Gin Rummy
- Objective: Score 100 points over multiple rounds by forming melds and having less 'deadwood' (unmatched cards) than your opponent.
- Setup: 2 players, standard 52-card deck. Each gets 10 cards.
- Melds: A 'Set' (3-4 of a kind) or a 'Run' (3+ consecutive cards in the same suit). Ace is low only (A-2-3). A card cannot belong to two melds.
- Deadwood: Cards not in a meld. Points: Face Cards = 10, Ace = 1, others = face value.
- Gameplay: On your turn, draw one card from the 'stock' or 'discard' pile. Then, discard one card.
- Knocking: You can 'knock' (end the round) on your turn *if* your deadwood total is 10 points or less. You lay your melds down, then your deadwood.
- Laying Off: The opponent then lays down their melds. They can also 'lay off' their deadwood cards onto *your* melds (e.g., adding a 4th 7 to your 7-7-7 set).
- Scoring: If your deadwood total (after they lay off) is *lower* than your opponent's, you score the *difference* between the two totals.
- 'Gin': If you knock with 0 deadwood, it's 'Gin'. You get a 25-point bonus, and your opponent *cannot* lay off any cards.
- 'Undercut': If the opponent (after laying off) has a deadwood total *equal to or lower than* yours, they 'undercut' you. They score 25 points plus the difference in your scores.