What does it mean to knock in Gin Rummy?

Knocking is the strategic heart of Gin Rummy. It lets you end the hand early with a small amount of deadwood instead of waiting for the perfect all-melded hand.

Quick answer: Knocking is how you end a hand of Gin Rummy without going Gin. Once your unmatched deadwood totals 10 points or less, you can knock: place your final discard face down, lay out your melds, and reveal your deadwood. Your opponent then lays off cards, and the player with the lower deadwood total scores the difference.

How to knock

When your deadwood is 10 points or less, you may knock on your turn after drawing. You discard one card face down, then lay your melds on the table along with your leftover deadwood. The knock signals the hand is over and it is time to compare.

Laying off and scoring

Once you knock, your opponent reveals their own melds and can lay off their deadwood onto your melds to shrink their own count. Then you subtract the lower deadwood from the higher; the player with less deadwood scores the difference. If the knocker has the lower count, they score.

The risk of the undercut

Knocking is not risk-free. If your opponent ends up with equal or less deadwood than you, they score an undercut bonus instead. Knowing when to knock versus pushing for Gin is one of the game's key decisions.

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Related questions

What is deadwood in Rummy?

Deadwood is the collection of cards in your hand that are not part of any meld - not in a set and not in a run. Each unmatched card carries its point value, and the total is your deadwood count. In Gin Rummy you can only knock when your deadwood is 10 points or less, so keeping it low is everything.

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.

When should you knock in Gin Rummy?

Knock when your deadwood is low - ideally well under 10 - and the risk of an undercut is small, especially early in a hand before your opponent has built their melds. Hold out for Gin when you're one card away and confident, or when your opponent looks close to going out and a slim knock could be undercut.