About Free Printable Gin Rummy Rules
Free printable Gin Rummy rules — 2-player setup, knock with 10 or fewer points, going gin for the 25-point bonus, undercut, and lay off.
How to use
- Choose your print style. Full color uses green accents and red-and-black suit symbols — great as a reference card to keep beside the discard pile. Ink-saver (black & white) switches to a grayscale layout for a cheap classroom or family-night handout.
- Choose whether to show diagrams. Diagrams on (the default) include the runs-vs-sets meld chart, a worked sample knock hand showing deadwood = 9, and side-by-side scoring scenarios for a knock, an undercut, and a gin. Switch to text only for the most compact, fewest-pages version.
- Read the preview to confirm the layout — rules flow from the objective and setup through the four-step turn (draw, arrange, discard, evaluate deadwood), knocking, going gin, big gin, laying off, undercut, scoring, winning to 100, and the Oklahoma, Hollywood, and Straight Gin variants.
- Click Print Rules to send it to your printer or save it as a PDF. The illustrated guide prints cleanly across one or two letter / A4 pages; choose text only for a one-page summary.
Frequently asked questions
How do you score in Gin Rummy?
Aces = 1, numbered cards = face value, J/Q/K = 10. After a knock, sum your opponent's unmatched cards (their 'deadwood') after they lay off; the knocker scores the difference between the two deadwood totals. Going gin (zero deadwood) adds a 25-point bonus. Big Gin (all 11 cards meld before discarding) earns 31. An undercut gives the opponent the difference plus a 25-point bonus.
What is the difference between knocking and going gin?
Knocking ends the hand when your unmatched cards total 10 points or fewer; you score the difference between your opponent's deadwood (after layoffs) and your own. Going gin means you have ZERO deadwood — every card in your hand is in a meld — and you earn a 25-point gin bonus PLUS your opponent's full deadwood, with no layoffs allowed. Gin pays more, but waiting too long risks an undercut.
Can you use the Ace high in Gin Rummy?
No — the Ace is always LOW. A-2-3 of the same suit IS a valid run, but Q-K-A is NOT. There is no wrap-around (K-A-2 is also invalid). As deadwood, the Ace is worth 1 point — the lowest of any card.
What does 'lay off' mean in Gin Rummy?
After a regular knock (not gin or big gin), the opposing player may attach any of their unmatched cards to the knocker's melds to reduce their own deadwood — extending a run (add the 9♥ to a 5♥-6♥-7♥-8♥ run) or completing a set (add the 4th queen to a three-queen set). Layoffs are NOT allowed against gin or big gin.
What is Hollywood Gin?
Hollywood Gin tracks three games at once on a 3-column scoresheet. Your first hand-win counts only in column 1; your second in columns 1 and 2; your third and later wins count in all three columns. Each column ends independently when one player hits 100 in that column, so a comeback in columns 2 and 3 is possible after losing column 1.
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