game
Gin Rummy online — rules, facts, and a live table
Gin Rummy is a two-player card rummy created in 1909. Each player holds 10 cards. Melds are sets of three or four of a kind and same-suit runs. Knock when unmatched deadwood is 10 or less, or go gin with zero deadwood. Play to 100 points.
Good to know
- Elwood T. Baker is credited with inventing Gin Rummy in 1909 as a faster form of 19th-century rummy.
- Each player is dealt 10 cards. The remaining stock has an upcard that may be taken instead of the blind top card.
- Deadwood: aces score 1, number cards face value, faces 10. You may knock at 10 or fewer unmatched points.
- Going gin (zero deadwood) typically scores a 25-point bonus plus the opponent's deadwood. An undercut awards the opponent a 25-point bonus.
- Hollywood gin and Oklahoma gin are scoring variants. Tilehaus uses a 100-point match with 25-point gin and undercut bonuses.
What you are looking at
Gin Rummy is a two-player card rummy created in 1909. Each player holds 10 cards. Melds are sets of three or four of a kind and same-suit runs. Knock when unmatched deadwood is 10 or less, or go gin with zero deadwood. Play to 100 points.
A green baize two-player table, classic court cards, and a stock-and-upcard cadence—not cubes, but the same meld language as Rummikub.
Origin
Gin Rummy was designed by Elwood T. Baker (credited), with play testing by his son C. Graham Baker. It is associated with United States. Dating: 1909, New York City.
Equipment
Standard 52-card deck. Ace is low (1). Face cards are 10 deadwood.
Players: 2. Typical duration: 15–30 minutes per game to 100.
Questions
How many cards in gin rummy?
A 52-card deck. Each player holds 10 cards throughout the hand after the discard.