Definition

Noun: A specific card game, a variant of rummy, where the primary objective is to form sets (three or four of a kind) and runs (three or more consecutive cards of the same suit) in one's hand. A player can end a round ("go gin") if all cards in their hand are part of such melds, or can "knock" if the total point value of their unmelded cards is below a specified threshold (typically 10 points).

Usage

"Gin rummy" is used as a singular, non-count noun to refer to the game itself. It is often preceded by the article "a game of."

Examples

• Noun:
  • They spent the evening playing gin rummy.
  • Do you know the rules for gin rummy?
  • In gin rummy, aces are low, worth one point.

Advanced Usage

• "to go gin": To declare victory in a hand of gin rummy by forming melds with all cards in one's hand, leaving no unmelded "deadwood."
  • She laid down her cards, announcing she could go gin.
• "to knock": To end a round in gin rummy when the total point value of one's unmelded cards is 10 or less.
  • He decided to knock with eight points of deadwood.

Variants and Related Words

• Gin: A common shortened, informal name for the game.
  • Want to play a quick hand of gin?
• Rummy: The broader family of matching-card games to which gin rummy belongs.
• Oklahoma Gin: A popular variant of gin rummy with different scoring and knocking rules.

Synonyms

• Knock rummy: Another name for the same or a very similar game.
• Gin: (Informal abbreviation)

Related Phrases

• Deadwood: In gin rummy, the cards in a player's hand that are not part of any meld.
  • You must minimize your deadwood to win.
• Undercut: When a player knocks but the opponent has a lower deadwood count, resulting in a score penalty for the knocker.
  • He lost the hand because his opponent managed an undercut.

Noun

1. a form of rummy in which a player can go out if the cards remaining in their hand total less than 10 points