knock.
• New Game starts a new numbered game, Restart replays the same one from the first hand, and Daily Deal gives everyone the same game each day.
• Stats shows games played and won, your win rate, your best winning margin and your win streaks.
• Settings changes the table color and card backs, turns on four-color suits, and switches sounds on or off.

Your game saves in your own browser as you play, so you can close the page and come back to it. There is no sign-up and nothing to download.

About Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy grew out of older rummy games in the United States in the early twentieth century and became a favorite in the 1930s and 1940s, when it was played everywhere from Hollywood studios to kitchen tables. It is still one of the most popular two-player card games in America.

Many clubs add extra bonuses at the end of a game, such as points for each hand won. This version keeps the scoring simple: the first player to 100 points wins. If you enjoy playing against the computer, try Hearts, or team up with a computer partner in Spades and Euchre.

Gin Rummy FAQ

Is Gin Rummy free to play here?

Yes. Play in your web browser with a mouse or touchscreen. There is no sign-up and nothing to download.

Why can't I knock?

You can knock only when your deadwood, after your discard, would be 10 points or less. The Knock button appears as soon as that is possible.

Is an Ace high or low?

Low. An Ace counts 1 point and can only start a run: A, 2, 3 is a run, but Q, K, A is not.

What is an undercut?

If you knock and the other player's deadwood, after laying off, is equal to or lower than yours, they undercut you. They score the difference plus a 25-point bonus.

Why couldn't I discard the card I just picked up?

The card you take from the discard pile can't go straight back on it. Discard a different card this turn.

What happens when the stock runs out?

When only two cards are left in the stock and nobody has knocked, the hand is a draw. No one scores, and the next hand is dealt.