To some gin rummy may seem like a kid’s game, but if you’ve played you know there’s more to it. Strategy can play a vital role in winning or losing a Gin rummy game. Just think of the statistics. A math whiz could tell you there are literally billions of potential combinations of hands that could result from those ten cards you were dealt. So here are a few strategies for increasing your odds of winning at this challenging game. When you play rummy online you can play for fun but you can also play for money so its important to use the best Gin rummy strategy.

Knock, Knock – As Quickly As You Can!

Some players live for the thrill of throwing down their cards on the table and shouting “GIN”!!! But waiting for gin may not be the best way to play the game. So you won’t get the 25 bonus points but what about catching your opponent with a lot of deadwood? A good rule of thumb is, if you get the chance to knock early in the hand, go for it. The effectiveness of this strategy diminishes as the hand progresses. The more time the other player has to build melds, the less likely you are to catch him or her with a lot of deadwood. And the longer you wait, the more opportunity the opponent has to beat you to the knock.

Pay Attention to ALL the Cards!

A lot of players are so focused on what is in their own hand and what they are trying to do that they fail to pay attention to clues about what the opponent is trying to do. 7 Card Stud players are typically Gin rummy naturals because of their ability to remember dead cards. What are they tossing on the pile? There are=2 0“tells” you can get from watching body language. If someone picks from the deck and grunts and groans and immediately discards the same card, it’s reasonable to assume they are not working towards a meld with that card. If you’re seeing a lot of clubs and hearts discarded, it’s a good bet they’re looking for spades or diamonds. Watch the discards they pick up. A few times around the table and you may be able to tell if the opponent is building a set or a run. Then if you have a card you think they might need, you can hang on to it.
But remember, the person across from you at that table is trying to do the same thing to you as you are to him or her. So be careful about what and when you are tossing on the discard pile as well.

Picking from the Deck

There are experts out there who say it’s better to draw from the deck rather than the discard pile. As a rule of thumb you shouldn’t take a card unless you need it for a meld. If you take a lot discards, you’re giving information about what you have in your hand as well as picking up cards your opponents don’t need.

Play the Middle

Many players love face cards because of their high value but forget that works against them if they get caught with those cards as deadwood. If you’re not working on a meld that needs face cards, discard them as quickly as you can. Take the King as an example. It’s 10 points of potential deadwood and you can only run with it in one direction. Middle cards are what you want. Think about the 7. You can be working a meld with a 7 from either direction. Hang on to those middle cards if you draw them and dump the face cards quickly.

Gone Fishing

A common Gin Rummy strategy is to “go fishing” for a card you need. Suppose you have two a 5 of clubs in your hand and you could meld a run with a 5 of spades. If you discard the 5 of clubs as bait, you might hook your opponent into thinking that you are not interested in melding a set of 5s and cause him or her to discard the 5 of spades you need. See if they take the bait. But once again, be careful. Your opponent may be “going fishing” with you as well! Enjoy the game.

Traditional Rummy may have slipped in popularity to the gin rummy variations, but it is still around and still fun to play. Traditional rummy games can be found online in abundance, and there is always a crowd of rummy-lovers on-hand in online card rooms ready to play. Playing online is a great way to hone your traditional rummy skills – plus you don’t have to worry about never having an opponent. You can find both real money and play money games when you register at one of the many online rummy rooms available. Let’s discuss the rules of online rummy in case you’ve gotten a bit rusty. Here’s how to play the game.

Traditional Rummy Rules: Objective of the Game
The game uses a standard 52-card deck – no jokers. Some of those who play traditional rummy do include the jokers (and make the jokers a specific extra number of points, usually 25). When playing online rummy, some online game rooms may also include the joker in the mix – so be sure to read the individual rules of the game you are playing before you start. There are 2 to 4 players who try to organize or “meld” the cards they are dealt and draw into sets (cards of the same rank) or runs (cards of the same suit in sequence). The goal is to be the first to run completely out of cards.

Traditional Rummy Rules: Dealing

The Dealer is usually selected by a random high card draw. Each player is dealt ten cards and the remaining cards are placed on the table face down, creating the Stock or Draw Pile. The top card is then turned over and placed face-up next to the Stock Pile to create the Discard or Open Pile. Players then taking turns drawing from either the discard pile or the stock pile of cards on the rummy table. If the card can be used towards an existing meld on the table it is played. If not the player keeps it in his or her hand for future use. A turn is complete when the player places a card on the discard pile. In Traditional Rummy a player cannot discard the same card he or she picked up.
Traditional Rummy Rules: Playing the Game
Remember the objective of the game is to get rid of all your cards. You do this by melding or building. When you have melds (runs or sets) in your hand you lay them down in front of you. You can also “build” by adding appropriate cards to the melds laid down by the opponents. In Traditional Rummy you can build your hand at any time during the game, but only on your turn.
If the Stock Pile runs out before there is a winner the game is considered a draw with no winners or losers and the cards are re-shuffled and a new game begins.
Traditional Rummy Rules: Winning the Game
Players agree on the winning score before the game begins. Players could select 50 points or 100 points or even 150 points as the Winning Score. Once a player has reached the number of points needed to win, they are declared the winner. With Traditional Rummy rules, there are two ways in which to win a hand: “Going Out” and “Going Rummy.” When a player has all their cards on the table in melds with one card left for discard, that player has “Gone Out.” Going Rummy is very similar to Going Out but it is done all in the same turn. The player has no melds on the table and is able to dump all his or her cards with the last card going into the discard pile.

Traditional Rummy Rules: Scoring
Once a player has Gone Out or Gone Rummy, the losing players count up the points left in their hands and that number is added to the winner’s cumulative score. In addition, if a player has Gone Rummy, the losers are assessed a 25 point penalty. Aces count as 1 or 11 (depending on house rules agreed upon by the players), face cards (Kings, Queens and Jacks) count as 10, and the number Cards are worth their face value – for example: a six of spades is worth 6 points; a 9 of hearts is worth 9 points, and so on. If no player has reached the agreed upon winning score, a new hand begins.