Play Gin Rummy!
Gin rummy, or gin, is a two-player card game that evolved from the old game of whiskey poker. The game was created by Elwood T. Baker in 1909 with the intention of being a faster variation of the whiskey poker game. Gin rummy is a relatively new game, compared to other old card games, but it became very popular, mainly because it combines simple game rules and deceptive complexity of playing.
The rules of the game are very easy to learn, but if you want to master this game, you'll need years of practice, a thing that makes gin rummy even more appealing to serious card players.
Unlike games that involve only the luck factor, gin rummy, like poker for example, requires strategy and game tactic, a thing that many players prefer.
Nowadays gin rummy continues to be very popular, mainly because it adapts easily to computer software and there are many online versions of this game.
Gin Rummy Rules
Here are the rules for the basic form of gin rummy:
Deck
Gin rummy is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. K, Q and J value as 10 points. Ace is 1 point and the number cards are worth their face value.
Dealing
The dealer is chosen randomly. Each player receives 10 cards, one at a time. The 21st card is turned face up to start the discard pile. The rest of the deck is placed face down.
The Game
The object of gin rummy is to form sets and runs of cards from the cards in your hand. A player can form a run, or a sequence (three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive order) or a set, or a group (three of four cards of the same rank from different suits). The player can use each card to form only one combination at a time.
The deadwood cards are the cards that are not included in any meld. The deadwood cards count as mentioned previously. The most desirable result is the lowest deadwood count as possible.
Scoring
There are two systems of scoring, the 20/25 system which is more common in the U.S and the 10/20 system which is the traditional system.
The 10/20 system means that if the knocking player got the gin, he scores 20 points plus the deadwood count of the defending player. If he hasn't gone gin, he has undercut the knocker and scores 10 points plus the margin by which the player's deadwood count was lower.