Gin Rummy Rules
Gin Rummy is a family of two-player card games built around one satisfying idea: take a shuffled deck and sort your hand into order. You are dealt cards, then draw and discard one at a time, working the cards into melds - a set of matching ranks or a run of consecutive cards in one suit. Cards that don't fit a meld are your deadwood, and shedding them is the whole game. What changes between variants is everything else: how you go out, whether you knock or must go gin, and whether you meld in your hand or lay cards on the table.
This page collects the rules for every game on GinRummy.now. Each section covers the goal, the legal moves, and the details that trip up new players - with a link to jump straight into a game. If you're brand new, start with Gin Rummy (the classic), try the simple lay-down play of Rummy, or test yourself with Straight Gin if you want pure skill with no easy knock.
💡 New to gin rummy? Every game below shares the same core idea - form melds and shed your deadwood before your opponent does. Learn one and the rest come quickly.
Gin Family: Gin Rummy · Oklahoma Gin · Straight Gin
Every rummy game at a glance
Skim the whole family first, then jump to the full rules for any game below.
| Game | How to win | Deck | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gin Rummy | Knock (deadwood ≤10) or go gin | 1 | Skill-heavy classic |
| Oklahoma Gin | Upcard sets the knock limit | 1 | For Gin veterans |
| Straight Gin | Go gin only - no knocking | 1 | High risk, high reward |
| Rummy | Meld your whole hand and go out | 1 | Easy to learn |
| 500 Rum | Meld and score toward 500 | 1 | Family favorite |
Gin Family Games
Gin Rummy
1 deck · Skill-heavy classic · A knock beats a bad hand - skill decides most games
Gin Rummy is the classic two-player card game, dealt ten cards each from a single 52-card deck. On your turn you draw one card - from the stock or the discard pile - then discard one, always working to arrange your hand into melds. A meld is a set of three or four cards of the same rank, or a run of three or more cards in sequence in one suit. Cards left unmatched are your deadwood, and face cards count 10 while aces count 1. When your deadwood totals 10 or less you may knock to end the hand, or hold out for gin - every card melded - to claim a 25-point bonus. The catch is the undercut: if your opponent ties or beats your deadwood after you knock, they steal the hand. First player to 100 (or 500) points wins the match.
Goal
Arrange your ten-card hand into melds - sets and runs - so your leftover deadwood falls to 10 or less, then knock. Melding every card is gin.
Deal & upcard
Each player gets ten cards; the 21st card is turned face up beside the stock as the first upcard. The non-dealer chooses whether to take it first.
Draw or discard
On your turn, draw the top card of the stock or take the upcard from the discard pile, then throw one card onto the discard pile. Your hand always stays at ten cards.
Melds
A set is three or four cards of the same rank, like three 8s. A run is three or more cards in a row of one suit, like 4-5-6 of hearts. Aces are low, so A-2-3 is a run but Q-K-A is not.
Knock & going out
Knock once your deadwood is 10 or less to end the hand and score the difference. Go gin - zero deadwood - for a 25-point bonus. After a knock, your opponent lays off cards onto your melds to cut their count.
Oklahoma Gin
1 deck · For Gin veterans · The upcard decides how low you must go
Oklahoma Gin is Gin Rummy with one sharp twist: the first upcard sets the knock limit for the whole hand. Deal ten cards each, flip the 21st card, and read its value - that number becomes the most deadwood you are allowed to knock with. Turn up a 5 and you must get your deadwood down to 5 or less before you can knock; turn up a face card and you play standard Gin with a limit of 10. If the upcard is an ace, the limit is zero, meaning you must go gin to win the hand. And if that first upcard is a spade, the entire hand scores double, turning an ordinary deal into a high-stakes swing. Everything else - draw, discard, melds, undercuts, laying off - works exactly like Gin Rummy. First to 100 or 500 takes the match.
Goal
Form melds and cut your deadwood below the limit set by the upcard, then knock. If the upcard demands it, only gin will do - and a spade upcard doubles everything.
Deal & upcard
Ten cards each, then flip the 21st card. Its value is this hand's knock limit: a 7 means knock at 7 or less, an ace means you must go gin. A spade upcard doubles the hand's score.
Draw or discard
Just like Gin, draw the top of the stock or take the upcard, then discard one card so your hand stays at ten. The non-dealer chooses the first upcard before play settles in.
Melds
Build sets of matching ranks and runs of consecutive cards in one suit. Aces are low and count 1, face cards count 10. Only melded cards escape the deadwood tally.
Knock & going out
You may knock only when your deadwood is at or below the upcard's value. Go gin for the 25-point bonus. After a knock, your opponent lays off onto your melds, and a spade upcard doubles the final score.
Straight Gin
1 deck · High risk, high reward · Gin or nothing - patience is everything
Straight Gin strips Gin Rummy down to its purest challenge: knocking is banned, so the only way to end a hand is to go gin. You still deal ten cards each, draw from the stock or discard pile, throw one card away, and build sets and runs - but there is no settling for a low deadwood count. You keep playing until one player melds all ten cards for zero deadwood, or the stock runs too low and the hand is washed. Because there are no cheap knocks, hands run longer and reward patience, memory, and reading your opponent. Every discard is a clue, every card counted is an edge, and holding the wrong high card to the end can cost you the whole hand's deadwood. The gin bonus still applies, undercuts cannot happen, and the match is played to the usual 100 or 500 points.
Goal
Meld all ten of your cards into sets and runs so you have zero deadwood - that is gin, and it is the only way to win a hand of Straight Gin. There is no knocking.
Deal & upcard
Deal ten cards to each player and flip the 21st card face up beside the stock as the first upcard. The non-dealer decides first whether to take it or pass.
Draw or discard
On your turn, draw from the stock or take the upcard, then discard one card. Your hand stays at ten cards, and you keep going until someone reaches gin.
Melds
A set is three or four cards of one rank; a run is three or more cards in sequence in a single suit. Aces are low, so A-2-3 is a run but Q-K-A is not. Every card must eventually belong to a meld.
Deadwood
Deadwood is any card not yet in a meld. In Straight Gin you cannot knock with leftover deadwood - you must drive it all the way to zero. If the stock runs low before anyone does, the hand is a draw.
Rummy Family Games
Rummy
1 deck · Easy to learn · Be first to empty your hand and win
Rummy is the original meld-and-discard card game, and the whole Rummy family grew out of it. Two or more players are dealt ten cards each from a single deck. On your turn you draw the top card of the stock or the upcard from the discard pile, then you may lay melds down on the table - sets of three or four cards of the same rank, or runs of three or more cards in sequence in one suit - before discarding one card to end your turn. Unlike Gin Rummy, your melds go face up on the table where everyone can see them, and you can lay off cards onto anyone's melds. The first player to get rid of every card in their hand goes out and wins, scoring the deadwood left in the other players' hands. Aces are low, face cards count 10.
Goal
Be the first player to get rid of all your cards by melding them onto the table and discarding. When you play your last card, you go out and win the hand.
The deal
Deal ten cards to each player from a single 52-card deck. Turn the next card face up to start the discard pile, and set the rest face down as the stock.
Draw a card
Start each turn by drawing the top card of the stock or taking the upcard from the discard pile. You always draw exactly one card before you can meld or discard.
Meld sets & runs
Lay melds face up on the table: a set is three or four cards of the same rank, and a run is three or more consecutive cards in one suit. Aces are low, so A-2-3 works but Q-K-A does not.
Lay off & go out
You may lay off cards onto any melds already on the table, yours or an opponent's. End every turn by discarding one card. Empty your hand to go out and win, scoring the deadwood left with the others.
500 Rum
1 deck · Family favorite · First to 500 points takes the match
500 Rum, also called Pinochle Rummy, turns basic Rummy into a running scoring race. Each player is dealt cards from a single deck and, on their turn, draws, then melds sets and runs onto the table just like Rummy. Its signature twist is the discard pile: instead of taking only the top card, you may reach deeper and take any card in the pile - but you must scoop up every card above your pick and use that chosen card immediately in a meld. Melding scores points equal to the value of the cards you lay down, and cards you lay off onto melds count too, while any deadwood left in your hand when a hand ends is subtracted from your score. Face cards count 10, number cards their pip value, and aces count 1. The first player to reach 500 total points wins the match. Aces are low in runs.
Goal
Score points by melding sets and runs onto the table, adding up card values as you go. The first player to reach a total of 500 points wins the match.
The deal
Deal from a single 52-card deck - often seven cards each with more players, more with just two. Turn one card up to start the discard pile and set the rest as the stock.
Draw or dig
Draw the top of the stock, or dig into the discard pile: take any card in it, but scoop every card above your pick into your hand and use the chosen card right away in a meld.
Meld sets & runs
Lay melds face up: sets of three or four matching ranks, or runs of three or more cards in sequence in one suit. Aces are low, so A-2-3 is a run but Q-K-A is not.
Lay off & go out
Lay off extra cards onto melds on the table, then discard to end your turn. When a player goes out or the stock is gone, everyone scores their melds and subtracts the deadwood left in hand.
A few terms that apply everywhere
Melds: sets & runs
A meld is a valid group of cards. A set is three or four cards of the same rank in different suits; a run is three or more cards in a row in one suit. Aces are low, so A-2-3 counts but Q-K-A does not.
Deadwood
Your deadwood is every card that isn't part of a meld. Face cards count 10, an Ace counts 1, and the rest count their face value. Cutting deadwood down is how you win - knock at 10 or less, or reach zero to go gin.
Stock, upcard & discard
The stock is the face-down draw pile; the discard pile sits beside it, top card face up. Each turn you draw one card - the unknown top of the stock or the visible upcard - then discard one. The first upcard is offered to the non-dealer first.
Knock, gin & lay off
Knocking ends the hand when your deadwood is 10 or less. Going gin means all 10 cards are melded for a bonus. After a knock, the defender may lay off - adding unmatched cards onto the knocker's melds - and can undercut by tying or beating the knocker's deadwood.
Ready to put the rules to work? Try today's Daily Challenge, race a friend in Multiplayer, or check the FAQ for common questions about gin rummy in general.
Gin rummy rules FAQ
How do you play Gin Rummy?
Gin Rummy is a two-player game played with a standard 52-card deck. Each player is dealt 10 cards. On your turn you draw one card - from the stock or the top of the discard pile - and then discard one, trying to arrange your hand into melds. A meld is a set (three or four cards of the same rank) or a run (three or more consecutive cards of one suit). Cards left over are your deadwood. When your deadwood totals 10 or less you can knock to end the hand, or meld all 10 cards to go gin.
What is the goal of Gin Rummy?
The goal is to get your hand into melds and cut your deadwood down to 10 points or fewer so you can knock, or down to zero so you can go gin. Face cards count 10, an Ace counts 1, and other cards count their face value. In the Rummy Family the goal shifts a little: you lay melds face up on the table and try to be the first player to go out by using up your whole hand.
Which rummy game is the easiest to learn?
Basic Rummy is the friendliest starting point - you simply draw, meld sets and runs onto the table, and be first to go out. Gin Rummy is the natural next step and the one most people mean when they say 'rummy'. Both share the same core idea, so learning one teaches you most of the other.
What is the difference between a set and a run?
A set (also called a book or group) is three or four cards of the same rank in different suits, like three Sevens. A run (also called a sequence) is three or more cards in a row in the same suit, like the 4-5-6 of hearts. Aces are low in Gin Rummy, so A-2-3 is a legal run but Q-K-A is not.
Is Gin Rummy a game of luck or skill?
Both, but skill decides most matches over time. The deal is luck, yet tracking which cards your opponent picks up and discards, timing your knock, and knowing when to hold for gin all reward a thinking player. Good players win far more often than the shuffle alone would predict.
Want more answers? See the full gin rummy FAQ (40+ questions) or look up any term in the glossary.