How to Play Gin Rummy

Gin rummy is a two-people card game where you try to arrange all your cards into matching sets or runs before your opponent manages to do so. As the name suggests, the game is a variant of Rummy, but instead of laying your cards face up during the game for the opponent's viewing, you conceal them until the game concludes. To play gin rummy, you must learn how to deal cards, create sets and runs, and score points.

Gin rummy is a pretty old card game that originated during the early 1900s. Yes, it's good fun, but it also challenges your mind and improves your memory and strategic thinking capabilities. Gin rummy and rummy are related to each other, but the former is meant only for two players, and it plays out much faster than the multiplayer rummy card games. Before you play, you should understand the objectives, scoring options, and gameplay concepts.

How to Play Gin Rummy?

Playing Gin rummy is an acquired skill rather than a game of luck. Knowing the rules is the first step towards that.

The Rank of the Cards

The Card deck used in Gin Rummy is a standard fifty-two card deck with the jokers kept aside, as you won't need them at any point. The cards rank from highest to lowest as Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

Card values

• Face cards – including Jacks, Queens, and Kings – are worth ten points each.
• Aces are one point each.
• Each numbered card carries its face value (a four of spades is four points, for instance.)

Objective

Your goal in a gin rummy game is to work strategically with your hand of cards to develop sets and runs while simultaneously getting rid of as many “deadwood cards” (i.e., cards that are not part of a set or run) as possible. To do so, the key lies in understanding each of these concepts in a more detailed manner.

Melds

A player creates a meld either by having three or more of a run or by having three or more of a kind. A run is essentially made up of three or more cards of the same suit in either an increasing or decreasing order. In Gin Rummy, players do not lay down their melds, unlike in Basic Rummy, until someone goes Knock.

Runs or Sequences

As mentioned above, a run (or a sequence) consists of three or more cards of similar suit and in successive rankings. An easy example would be a 3, 4, 5, and 6 of diamonds. Another instance of a run is a jack, a queen, and a king, as the face cards are of the same suit with consecutive ranks.

Sets

A set comprises three to four cards with the same number ranking. An example of a set is 4 of hearts, 4 of diamonds, and 4 of spades. Another example of a set is 9 of spades, 9 of clubs, 9 of hearts, and 9 of diamonds.

Deadwood Cards

These are individual cards that cannot become part of a set or run. If you possess sets and runs, and the points on your deadwood cards sum up to ten or less, you can conclude the round. An instance of deadwood cards that total ten points or less is when you have a 6 of diamonds and a 2 of hearts – equaling 8 points. If you have no deadwood cards, you have a gin hand and knock gently on the table to get your points for the round.

The game continues for multiple rounds but concludes when one of the players reaches 100 points, according to the game's scoring options.

Gameplay

Draw a card to decide the dealer: Each player must draw a card face-down from atop the deck. The person with the lesser-valued card ends up becoming the dealer. The loser of the most recent round becomes the dealer in the following rounds.

Deal ten cards to both players: The dealer must distribute ten cards face-down on the table to both players. Cards must constantly be dealt clockwise around the table, but with just two players, you'll alternate back and forth until both possess ten cards.

Commence the stockpile and the discard pile: The remaining cards left after dealing must be placed in a face-down pile on the table. This constitutes the stockpile, and from its top, the dealer must draw a single card and place it face-up beside the stockpile. The face-up card forms the first of the discard pile.

Arrange your cards into melds: Look closely at your ten cards. Convert them into possible “melds,” i.e., sets or runs. As indicated earlier, a set is three or four cards having the same rank (7-7-7), while a run is three or more cards of successive rank in the same suit (2-3-4).

Decide whether to pick the card in the discard pile. If you are not the dealer, you get to decide if you must pick the face-up card in the discard pile or if you need to pass on it as it's not a valuable card for you. If you pass, the dealer can decide to pick it up. If both decline, the non-dealer picks the card from atop the stockpile.

Pick up a new card. Whether you decide to pick the card on top of the stockpile or the one in the discard pile, pick up the new card and evaluate whether it can help you form melds. Carefully inspect and see if you already possess a couple of cards with the same numerical value or if it instantly connects a couple of cards to create a run. If you pick up a card from the stock, conceal it well unless you immediately put it back into the discard pile.

Discard an unneeded card: Choose a card from your hand that may not be helpful and place it in the discard pile face-up. If a card appears to be an outlier that doesn't match effortlessly with your cards, it is worth discarding. You also can discard whatever you just picked from the stockpile. However, you cannot discard a card you picked up from the discard pile in the same turn. You can discard the same in your subsequent turn if you wish to, but you have to keep it for at least one turn. At the end of each turn, you must still have ten cards.

Rotate picking up and discarding cards: Take turns drawing and discarding cards with your opponent and try to form melds with all cards in hand. At every turn, see if you need the card that your opponent just put face-up in the discard pile or if you should take the unknown card from atop the stockpile. As you form melds, ensure you do not place them on the table. You wouldn't want your opponent to see how far you've progressed.

Close the game when only two stock cards remain: If a player picks the third-to-last card in the stock and the game is still in progress, the hand is canceled. No points will be awarded to either player, and the cards must be re-dealt.

Scoring in Gin Rummy

You can stick to a straightforward scoring system in your gin rummy games, or you can develop variations in scoring to make the game more exciting. Here are some options:

Knock Points

A player can knock when the total value of their deadwood is ten or less. To go knock, the player puts the card they'll discard face-down on the discard pile. After a player does go knock, all cards are faced up, and the non-knocking player gets the chance to lay off their deadwood cards over the knocking player's melds. Let's look at this with the help of an example:

If a player has made a meld of three Kings and the player-in-play possesses the fourth King, they may place it over the three-king meld for set completion. Similarly, if a meld comprises 2, 3, and 4 of spades and the player in play possesses the Ace of Spades, they can place it before the 2 to build further upon the run.

Once the non-knocking player makes the maximum layoffs possible, points are awarded to the knocking player depending on the difference between the card values of the pending deadwood. If the non-knocking player possesses less deadwood than the knocking player, it is called an undercut, and the non-knocking player gets the points apart from a ten-point bonus.

Going Gin

This is a scenario of knocking but having no unmatched cards – you have “gin” and will score twenty-five bonus points. Your opponent who failed to knock cannot score any points, even when your opponent has no unmatched cards.

Undercut Points

An undercut is when the value of both your and your opponent's deadwood cards is equal (at times, called “unmelded” cards). If you knock, but both you and your opponent possess equal deadwood, it is said that you have undercut your opponent. Your opponent gets ten extra points for being undercut in such a case.

How to Play Gin Rummy on MPL?

If you're looking to play gin rummy online, the MPL app brings the right platform. The app is available for free on both Android and iPhone devices. Here's how you can play gin rummy on MPL:

Download Gin Rummy and Pick a Game

Once you've downloaded the MPL app on your mobile device, search for Gin Rummy game, and pick the preferred cash game. Submit the entry fee, and you will then be matched with an opponent, before the game starts. Follow the gin rummy rules to play and defeat your opponent to win the game.

If you are a beginner, you can also watch the 'how to play' video to understand how to play gin rummy on MPL.

Game Objectives

• The objective is to score more points than your opponent, by grouping three or more cards.
• Gin rummy on MPL is played over several rounds. The player who first scores more than 50 points becomes the winner.
• The game starts by dealing 10 cards to each player.
• The player going first can either pick or pass the top card of open pile for the first turn only.
• If the player chooses to pass, the opponent gets the same choice for first turn only.
• If you pick a card, you must discard a card from your hand to end the turn. A card can be picked from open pile or closed deck.

Grouping Cards

• Players can combine in sets of 3 or more cards of the same rank (e.g. 10♠️10♦️10♣ or Q♣ Q♠️Q♥) or combine in runs (3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit, 5♠️6♠️7♠️, J♦️Q♦️K♦️).
• These groupings are known as melds.
• In Gin Rummy on MPL, an ace is only low. It can't be a high.
• Ace is worth 1 point, while cards from 2-10 are worth their face value. Face cards J, Q, K, are worth 10 points each.

Knocking

• A player can knock and end the round only if unmatched cards in hand add up to 10 or less.
• Once a player knocks, both players should reveal their cards.
• At this stage, the opponent can add their unmatched cards to knocking players melds to reduce their points. It is known as lay-off.
• The knocking player then wins the difference in points between their and opponent's unmatched cards.
• Points achieved in the round are added to the total game score.

Undercut

• Undercut is a situation where the total value of unmatched cards of the knocking player is higher than their opponent's. The bonus for an "Undercut" is 25 points.

Going Gin

• Another way a player can end a round is by going Gin. A gin hand is when the total value of unmatched cards in a hand is zero.
• When a player goes gin, the opponent can't layoff their unmatched cards anymore.
• The player going gin gets 25 bonus points along with a score equal to the value of unmatched cards in opponent's hand.

Now that you know how to play Gin rummy on MPL, it is time to download the app and play the game.