Know Gin Rummy? You already know the deal, melds, and turns. Oklahoma changes when you can knock and how much a hand is worth. Play with gin-only aces, spades double, 25-point gin and undercut bonuses, and a 150-point target. That's the ruleset below; house-rule alternatives come at the end.
Setup and turns
Use one 52-card deck, no jokers, and two players. Choose the first dealer randomly, then alternate after scored hands. Deal 10 cards each. Turn the next card face up to start the discard pile; the remaining 31 cards form the stock. Write down the upcard's rank and suit before anyone picks it up.
- The non-dealer may take the first upcard or pass. If they pass, the dealer gets the same choice. If both pass, the non-dealer draws from stock.
- Whoever takes a card discards one, then the other player takes a turn.
- On later turns, draw the top stock card or the top discard, then discard one card. A discard pickup cannot be returned on that same turn.
Keep melds in your hand until the hand ends. A set is three or four cards of one rank; a run is at least three consecutive cards in one suit. Aces are low: A–2–3 works, Q–K–A does not. Each card can belong to only one meld. Unmatched cards are deadwood: aces count 1, number cards their number, and J, Q, K each count 10. See the illustrated meld guide.
The first upcard sets the knock limit
| First upcard | Maximum deadwood after discarding |
|---|---|
| Ace | 0: you must go gin |
| 2–10 | The printed number |
| Jack, queen, king | 10 |
The limit stays fixed until the next deal, even after someone picks up or covers the original upcard. It applies to both players. A 6 lets you knock with 6 deadwood points or fewer. A 6♠ sets the same limit and doubles the hand's score.
Knocking, gin, and drawn hands
After drawing, you may end the hand as you discard if the remaining ten cards meet the limit. Knocking is optional, including when you qualify on your first turn.
- Ordinary knock: reveal both hands and their melds. The defender may lay off unmatched cards onto the knocker's melds, then compare deadwood. The knocker cannot lay off onto the defender.
- Gin: all ten remaining cards form melds. The defender may form their own melds but cannot lay off. Gin cannot be undercut.
- Stock exhaustion: if the player drawing the third-last stock card discards without ending the hand, stop with two stock cards left. Award no points and let the same dealer redeal.
Layoffs must extend a valid run or set; they cannot turn the knocker's deadwood into a new meld. The defender does not need to meet the upcard limit to lay off. See the knocking and layoffs guide for examples.
Score the hand, then double for spades
Gin and undercuts earn a 25-point bonus. After an ordinary knock, compare deadwood after the defender lays off. A tie is an undercut: the defender wins. Only the winner scores.
| Result | Hand score | Example with a 6♠ upcard |
|---|---|---|
| Successful knock | Defender's deadwood minus knocker's deadwood | Knocker 6, defender 14: (14 − 6) × 2 = 16 to the knocker |
| Undercut | 25 plus knocker's deadwood minus defender's deadwood | Knocker 6, defender 4: (25 + 6 − 4) × 2 = 54 to the defender |
| Gin | 25 plus defender's deadwood, with no layoffs | Defender 18: (25 + 18) × 2 = 86 to the player going gin |
Add the bonus before doubling. Without a spade upcard, those scores are 8, 27, and 43. Only the opening upcard triggers doubling; spades drawn or discarded later have no effect.
Winning the game
Add each hand's score to the winner's running total. The first player to reach 150 or more wins. At 132, a 24-point hand takes you to 156. Game over.
Then tally the final bonuses: each player adds 25 per hand won. The winner adds 100, or 200 if the opponent scored nothing all game. These bonuses come after the win; they cannot get you to 150. Spade doubling applies to the hand, never the whole match. The scoring guide walks through final totals.
House rules: settle them before the deal
Use the rules above for a complete game. If you're joining another table, check these differences first:
- Aces and spades: some tables allow a one-point knock on an ace or leave out spade doubling.
- Scoring: confirm the gin bonus, undercut bonus, and target. Use those numbers for the entire game.
- Extra boxes: an optional rule adds one bonus mark for an undercut or two for gin, doubled on a spade deal. Each mark pays 20 or 25 points at game end, outside the target. Leave these out when playing the rules above.
- Last chance to knock: some tables let the opponent take the final discard and knock after the stock reaches two cards. Our rule ends the hand immediately after the preceding player discards without knocking.
Compare all Gin Rummy variations · Standard rules · Scoring guide
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Gin Rummy and Oklahoma Gin?
Standard Gin lets you knock with 10 deadwood points or fewer. Oklahoma's first upcard sets the limit for each hand: a 4 means 4 or fewer, a face card means 10, and an ace means gin. Spade upcards double the hand's score.
Does the Oklahoma Gin knock limit change when someone discards?
No. Record the first upcard at the deal. Its limit and any spade multiplier remain in force even if that card is picked up or covered.
What happens when the first upcard is the ace of spades?
You must go gin, and the hand's score doubles. An ace in your hand still counts as 1 point of deadwood.
Is spade doubling used in every Oklahoma Gin game?
No. We use spade doubling; some tables leave it out. Settle that before the first deal.
Sources
Pagat: Oklahoma Gin and scoring variations · GameColony: Oklahoma and the final-discard rule · Our standard Gin Rummy rules.