Gambling terms, explained straight

Card Games

Gin rules

Gin rules are the rules for gin rummy, a two-player card game where each player tries to arrange a 10-card hand into matched sets or sequences, aiming to meld all cards or to end the hand with as few unmatched points as possible.

Players
2
Deck
52 cards, Ace low
Deal
10 cards per player
Knock threshold
10 or fewer deadwood points 1
Gin bonus
20 points 2

Key points

  • Players alternate drawing and discarding to build melds (sets of three or four same-rank cards, or runs of three or more same-suit cards). 2
  • A hand ends when a player knocks (discards face-down) with deadwood of 10 points or fewer, or goes gin by melding all 10 cards. 1
  • Scoring: the knocker scores the difference in deadwood; going gin scores 20 points plus opponent's deadwood. Game target is often 100 points. 2
  • Gin rules apply to two players; variants for 3 or 4 players use different deals or partnerships. 3

How to play a hand of gin

  1. Deal 10 cards to each player; the 21st card is turned face-up to start the discard pile. 1
  2. On each turn, draw the top card from the stock or the discard pile, then discard one card face-up. 2
  3. Arrange your hand into melds; you may knock when your unmatched (deadwood) cards total 10 points or fewer. 1
  4. If all 10 cards are melded, you go gin and score a 20-point bonus plus the opponent's deadwood. 2

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Gin vs gin rummy — a clarification that 'gin' is simply a shortened name for gin rummy, not a different game
Card games Straight gin rules Covers the variant of gin rummy where players may not knock and must go gin to win. Card games Gin rules 7 cards Explains a variant or different game where each player is dealt 7 cards instead of 10. Card games Gin rummy rules (UK) Details any British-specific conventions or scoring differences in gin rummy. Card games Gin rules 10 cards Focuses on the standard 10-card deal in gin rummy and its implications. Card games Gin rummy The main page for the game, covering history, basic play, and scoring. Card games Cribbage rules A different two-player card game with pegging and a crib, not related to gin.

Sources

  1. Gin Rummy bicyclecards.com Provides the standard knock threshold of 10 deadwood points and basic deal and play rules.
  2. Gin Rummy - Card Game Rules pagat.com Supports the gin bonus of 20 points, meld definitions, and the draw-and-discard structure.
  3. Gin rummy en.wikipedia.org Confirms the two-player nature, 10-card deal, and 100-point game target.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.