The goal
Arrange your ten cards into sets and runs, then end the hand when your leftover cards (deadwood) are worth 10 or less.
Setup
Two players, one 52-card deck without jokers. Aces are always low: A-2-3 is a run, Q-K-A is not.
The deal
Ten cards each. Turn the top of the stock face up. For this first card only, the non-dealer may take it or pass, then the dealer; if both pass, the non-dealer draws from the stock.
A turn
- Draw the top card of the stock or of the discard pile.
- Discard one card face up, but not the card you just took from the discard pile.
- Sets and runs stay in your hand: you never lay them down during play.
Special cards
- Knock: with 10 or less deadwood, discard face down and lay your hand face up. The hand ends.
- Gin: all ten cards in sets and runs. The opponent may not lay off.
- After a knock, the opponent lays their hand face up too and may lay off deadwood on your sets and runs.
Scoring
- Deadwood (cards in no set or run): king, queen, jack 10, ace 1, other cards the number on them.
- Knocker with less deadwood scores the difference. Gin scores 20 plus the opponent’s deadwood.
- Undercut (after a knock, the opponent has the same or less deadwood): the opponent scores 10 plus the difference.
- Game: first to 100 gets 100 bonus, plus 20 for each hand won, plus 100 more if the loser scored nothing.
Winning
The first player to reach 100 points wins the game.
House rules
- Oklahoma Gin. The first face-up card sets the knocking limit: a 7 means you may knock with 7 or less. If it is a spade, that hand scores double. Games usually go to 150.
- Bigger bonuses. Some players count 25 instead of 20 for gin, and 20 or 25 instead of 10 for an undercut.
- Hollywood Gin. A way of scoring three games at the same time, on one score sheet, as you play.
