Q&A for How to Play Gin Rummy

Ask a friend if they would like to play with you, and then show them the rules to the game.

When the knocker and the opponent have equal value of unmelded cards (termed "deadwood"), this is an undercut. The knocker's opponent scores 10 points. Note that there are variations in scoring.

No, players can only take a card when it is their turn to play, and can only take a card from either the stock pile or the top of the discard pile.

Stack them one on top of the other, and only draw the the top card from either the stock pile or the discard pile.

No, King is the highest and Ace is the lowest, you can't connect them in a run.

Play continues, but the erring party has to play his hand face up until he can get to 10 or below and then knock.

It matters, but each has its own good and bad parts. A run is easier to make, and you can add onto either side infinitely, but it counts as less. A set is harder to make, and you can only make it up to four cards, but it counts more.

No, once you take a card you may either discard it, or keep it and discard another card.

In short, highest if counting runs as positive. If you are playing the points rule on scored runs against hands (each run/set is counted plus, each hand card is a minus) then the highest wins. If you are only playing the score of the hands, similar to UNO or Hearts, whereas each card is counted positive and the runs/sets are merely reductions to the hand total, then the lower personal score generally would be the winner. In this case, it is not uncommon to count your score as the hand count of the other players, and still work with highest score wins.

Then the non-knocker has undercut the knocker, and receives 25 bonus points in addition to the knocker's deadwood points.

Yes, and this is often very helpful, since you are playing with 10 cards in your hand.

Box Bonus (or Line bonus) – At the end of the match, a player receives a bonus of 25 points for every hand (or round) won during the match.

You should reshuffle the discard pile and place it face down for a new hidden card file.

No. Not in gin rummy. One may draw only the top card from the discard pile or the stock. A turn ends upon discarding a card.

Yes. The three of a kind is much better due to the Jack, Queen, and King run only are a part of the royal straight causing it to not be as high as the three of kind with Jacks.

Yes. It's not common, but it's not rare either. I wouldn't play for it, but if you back into it, it is gin.

This is called being undercut. The opponent (not the knocker) scores the difference in counts plus 10.

No, you can pick up as many as you want, but you have to play/use the last card you pick up.

If you have them as deadwood, then yes, that will equal twenty-four points for your opponent.

No, the cards in the discard pile are just shuffled and used again if no one has any runs or sets to basically start over.

No. The discard is always seen as the last action in a player's turn. Moreover, strategy would dictate that you would want to see the card you've selected prior to discarding another.

The non-knocker earns 10 points if the knocker also has gin, if the knocker has deadwood, then the opponent gets 25 points and whatever deadwood the knocker has.

If you can get 11-card gin, it's called a "big gin" and is worth an additional 31 points.

An undercut only occurs as the result of a knock. If your hand is laid down with NO deadwood and the same for your opponent, then you both have laid down with gin. In order to legally claim gin, you must discard and declare.

Only take the rummy card. Match it with those in your hand and lay down your hand.

The player with the incorrect card count is penalized 25 points and the hand is played over if the error is noticed after play has begun. If the miscount is made during the dealing of the cards, then the deal is redone with a fresh deck.

Yes. Since aces are low, A23 all one suit is a valid run, but AKQ is not.

Your opponent has the option of ignoring the infraction, playing his melds and scoring the hand. Or he can tell you to pick up your illegal knock and play on. No additional penalty is applied, but the option to accept or to play on with knowledge of the opponent's cards favors the non-offending player.

Just proceed as if the player has knocked. No bonus points are awarded in this case for the knocker.

No, you can only pick up the card from the top of the discard pile, or the card from the top of the stock pile, and only one card per turn. Once a card in the discard pile has been covered by another card discarded on top of it, it can no longer be picked up.