How to play Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy is a card game for two. You play against Ruth, the computer. Each of you holds ten cards and tries to arrange them into melds. Whatever does not fit is deadwood, and it counts against you. When your deadwood is low enough you knock, both hands are laid down, and the player with less deadwood scores the difference. The first to 100 points wins the game.

Melds and deadwood

• A set is three or four cards of the same rank, like three Kings.
• A run is three or more cards in a row in the same suit, like 5, 6 and 7 of hearts. The Ace is low: A, 2, 3 is a run, Q, K, A is not.
• Each card can be in only one meld. The table groups your cards into the best melds for you, with a gold edge and a label above each one.
• Every other card is deadwood. Aces count 1, face cards 10, the rest their number. The total is always shown above your hand.

A turn

• On the first turn, the player who did not deal may take the face-up card or pass. If they pass, the dealer gets the same choice. If both pass, the first player draws from the stock.
• After that, every turn has two parts: draw one card (the top of the stock, or the top card of the discard pile), then discard one card face up.
• Tap the stock or the discard pile to draw. Tap a card in your hand to pick it, and tap it again (or tap Discard) to throw it.
• You cannot throw back the card you just took from the discard pile.
• If only two cards are left in the stock and nobody has knocked, the hand is a draw and nobody scores.

Knocking and gin

• When your deadwood, after your discard, is 10 or less, the Knock button appears. Pick the card to put down and tap Knock.
• Both hands are shown. The other player may lay off deadwood cards onto your melds (a fourth King on your three Kings, an 8 on your 5-6-7), which lowers their deadwood.
• If your deadwood is lower, you score the difference. If theirs is the same or lower, that is an undercut: they score the difference plus 25.
• Knocking with no deadwood at all is gin: 25 points plus the other player's deadwood, and nobody can lay off on your melds. If all eleven cards fit after you draw, that is big gin, worth 31.

Winning the game

Hands are played until someone reaches 100 points. The winner gets 100 more for the game, and each player gets 25 for every hand they won. If the loser did not win a single hand, the winner's total is doubled. In Settings you can play a shorter game to 50.

Tips

1. Throw high cards early. A lonely King costs 10 if Ruth knocks; a lonely 2 costs 2.
2. Keep cards that can grow. Two 7s or a 6 and 7 of one suit need just one more card. A 6 and 8 of one suit need exactly the 7.
3. Watch the discard pile. If Ruth takes a card, she is building around it. Do not feed her the same rank or its neighbors.
4. Knock early. Waiting for gin is tempting, but a quick knock with a few points of deadwood often wins the hand.
5. Mind the undercut. Late in the hand, Ruth's deadwood is often low. Knock with as little as you can.

Today's deal

The Daily Deal is one hand with the same cards and the same computer player for everyone. Play it out and see how your result compares with everyone else's today. Your first try of the day is the one that counts.

Questions

Do I have to arrange my melds? No. The table always finds the grouping with the least deadwood, and shows it as you play.

How strong is the computer? Easy plays like a beginner and often waits too long to knock. Normal keeps its deadwood low and avoids feeding you. Sharp also counts which cards are still out there and reads what you pick up.

Can I play a shorter game? Yes, in Settings you can play to 50 instead of 100.

Do I need an account? No. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.