Gin Rummy

An ace is low only. It may begin a run such as ace-2-3 of hearts, but it may not follow a king.

Choose the first dealer by mutual agreement or by drawing cards from the shuffled deck. If cards are drawn, the player drawing the lower-ranked card deals first; an ace is low.

Aces count as 1 point each.; Cards from 2 through 10 count at their printed value.; Jacks, queens, and kings count as 10 points each.

The discarded eleventh card is not part of the gin hand. A player who can arrange all eleven cards into melds has an especially strong holding sometimes called big gin, but it counts as ordinary gin unless the players adopted the big-gin variation before play.

If no player has ended the hand and only two face-down cards remain in the stock after a discard, the hand ends as a draw. Neither player scores, and the next hand is dealt.

A player who accidentally exposes a card should return it to the hand and continue unless the exposure makes fair play impossible. Deliberately showing cards, looking through the stock, taking a buried discard, or changing the order of the stock is not allowed.

Allow a new player to ask whether a proposed meld is valid before committing to a knock.; Place a knocking discard sideways to prevent confusion.; Count deadwood aloud and let both players verify the total.

If a player declares gin, that player scores a 25-point gin bonus plus the full value of the opponent's deadwood. The opponent may not lay off cards when gin has been declared.