Gin Rummy Scoring

In gin rummy, each player counts unmatched cards after the hand ends. If the knocker has less deadwood, they score the difference. If the defender ties or beats the knocker, the defender undercuts and scores a bonus. Going gin scores a bonus plus the opponent's deadwood.

Card Values

Cards inside valid melds are not counted as deadwood.

What Counts As Deadwood?

Deadwood is every card that is not part of a set or run. For example, if your hand contains a 4-5-6 run and a 9-9-9 set, those six cards count as zero. The remaining four cards are deadwood unless they form another meld.

If one card could belong to two melds, choose the grouping that leaves the lowest deadwood. A card cannot count in both melds at once.

Scoring A Successful Knock

After a knock, both players reveal their hands. If the knocker has lower deadwood after any allowed layoff, the knocker scores the difference.

Scoring Gin

Going gin means all your cards fit into melds, leaving zero deadwood. The gin player scores a bonus plus the opponent's full deadwood count. The opponent cannot lay off cards after gin.

Bonus values vary. Some traditional references use 20 points. Many modern tables and apps use 25 points.

Scoring An Undercut

An undercut happens when the defender has deadwood equal to or lower than the knocker after layoff. The defender scores the difference plus an undercut bonus.

Winning The Game

A common gin rummy game target is 100 points. When a player reaches the target, many rules add a game bonus and box or line bonuses for hands won. These end-of-game bonuses vary by house rules, so agree on them before starting.

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