Scoring In Gin Rummy

The purpose of Gin is of course to win each individual hand, but the ultimate goal is to win the entire game. You do this through the individual hand scores which will lead you to the final game score.

The point total for a head to head or two-handed game is 250 points. That can vary depending on whether you are just playing for fun with family or friends, but for competitive gin rummy, the game will always be to 250 points. The way you get to your total is by getting the maximum amount of points you can in each individual hand to give you the final, and hopefully winning score. You score points by knocking before your opponent does, but there are also bonus points that can be added during each individual hand. This includes going gin, or underknocking an opponent. The scoring for the winner of the individual hand is simple but it does take some knowledge of how to do it.

When a player knocks, he puts down his melded cards which have no value in figuring the total point count of his hand. The player totals only the unmelded or unmatched cards to get a total count. For example, if a player melds with three Kings and three 10’s and is left with a four, a three, and two aces, they are left with 9 points. If the knock card is a nine or higher then they could knock with 9 points to possibly win the hand. If the opponent has only one meld of queens in his hand and is unable to lay off any unmelded cards, leaving him with total of 7 unmelded cards adding up to 32 points, then the person who knocked will get the difference between his 9 points and the opponents 32 points. That would mean that the knocker would receive 23 points. Another example would be if the knocker was left with 3 points, and his opponent has 16 points then the difference of 13 points would be awarded to the person who knocked. Each hand is done exactly this way, unless there is gin or an underknock.

If the winning player has gotten gin he would receive the point count of the unmelded cards in his opponent’s hand plus the established bonus for gin. In an underknock, which is when the opponent ended up with less points then the person who actually knocked, the person who claims the underknock will receive the difference in points plus the appropriate bonus as well. If his count was exactly the same, meaning they tied in point count leading him to get an underknock, he would only receive the bonus amount. The only variation of the scoring occurs in more modern games when the score is doubled based on the suit of the knock card. In this case, if the knock card is a spade or heart the entire score will be doubled.

Category: SCORE & COUNTS

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3 thoughts on “Scoring in Gin Rummy”

1. Arne Kortspill December 12, 2018

   Great and educative article. Not easy to understand how the scoring works. This helped us a lot. Thank you and greetings from Norway

   Reply
2. Speedo Ruggiers January 20, 2020

   I guess there’s no easy & simple way of understanding the scoring. WAY WAY too complicated for me to get the scoring not the paying howeva. the more I try to get it the more confusing and difficult it is for me…..no thanx

   Reply
3. Charles Stalnaker August 11, 2020

   Explain game bonus and box bonus.

   Reply

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Search for: BASICS

• The Underknock
• The Tied Hand
• The Rules of the Knock
• The Object of the Game
• The Background of Gin Rummy

CHEATING AT GIN RUMMY

• Ungentlemanly Conduct
• The Conspiracy Theory
• Cheating the Money Card
• Protection Against Cheating on the Score
• Cheating On the Score

MATHEMATICS OF GIN RUMMY

• Taking Full Advantage of the Odds
• Keeping Under Count
• Beating the Price
• Choosing the Right Discard Using the Safety Point Count System
• Using the Safety Factor Point Count System to Your Advantage

MIDDLE AND LATE PLAY

• Underknocking in the Late Play of a Hand
• Playing For Gin – What Is Considered To be A Gin Hand
• When to Knock in the Middle to Late Stages of the Hand
• When to Knock, Play for Gin, or Underknock
• Appraising Your Hand in Later Stages of the Hand

OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE OPPONENTS

• Strategy Against the Happy Medium Player
• Using Psychological Strategy When Playing Against a Defensive Player
• Using Psychological Strategy When Playing Against an Offensive Player
• Gin Solitaire Example Hand
• Playing Gin Solitaire to Better Your Defensive Skills

OPENING PLAY

• The Pick in the Opening Plays
• Opening Hand Example – Hand #5
• Opening Hand Example – Hand #4
• Opening Hand Example – Hand #3
• Opening Hand Example – Hand #2

PARTNERSHIP PLAY

• Disputes During Partnership Play
• The Importance of Waiting for a Count
• Wait For the Count
• The Importance of Holding Your Play
• Hold Your Play

PLAYER TYPES

• Comparing a Beginner Player, a Good Player, and an Expert Player
• Becoming an Expert Player
• Knowing Your Opponent
• The Aggressive Player
• The Defensive Player

SCORE & COUNTS

• Scoring in Gin Rummy
• Variations on How Gin Rummy Is Scored
• The Scorekeeper
• The Score Sheet
• Scoring Individual Hands of a Two-Handed Game

TYPICAL HANDS

• Complete Hand Example #21
• Complete Hand Example #20
• Complete Hand Example #19
• Complete Hand Example #18
• Complete Hand Example #17