How is Gin Rummy scored?

Gin Rummy scoring rewards both clean hands and finishing games. Once you know the handful of bonuses, tallying a match is simple.

Quick answer: In Gin Rummy, when a hand ends the player with less deadwood scores the difference between the two deadwood totals. Going Gin adds a 25-point bonus, and an undercut adds 25 to the defender. Games are played to 100 points, after which the winner adds a 100-point game bonus plus 25 for each hand won.

Scoring a single hand

When someone knocks, compare deadwood after lay-offs: the lower total wins the difference. Going Gin scores the opponent's full deadwood plus a 25-point bonus. If the defender ties or beats the knocker, they score an undercut: 25 points plus the difference.

Winning the game

Hands are played until one player reaches 100 points. That player then adds a game bonus - commonly 100 points - plus a line bonus (also called a box bonus) of 25 for every hand they won during the game. These bonuses often matter more than the hand points themselves.

Why the bonuses shape strategy

Because each hand won is worth 25 in line bonuses, winning many small hands can beat winning a few big ones. That tension - knock early and often, or hold out for Gin - is the core of the game, explored in when to knock.

Play Gin Rummy

Related questions

How is Rummy scored?

In most Rummy games the player who goes out scores points equal to the total deadwood left in the other players' hands. Face cards count 10 each, number cards their pip value, and Aces usually 1. Variants differ: Rummy 500 scores the melds you lay down, and Gin Rummy adds bonuses for knocking, going Gin and undercutting.

How do you go Gin in Gin Rummy?

You go Gin when every card in your hand is part of a meld and your deadwood is zero. On your turn, you draw, arrange all 10 cards into sets and runs, and discard your final card face down. Going Gin earns a bonus of 25 points on top of your opponent's deadwood, and unlike a knock, your opponent cannot lay off or undercut you.

What is an undercut in Gin Rummy?

An undercut happens when the knocker's opponent finishes with equal or less deadwood than the player who knocked. Instead of the knocker scoring, the defender wins the hand and takes a 25-point undercut bonus plus the difference in deadwood. It is the penalty for knocking too greedily against a strong opposing hand.