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Gin Rummy rules

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Two-player Gin Rummy to 100 points

revision 1

A two-player matching game: form sets and runs, shed deadwood, and try to knock or go gin.

Variant code
standard-2p-100
Players
2
Deck
Standard 52-card deck.
Teams
Individual play.
Scoring engine
none (manual)
Reviewed
2026-11-10 (editorial; revision 1)

Quick start

Ten cards each; one card starts the discard pile. Draw from the stock or the discard pile, then discard one. Make sets and runs. Knock with ten or less deadwood and lay down melds. First to 100 wins.

Players and object

Two players, standard deck. Score by knocking with low deadwood or going gin.

Claim and evidence (players)

Two players.

Setup and deal

Deal ten each; turn up one card to start the discard pile. The non-dealer plays first.

Claim and evidence (deal)

Ten cards each with a discard pile started from the stock.

Turn order

Draw one card, then discard one; play alternates.

Claim and evidence (turn)

Draw then discard each turn.

Knocking and lay-offs

Knock at ten or less deadwood; the opponent may lay off matching cards before the count. Going gin means no unmatched cards.

Scoring

Knocker scores the deadwood difference; an undercut opponent scores the difference plus 25; gin scores the opponent deadwood plus 25.

Claim and evidence (scoring)

Knock, undercut and gin scoring with fixed bonuses.

Ending the game

The first player to 100 points wins.

Claim and evidence (win_condition)

The first player to 100 points wins.

Worked example

Ann knocks with 6 deadwood; Ben has 4 and undercuts: Ben scores 2 + 25 = 27. Next Ann goes gin and Ben has 32: Ann scores 32 + 25 = 57.

House-rule choices

Knock limit, gin and undercut bonuses, and starting cards.

Common questions

Can I knock with exactly ten? Yes. Can a card be laid off after gin? No.

Worked example

An undercut and a gin hand

Undercut: ben 2 + 25 = 27. Gin: ann 32 + 25 = 57, totalling 84.

Expected resultValue
ann84
ben27

Reproduced by an editor; no scoring engine shipped for this variant.

Sources and review

Written in original wording and checked against the references below for this exact variant. External prose is not copied. Every material claim carries its own evidence.

Glossary

Deadwood
In Gin Rummy, the unmatched cards left in a hand after melds are made; their total is the score exposed.
Trump
The suit that outranks all other suits for the current hand or deal.