Gin Rummy Scorekeeper and Rules

The classic two-player rummy game. Build your hand into sets and runs and catch your opponent holding high cards.

Setup

• Deal 10 cards to each player. Turn the next card face up to start the discard pile and put the rest face down as the stock.

Your turn

• Draw the top card of the stock or the top discard, then discard one card.
• You're trying to arrange your cards into melds: three or four of a kind, or runs of three or more in the same suit. Aces are always low.
• Cards that aren't in a meld are deadwood. Face cards count 10, aces 1, and other cards their number.

Going down

• Knock: when your deadwood is 10 or less, you can knock by laying down your hand. Your opponent lays down their melds and can lay off cards onto your melds.
• Gin: if all ten cards are in melds, you go gin. Your opponent can't lay off.
• Big gin: all eleven cards (after drawing) fit into melds.

Scoring

Winning

The first player to 100 wins and gets a 100-point game bonus. Each player also adds 25 for every hand they won (the box or line bonus). Many players double the winner's score if the loser didn't win a single hand.