What is deadwood in Gin Rummy?

Deadwood is every card in your hand that is not part of a set or a run. Its value is the sum of those cards: Aces count 1, number cards their face value, and Jacks, Queens and Kings 10 each. Low deadwood lets you knock, and zero deadwood is gin.

When can you knock in Gin Rummy?

You can knock on your turn, after drawing, when your unmatched cards total 10 points or less. Instead of a normal discard you lay down your hand, the deadwood counts are compared, and the hand ends. Knocking with fewer points is safer against an undercut.

What does going gin mean?

Going gin means every card in your hand fits into a set or run, so your deadwood is zero. Gin scores a 25-point bonus plus your opponent's deadwood, and the opponent is not allowed to lay off cards on your melds. The rule is the same against the computer and online.

What is an undercut in Gin Rummy?

An undercut happens when the player who knocked ends up with the same or more deadwood than the defender, after the defender lays off cards. The defender then scores a 25-point bonus plus the difference. It is the main risk of knocking with 8, 9 or 10 points.

Is the Ace high or low in Gin Rummy?

The Ace is low. It counts as 1 point of deadwood, the cheapest card in the deck, and it can only start a run as A, 2, 3. A run cannot wrap around from the King, so Q, K, A is not a valid meld here or in standard Gin Rummy.

How is Gin Rummy different from regular rummy?

In many rummy games you lay melds on the table during play. In Gin Rummy you keep every meld in your hand until someone knocks or goes gin, and the hand is decided by comparing deadwood. That hidden information is what makes reading discards so important.

Can I play Gin Rummy online with a friend?

Yes. Choose Play with a friend, copy the private link and send it by message or email. The hand starts as soon as your friend opens the link, no account needed for either of you. When it ends, either player can ask for a rematch to deal again.

Gin Rummy: Play Free Online Card Game

How to play Gin Rummy

Two players use one standard 52-card deck. Each gets 10 cards, one card is turned face up to start the discard pile, and the rest form the face-down stock.

Melds

Set: three or four cards of the same rank, such as three 8s.
Run: three or more cards in sequence in one suit, such as the 4, 5 and 6 of hearts. The Ace is low only: A, 2, 3 is a run, Q, K, A is not.

Card values for deadwood

Card	Points
Ace	1
2 to 10	Face value
Jack, Queen, King	10

Your turn

Draw the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
Discard one card face up.
Knock instead of a plain discard when your deadwood is 10 points or less. The hand ends and the cards are compared.
Go gin when every card you hold belongs to a meld: zero deadwood.

Gin Rummy rules and scoring

Solo and online hands use the same full classic rules, and the game does all the arithmetic:

The upcard offer: the non-dealer may take the first face-up card or pass, then the dealer gets the same choice. If both pass, the non-dealer draws from the stock.
A card taken from the discard pile cannot be thrown straight back in the same turn.
Layoffs: after a knock, the defender lays out melds and may add cards to the knocker's melds to cut their own deadwood. The best layoffs are found for you. There are no layoffs against gin.
Dead hand: if only two cards remain in the stock and nobody has knocked, the hand is a draw.

Outcome	Points
Knock	The deadwood difference, to the knocker
Gin	25 bonus plus the opponent's deadwood
Undercut (defender ties or beats the knocker's count)	25 bonus plus the difference, to the defender

Solo match to 100, single hands online

The only difference between the modes is the length of a game. Against the computer you play a full match: hand scores add up until someone reaches 100 points, the deal alternates between hands, and the final score adds a 100-point game bonus for the winner and 25 points for every hand each player won. Online, each match is a single hand scored with the same rules, so a game rarely takes more than a few minutes; a dead hand online counts as a draw. Your wins are tracked on the Gin Rummy leaderboard.

Gin Rummy tips: when to knock and what to keep

Building your hand

Shed high deadwood early. Loose Kings, Queens and Jacks cost 10 points each, so let them go unless they are part of a meld or one card away.
Keep cards that work two ways. The 7 of hearts can finish a set of 7s or a heart run. Middle cards are more flexible than Aces and Kings.
Prefer open-ended runs. A 5, 6, 7 of clubs grows at both ends; A, 2, 3 grows only one way.
Count dead cards. If two of the 5s you need are already in the discard pile, that set will not come.

Reading your opponent

Track their pickups. Every card taken from the discard pile shows what they are collecting, so avoid feeding it.
Use their discards. A thrown 9 of spades suggests nearby spades and other 9s are safer to discard.
Take discards only when they help. Picking from the pile reveals your plan; do it to complete or clearly improve a meld.

The knock decision

Knock early with low deadwood, before your opponent improves.
Watch out for undercuts. Knocking with 8 or 9 against a patient opponent is risky; if they have been drawing quietly, consider building toward gin.
Hold layoff cards. When your opponent knocks, cards that extend their melds reduce your deadwood, so keep those over random high cards.

Play Gin Rummy with a friend

Gin is a two-player game at heart, which makes it ideal for a head-to-head match:

Play with a friend: copy the private link and send it. The deal starts the moment your friend opens it.
Play online: get matched with whoever is available and start right away.
Play vs computer: a solo match to 100 points.

Online, the stock order and your opponent's cards stay hidden on the server until the hand is over, and then both hands are shown with their melds and layoffs so you can see exactly how the score was reached. Chat with emojis during play and ask for a rematch when the hand ends.

History of Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy grew out of older rummy games in the United States in the early 1900s. It became a craze in the 1930s and 1940s, helped along by its popularity with Hollywood actors and writers who played between takes. Its mix of fast turns and careful card reading has kept it a favorite two-player card game for generations.

Gin Rummy on a phone

Your ten cards sit in one sorted row, with the stock and discard pile beside the table. Tap the stock or the pile to draw, tap a card to throw it away, and press Knock when your deadwood is low enough. Online, you then tap the card you want to knock with. Landscape gives the hand more room on narrow screens. Solo hands save after every draw and discard, so you can close the tab and finish later. Add NitroPlayer to your home screen to open Gin Rummy in one tap.