- + Kalooki Rummy Games
Rules
Basic Rules All players seated in a game of Gin Rummy will be trying to do the same exact thing - arrange as many of the cards in their hands into "sets" and "runs":
- A set is three or more cards of the same rank. For example, a player with the four of hearts, spades and diamonds could meld this set during their turn.
- A run is a sequence of three or more cards that are all in the same suit and in consecutive order. For instance, a player could meld the six, seven, eight and nine of hearts.
In addition to this goal, players must be ever-vigilant to the total amount of "deadwood" within their hands as well. This will have an effect upon their chances for winning a game, and will be reviewed a bit farther on in the rules.
Players can win a game of Gin Rummy in three ways - they can Go Gin, Knock or Undercut their opponents, with the last two being determined through the total amount of deadwood. This is the reason that Gin Rummy is a game of strategy and attentiveness and less the luck of the draw. All players must try to keep their deadwood to minimal amounts to increase their chance for winning the hand.
All games utilize decks of playing cards (or tiles such as Rummikub games). Gin Rummy uses a single standard deck of 52 cards with all of the Jokers removed. The cards are valued by their numbers, with the four of hearts worth four points, etc. The face cards are worth ten points each, and the Ace is worth a single point.
How to Play a Game of Gin Rummy
To play a hand of Gin Rummy requires that two to four players be seated around the table. Each receives ten cards from the dealer, but if the table has four seated each receives only seven cards instead.
The dealer will always place the remainder of the deck, face down in the center of the table. They will then turn the top card over and lay it on the table, next to the deck. This creates the stock pile (the deck) and the discard pile (the upward facing card).
Each player then takes their turn, and all are required to first draw a single card from either the stock pile or the discard pile. This card is added to their hand. Next, they will complete their turn by placing a single card into the discard pile in the upward facing position.
Whenever Gin Rummy players work their way through the entire stock pile, the dealer will set aside the card most recently placed in the discard pile, shuffle the remaining cards, and then lay them face down as a new stock pile with the last card from the discard on top.
Play continues until any player is able to draw the game to its conclusion. This can be done in one of two ways:
- Going Gin - this is achieved by the player who is able to dispose of all cards at a single time without holding any "deadwood", and who must lay down all of their cards on the table and separate them out into sets and runs without any remaining; or
- Knocking - this is accomplished by the player who has less than ten points in deadwood, but is also the first to lay their cards on the table in sets and runs.
Once a player does either of these things, the remaining players at the table are forced to lay out their sets and runs as well. They may all lay off their cards on a "Knocker's" hand, but only on the original sets or runs. (See "Laying Off" below).
The scoring process takes place only after all of the players have had their opportunities to lay off as many cards as they can.
Laying Off
Laying off is the a way in which Gin Rummy opponents can attempt try to reduce their own deadwood counts by using the sets and runs of the other players. For example, the player who "Goes Gin" cannot have any cards laid off on their Gin. If, however, they "Knocked", the next player can use their sets and runs to get rid of deadwood in their own hand.
How does this work? A simple example is contained in the hand of a player who "Knocked" with a run of two through eight of hearts, a set of twos in all four suits, and deadwood cards of five of diamonds and four of clubs. The next player might be holding the nine and ten of hearts. They could lay off these cards on the Knocking player's hand.
There are rules surrounding the laying off process, however, and they include:
- No one can use another player's unmatched deadwood to lay off their own cards; and
- No one can use the hand of the player who went Gin to lay off their cards.
Scoring the Game and Determining the Winner
As stated earlier, there are three ways to win Gin Rummy. We have already covered "Going Gin" and "Knocking", and the third way is to "Undercut".
- Undercutting - is when a player has a total deadwood count that is lower than the player who "knocked". This might be a total at the moment the other player knocked, or it can be achieved through the laying off process.
Scoring a game of Gin Rummy is quite simple, and begins only when the laying off is completed. The manner in which the hand was won is the way that points are scored. The way this is done follows:
- Whenever a game taken by Going Gin, it automatically requires opponents to receive the sum of the deadwood cards in their hands plus a 25 point penalty;
- Whenever a game is taken by Knocking it will require all of the opponents to receive the sum of their deadwood cards, but they may reduce this count by the Knocker's deadwood card values; or
- When a game is won by Undercutting it will require all opponents to receive the sum of their deadwood cards, and the Knocker must also take a 25 point penalty too.
Payout Table
The "Prize Pool" of the game is broken down in the following manner: winners always receive 75% of the value and the remaining 25% is divided between the opponents. Should any player finish the game with more than 50 points less than the winner, however, they do not get a share of the pool.
