Gin Rummy

Archive for August, 2009

Card memory is very important in the game of Gin because as the game progresses, you need to know what cards have been discarded and how to change your game by what melds you are going after.  However, card memory is not very easy to pull as many players are not blessed with a photogenic memory, so players have to train themselves to remember certain cards or focus on a few cards to remember in order to assist their game strategy. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most important factors making someone a better player is realizing the part that mathematics plays in the game.  Over the course of your Gin career, you will play thousands upon thousands of hands and you will notice that the law of math will play a major role.  For example, if you are dealt a hand full of red cards or even cards, you can safely assume that your opponent has been dealt a hand that is full of black or odd cards.  Using that same logic, if you have a lot of cards of higher point value, you can assume that your opponent has a lot of cards that are lower of value.  You pretty much are using the laws of probability that are apparent in mathematics.   Read the rest of this entry »

Calculating the score in a game of Gin Rummy is quite easy, first you start with two columns, one for Player A and one for Player B.  You would write down in Player A column the total score for the player, for example we will use 251.  You then would add the bonus for winning the game, which is usually 250.  You then would add to these totals the difference between Player B’s score and the required game winning total of 250.  Read the rest of this entry »

Luck and skill is involved with every card game and this is no different for the game of Gin Rummy.  However, it is widely believed that skill is a much greater element in this game than any other card game played today.  Gin Rummy used to be considered a fun game to play with family and friends, however in recent years with the advent of online play; the game has become very competitive by players of all skill levels. Read the rest of this entry »

The purpose of each individual hand in Gin is to win that particular hand, however the main goal is to win the entire game.  This is done by using sound strategy and building up your individual hand scores.

The usual point total to win for Gin Rummy is 250 points, this total can vary depending on who you are playing with, but for competitive game of Gin rummy, the total will always be 250 points.  The way that someone gets to the total is building up their points for each individual hand and adding up them up to get the winning score of 250.  Read the rest of this entry »

In the game of Gin Rummy the most overlooked factor in the game is most definetly the under knock, however it is as important as the knock itself.  When you opponent knocks, the card values are counted and at which time the person that has knocked puts a value on any unmatched cards still in their hand.  At this point, the players that have not knocked with then start to value their unmatched cards as well.  You can also lay off your unmatched cards to any melds.  If after you have melded and lay off any cards that were originally unmatched and your total is less then the person that knocked you have under knocked and are considered the winner of the hand.    Read the rest of this entry »

Gin Rummy is a very simple game once you break it down into sections.  The object of the game is to reduce your hand to the least number of points before your opponent is able to reduce to less than you.  The point totals in Rummy are as follows, the Ace is worth one point, ten through King is worth 10 points, and the rest of the cards are worth their value on the card.  To win the game, you need meld your highest cards first so that you are left with the least amount of points if your opponent is to knock prior to you.

A meld is when you form a set of at least three in your hand.  There are two types of melds in Gin Rummy; the first type of meld is a three or four of a kind.  So if you have three queens this would be a meld.  The other type of the meld is a straight flush of at least three cards, for example a four of hearts, five of hearts, and six of hearts would be another example of a meld.

The goal of Gin Rummy is to reduce the points in your hand to zero, which is called Gin.  This is accomplished by melding all 10 cards; this is usually done by having two melds of three cards and one meld of four.  There are three ways to win at Gin, the first is by getting Gin as discussed above.  The second way is to knock your hand by reducing your point count in your hand where you are able to lay down your cards.  The third way is by undercutting your opponent, this is done when your opponent knocks but you actually have less points remaining in your hand.