gin rummy

Starting the gin rummy

Select the yellow Play button to the upper right of the welcome screen to start the gin rummy rules.

The welcome screen also has buttons for gin rummy card game help information, high scores, and playing more games.

The lower-left corner of the welcome screen has a language select dropdown while the lower right corner has buttons for social sharing and reading game developer info.

Game Controls

Desktop

Use your mouse's left-click button to select a card from the stock or discard the pile to add it to your hand.

Use your mouse's left-click button to select a card from your hand to discard it.

Touchscreen devices

Tap the screen with your finger to use it as a mouse, selecting cards for pick up & disposal.

Controls & indicators

The upper left corner of the game has a full-screen button along with buttons to pause the gin rummy, control game sound, and control gin rummy plus music.

Underneath these buttons, there is a button that looks like a play button that can be used to resort to the order of your cards.

To the right of these buttons, it shows which level number you are on.

Your opponent’s score shows in the upper right corner.

Your deadwood amount is shown in the lower-left corner & the bottom center shows your score.

Game Play

Sets & runs

The goal of the game is to put all (or at least most) of your cards into sets and runs.

A set is 3 or 4 of a kind.

A run is 3 or more consecutive cards in sequence and suit.

Deadwood

Deadwood is the value of cards in your hand that is not in a set or run combinations.

Aces are one, face cards are ten, and all other cards are their numerical pip value.

When your deadwood is 10 or below you can knock to determine the winner of the hand.

If you have zero deadwood that is called a Gin.

When computing scores whoever has a lower score scores the number of points in their opponent's handless the points in their own hand.

When a player exits on a Gin they score a bonus of 25 points.

After your opponent knocks or calls gin you get to discard one deadwood card & if any of your cards can be laid on their sets or runs they are as well.

Strategy

In general, players try to get rid of higher value cards that are not in sets or runs so that if they do not win the hand they do not eat a lot of deadwood.

When building runs if you have 2 options you are trying to complete and are forced to discard a card that will throw away one of the options it is better to try to make a run where you have consecutive cards (so that you can complete the run with a card on either end rather than needing one specific card where only that card can work),

The deck does not wrap. Aces represent the low end of the deck and Kings the high end of the deck, so if you have consecutive cards and would like to complete a run it is better to complete runs where you can match on either end rather than trying to complete one where you can only complete it with one specific card.

Based on the cards your competitor discards & the ones they pick up from the waste pile you can get a good idea of some of the sets or runs they may have or may be trying to build & play around with those. For example, if you think they already have 3 fours it might not make sense to try to create a run that needs the final 4 if it is not already in your hand, as they will likely keep it if they are dealt it.

Similarly, if you track which cards have been discarded, you can know which sets and runs are impossible to complete.

gin rummy

The game ends either whenever you or the computer player score at least 100 points, or after the completion of 10 hands.

Whoever has the highest score wins.