Gin Rummy is the two-player rummy that made the family famous. You and the computer each hold ten cards, and on every turn you take one card — from the stock or from the top of the discard pile — and throw one away. The aim is to arrange your hand into melds: sets of three or four of the same rank, or runs of three or more in the same suit. Whatever will not fit is deadwood, and the moment yours is worth ten points or less you can knock and end the hand. Get it to zero and that is gin, worth a twenty-five point bonus. Knock carelessly and your opponent can undercut you and take the points instead. Twelve levels sharpen the computer from a loose beginner to an opponent that watches your discards. No download, no account.
How to play Gin Rummy
- Both players are dealt ten cards and one card is turned face-up to start the discard pile.
- On your turn, take one card — either the top of the stock or the top of the discard pile — then throw one card away, so you always end your turn with ten.
- Arrange your hand into melds. A set is three or four cards of the same rank; a run is three or more consecutive cards in the same suit. Aces are low, so A-2-3 is a run but Q-K-A is not.
- Cards that fit no meld are your deadwood: Aces count 1, number cards their face value, and Jacks, Queens and Kings 10 each. The counter at the top always shows your best possible total.
- When your deadwood is 10 points or less, select a card and press Knock. That card is discarded and the hand ends.
- At the showdown your opponent lays off any deadwood that extends your melds, then the lower deadwood wins the difference in points. No deadwood at all is gin, worth 25 extra — and lay-offs are not allowed against it.
- If your opponent knocks and your deadwood is equal or lower, you undercut them for 25 points plus the difference. First to the level target — 50, 75 or 100 — wins the match.
Tips
- Throw high cards early. A King you are still holding at the showdown costs 10 points, and until it joins a meld it does nothing but inflate your deadwood.
- Watch what your opponent takes from the discard pile. A card taken tells you almost exactly what they are collecting, and the tougher levels do the same to you.
- Do not feed the pile. From level 7 the computer avoids discarding into your visible collections, and you should return the favour — hold a card one turn rather than hand over the exact rank they need.
- Knock early when you are ahead on the match score. A small guaranteed win beats hunting for gin and getting undercut for 25 plus the difference.
- Middle cards are more flexible than they look. A 7 can run in either direction and set with three other sevens, while an Ace or King can only run one way.
- The cards in your hand are grouped and colour-footed by the melds the game would actually score, so if a card shows as deadwood it genuinely is not fitting anywhere.
FAQ
Is Gin Rummy free to play?
Yes. Gin Rummy is completely free to play online with no download, no account, and no in-game purchases. There is no wagering of any kind — the points are just a score.
Does Gin Rummy work on mobile?
Yes. Every card responds to tap and the hand rows wrap to fit narrow screens, so it plays the same on phones, tablets and desktop.
What is deadwood in Gin Rummy?
Deadwood is every card in your hand that is not part of a meld, counted at face value with Aces as 1 and Jacks, Queens and Kings as 10. It is what you are trying to minimise: you may knock once your deadwood is 10 points or less, and at the showdown the difference between the two players' deadwood is the score.
What does it mean to knock in Gin Rummy?
Knocking ends the hand. You may do it on your turn instead of an ordinary discard, provided the ten cards you keep add up to 10 or fewer points of deadwood. Both hands are then revealed and scored. If your deadwood is zero you have gin, which pays a 25-point bonus and blocks your opponent from laying off.
What is an undercut in Gin Rummy?
An undercut is when the player who did not knock turns out to have deadwood equal to or lower than the knocker. Instead of the knocker scoring, the defender takes 25 points plus the difference. It is the main reason not to knock the instant you legally can — a knock with 10 deadwood is a real risk against a good opponent.
What are laying off rules in Gin Rummy?
After a knock, the defending player may add their own deadwood cards onto the knocker's melds — a fourth seven onto a set of sevens, or the 8♠ onto a run of 5♠-6♠-7♠ — which reduces their deadwood and so the knocker's score. Cards can cascade: laying off the 8♠ then lets the 9♠ go too. Lay-offs are not permitted when the knocker went gin.
How many points do you play to in Gin Rummy?
Traditionally 100. On this site the target rises with the level: 50 on the first two, 75 in the middle, and the standard 100 from level 5 onward.
How many levels does Gin Rummy have?
Twelve, and what changes is the opponent rather than the rules. The early levels play a loose hand and knock the moment they can. From level 4 the computer discards to minimise its own deadwood, and from level 7 it also avoids feeding you the cards you are visibly collecting and will hold a low hand back hunting for gin.