Gin Rummy Scoring

Card values

Cards have a point value only when they are deadwood — that is, not part of a set or run. A card inside a meld is worth nothing against you.

A ten-card hand of 5♠ 6♠ 7♠ 8♠, Q♦ Q♣ Q♥, plus an unmatched 9, 4 and Ace has 9 + 4 + 1 = 14 deadwood. That is too much to knock with; draw a card that melds, throw the 9, and it drops to 5.

The scoring table

Scoring a knock

After the knocker lays down melds, the defender lays off whatever deadwood fits onto them, and then both deadwood totals are compared. The knocker scores the difference.

• You knock with 6; your opponent has 23 deadwood and lays off an 8 onto your run, leaving 15. You score 15 − 6 = 9.
• You knock with 10; your opponent is left with 30. You score 20.
• You knock with 3; your opponent lays off two cards and is left with 4. You score 1 — a knock still wins, but only just.

Laying off can only reduce the defender's deadwood, so a knock with very low deadwood is much safer than a knock at exactly 10. CardCouch lays off automatically in the way that helps the defender most.

The undercut

If, after laying off, the defender's deadwood is equal to or lower than the knocker's, the knock backfires: the defender scores the difference plus 25, and the knocker scores nothing.

• You knock with 9; your opponent lays off and is left with 4. They score (9 − 4) + 25 = 30.
• You knock with 7; your opponent also has exactly 7. Equal counts go to the defender: they score 0 + 25 = 25.

The undercut is why good players hesitate to knock with 8, 9 or 10 deadwood when the opponent has been picking up cards from the discard pile — a sign that their hand is close to complete. The strategy guide covers when to knock and when to wait.

Scoring gin

If your ten cards after discarding are all in melds, you go gin. You score 25 points plus your opponent's entire deadwood — and because the opponent may not lay off after a gin, that deadwood cannot be reduced. Gin can never be undercut.

Example: you go gin while your opponent holds two melds and an unmatched K, 10 and 3. You score 25 + 23 = 48.

Drawn hands

If a discard leaves only two cards in the stock and no one has knocked, the hand is a draw: nobody scores, no box is awarded, and a new hand is dealt (on CardCouch the deal alternates; traditionally the same dealer deals again). Drawn hands are uncommon, but they happen when both players hold on for gin too long.

Ending the game: line and box bonuses

Hand scores accumulate until a player reaches 100 points; that player wins the game. Two bonuses are then added to produce the final totals:

• Game bonus: 100 points to the winner. The CardCouch score sheet labels this the line bonus.
• Box bonus: 25 points to each player for every hand (box) they won during the game. Many rule books call this the line bonus, so check which bonus a book means by the term.

The bonuses do not change who wins — the first to 100 has already won — but they decide the margin, which matters if you are keeping a running tally across several games.

A worked game

You reach exactly 100 on hand 5 and win. With the 100-point line bonus and three boxes, your final score is 275 to 134.

Scoring variations you may meet

• Smaller bonuses: Pagat and older editions of Hoyle give 20 for gin, 10 or 20 for an undercut and 20 per box; 25 for each is the widely used modern choice.
• Big gin: a bigger bonus, usually 31, for gin with all 11 cards before discarding.
• Game to 150 or 250, usually with a larger game bonus to match.
• Shutout (blitz): if the loser never scored, the winner's game bonus is doubled; some tables double the whole score.
• Oklahoma gin: a spade upcard doubles every score in that hand, and the upcard sets the knock limit.

CardCouch uses the scoring above: knock 10 or less, gin 25, undercut 25 on an equal or lower count, game to 100, a 100-point game bonus, 25 per box, and no shutout bonus.

Frequently asked questions

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