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Gin Rummy
Ten cards, sets and runs, knock or go gin: play the computer or a friend
ComputerDealer0
YouDealer0
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The game starts when they open it. No sign-up, and only the two of you can play in it. If either of you closes the page, open it again to carry on.
Score sheet
Every discard this hand
Settings
How to play, in one minute
You and the other player each get ten cards. On every turn you take one card and throw one away, trying to group your hand into sets (three or four of a rank) and runs (three or more in a row, same suit). When the cards left over add up to 10 or less, you can knock and end the hand. Use every card and it's gin.
- The upcard. The first face-up card is offered to the player who didn't deal, then to the dealer. Tap it to take it, or tap Pass.
- Your turn. Tap the stock (face down) or the top of the discard pile, then tap a card in your hand and tap it again to throw it away. You can't throw back a card you just took from the discard pile.
- Deadwood. Cards that aren't in a set or run. Aces count 1, number cards their number, and jacks, queens and kings 10. Your hand is sorted into melds for you, with the deadwood total under it.
- Knock or gin. After you draw, a Knock button appears whenever your deadwood is low enough to knock. Pick the card to throw face down, then tap Knock. If you haven't picked a card, Knock picks the best one for you and a second tap confirms. The other player can then add cards to your melds. Lower deadwood wins the difference; if they match you or beat you, it's an undercut and they score 10 extra. Gin scores 20 plus their deadwood.
- Win by reaching 100 points. At the end you get 100 for the game and 20 for every hand you won.
The full rules are on our how to play gin rummy page, and every scoring case is worked out on the gin rummy scoring page.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. No account, no download and no limit on games. If ads ever appear to keep the site running, they'll stay off the table.
Can I play gin rummy with a friend online?
Yes. Tap Play a friend and send the link it gives you by text, email or chat. The game starts when your friend opens it, on a phone or a computer. There's no sign-up and no chat. If either of you closes the page, opening it again picks up the same game. Neither browser is ever sent the other player's hand, the stock, or the card the other player just drew. A friend game with no moves for 14 days is deleted.
Do I have to work out my own melds?
No. Your hand is sorted into sets and runs automatically, always in the arrangement that leaves the least deadwood, and the total updates as you play. If you'd rather see it another way, switch the sort to rank or suit. At the end of a hand, both hands are laid out with every meld, every card laid off and the deadwood added up line by line.
How good is the computer?
Pick Strong or Easy in Settings. The strong player remembers every card it has seen, notices what you pick up from the discard pile, keeps the cards most likely to grow into melds, and knocks early. The easy one just throws its highest loose card and knocks the moment it can. In our test the strong player won 650 of 1,000 games against the easy one. Neither ever looks at your hand or the order of the stock.
What is Oklahoma gin?
A popular variation you can switch on in Settings. The first upcard sets the most deadwood you can knock with (a 7 means 7 or less; a face card means 10), a spade upcard doubles the score for that hand, and the game goes to 150.
What happens when the stock runs out?
When a player discards without knocking and only two cards are left in the stock, the hand is cancelled. Nobody scores and the same dealer deals again.
Can I take back a move?
Against the computer, yes, in one case: if you take the top card of the discard pile, you can put it back with Undo until you discard. Drawing from the stock shows you a new card, so that can't be undone.
Is there a hint button?
Yes. It tells you whether the strong computer would take the top discard or draw from the stock, and which card it would throw, or whether it would knock. You get 6 hints per game, and asking again about the same move doesn't use another one.
Keep playing
- How to playThe deal, the upcard, knocking, gin and laying off, step by step.
- Scoring and calculatorKnocks, undercuts, gin and the end-of-game bonuses, with a deadwood calculator.
- StrategyWhen to knock, what to pick up and what to throw, with numbers from our games.
- CribbageThe other classic two-player card game: peg your way to 121.
- Spite and MaliceA two-player race to empty your pay-off pile.
- Hand and FootThe canasta-style favorite: play your hand, pick up your foot, make your books.