Gin Rummy FAQ

Gin Rummy is a two-player card game played with one standard 52-card deck. Each player holds ten cards and takes turns drawing from the stock or discard pile and discarding, trying to arrange their hand into sets (same rank) and runs (sequential, same suit) while minimising deadwood — the cards left over. A player can end the hand by knocking once deadwood is 10 or less, or by going Gin with zero deadwood.

Yes. ginrummyonline.app is completely free and runs entirely in your browser against a computer opponent. There is nothing to buy, download, or install, and there are no interruptive video ads, premium tiers, or paywalls.

No. The game is the website — a 100% browser-based build with no app store download and no sign-up. Your match stats are saved locally in your browser, so there is no login to manage.

Gin Rummy was devised around 1909, generally credited to Elwood T. Baker, as a faster variant of standard Rummy that adds the knock and the Gin bonus. It became a fixture of card rooms and celebrity card games through the 20th century and remains one of the most widely played two-player card games.

It is the same ruleset — sets and runs, deadwood scored by face value, knocking at 10 or less, Gin at zero, undercuts, and a match played to 100 points. This build adds a computer opponent, live deadwood and meld display, local stats, synthesized sound with a real mute, and a layout that works on phones.

Deal ten cards to each player and turn one card face up to start the discard pile. On your turn, draw the top discard or the next stock card, then discard one card from your eleven back down to ten. Once your deadwood is 10 or less you may knock — lay down your melds, let your opponent lay off matching cards, then compare deadwood totals. Zero deadwood on your turn to discard is a Gin. Play continues, hand after hand, until one player reaches 100 points.

A set is three or four cards of the same rank in different suits — for example 7♠ 7♥ 7♣. A run is three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive rank order — for example 4♦ 5♦ 6♦. Aces are low only; there is no run from Queen-King-Ace.

Any card not part of a meld is deadwood. Number cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value, jacks, queens, and kings are worth 10 points each, and aces are worth 1 point. The game always arranges your hand into the lowest possible deadwood total for you automatically.

Knocking is choosing to end the hand once your deadwood value is 10 points or less. You lay down your melds and remaining deadwood; your opponent may then lay off any of their own deadwood cards that extend your melds (a matching set card, or a card that continues a run) before the two deadwood totals are compared.

Going Gin means all ten of your cards are arranged into melds with zero deadwood left over. It scores your opponent’s full deadwood value plus a 25-point Gin bonus, and unlike a knock, your opponent does not get to lay off any cards.

If you knock and, after your opponent lays off cards onto your melds, their deadwood ends up equal to or lower than yours, they undercut you: they score the difference plus a 25-point bonus instead of you. It is the risk you take knocking with a borderline hand instead of playing on for Gin.

Tap the stock pile for a hidden card, or the discard pile for the known top card. Tap a card in your hand to select it, then use the Discard or Knock button that appears. On the keyboard: D draws from the stock, F takes the discard pile, arrow keys move your selection, Space or Enter discards, K knocks, N deals the next hand, and M toggles sound.

This version plays to 100 points, the traditional Gin Rummy match target. Hand results add to a running total for you and the computer opponent; the first to reach 100 wins the match, and a new match then starts both scores back at zero.

No. Once a card is drawn it stays in play — either in a hand or on the discard pile — for the rest of that hand. Only the discard pile’s single top card can be taken back into a hand; everything below it is locked until the next deal.

Not every hand ends in a score. If the stock runs down to its last two cards before either player can knock or go Gin, the hand is a blocked "wall" — no points are scored and a new hand is dealt. This is a normal, occasional outcome, not a bug.

Stay flexible early rather than locking into one meld shape, track which cards your opponent takes from the discard pile to read their hand, and discard your highest-value deadwood first. Knock as soon as it is safe when the stock is running low, but consider holding out for Gin earlier in a hand when your deadwood is only marginally under 10.

Not always. Knocking early in a hand with borderline deadwood (8–10) risks an undercut if your opponent is also close. Early on, with plenty of stock left, it is often worth playing on toward Gin for the bigger bonus and to deny your opponent the lay-off. Late in a hand, with the stock running low, take the safe knock — a blocked hand scores nothing.

The current streak counts consecutive matches won (first to 100 points). Losing a match, or leaving a match in progress to start a new one, resets the current streak to zero. Your longest streak is kept as a separate best.

Your matches played and won, hands played, Gins, knocks, undercuts, and longest win streak are saved locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no account. A match in progress is not saved if you close the tab.

Yes. The layout is built for touch: tap the stock or discard pile to draw, tap a card in your hand to select it, then tap Discard or Knock. Your hand, the stock, and the discard pile all fit on one portrait screen, and dealing the next hand is instant with no page reload.

The game needs a connection to load the page the first time. After that, some browsers may keep the tab playable without a network, but there is no dedicated offline app or installer.

Open Stats from the game menu and use Reset progress, then confirm with the second tap. That clears matches played and won, hands played, Gins, knocks, undercuts, and your win streak on this browser. It cannot be undone.

Any current browser with JavaScript: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on desktop, plus their mobile versions. If cards do not respond, update the browser, allow scripts for this site, and reload.