- What counts as a meld in gin rummy?
- Three or four cards of the same rank, or three or more cards in sequence in one suit. Aces are low, so ace-two-three is a run and queen-king-ace is not. A card can belong to only one meld at a time.
- What is deadwood?
- Every card in your hand that is not part of a meld. Court cards count 10, aces 1 and number cards their face value, and the lower your total, the closer you are to knocking.
- When can you knock?
- When your deadwood comes to 10 or less. You discard, lay out your melds and show your deadwood, and your opponent may then lay off any of their loose cards onto your melds before the two totals are compared.
- What is gin, and what is it worth?
- Knocking with no deadwood at all. You score the difference between the two hands plus a 25-point bonus, and your opponent is not allowed to lay off any cards against you.
- What is an undercut?
- When the player who did not knock ends up with as little deadwood as the knocker, or less. They score the difference plus a 25-point bonus instead. It is why knocking at exactly 10 against a careful player is a risk.
- How many points does it take to win gin rummy?
- 100. The winner then collects bonuses for the game and for each hand they won along the way.