How to Win at Gin Rummy

By Anon Anon

This antique book contains a detailed treatise on how to win at the card game Gin Rummy, with information on rules, terminology, odds, and technique. The perfect book for those with an interest in either learning the game or honing their existing skills, 'How to Win at Gin Rummy' is not to be missed by card game enthusiasts and makes for a wonderful addition to collections of gaming literature. The chapters of this book include: 'Terms Used in Gin Rummy', 'Is Gin Rummy a Game of Luck', 'The Basic Theory of Gin Rummy', 'Play Your Hand to Get it Down to 10 or Under', 'How to Play the Odds', 'Knock at the First Opportunity', 'Don't Pick an Open Card Which Won't Make You a Meld', 'When Should the First Card be Picked Up?', 'Never Throw Your Opponent a Card He Can Use', et cetera. This text has been elected for modern republication because of its timeless educational value, and we are proud to republish it here complete with a new introduction on the subject.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: May 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781473394223

Book preview

GIN RUMMY TERMS

Box . . . A score made during any one deal.

Bulge . . . In a partnership game or team game:—the amount of points which a team is ahead before the deal is concluded by all players: (For example: In a six-handed game A, B, and C play X, Y and Z. A loses 5 points to X. B wins 15 points from Y. The team of A, B and C then have a bulge of 10 points. This winning margin, of course, will be changed according to the outcome of the hand being played by C and Z.

Dead Card . . . A card that has already been played and lies covered somewhere in the discard pile.

Discard . . . A card which is thrown off on the exposed pile.

Double-Middle . . . Two Middle-Straights. (See Middle-Straight.) Like 5 - 7 - 9 of the same suit.

First Card . . . The card the dealer faces up; the 21st card.

Four-Card Lay . . . A sequence of four cards in the same suit or Four-of-a-Kind.

Four-of-a-Kind . . . Four cards of the same denomination.

Game . . . 100 points when two or three are playing. 125 points when four are playing. 150 points when six or eight are playing.

Hot Card . . . A card which you know your opponent is likely to us.

Knocking Count . . . After a player knocks—the total of his unmatched cards. For example, if knocker holds 2 lays and his four remaining cards are 2 Aces, a Two, and a Five, his Knocking Count is 9.

Lay . . . A combination of matched cards; a meld.

Line . . . Same as a Box.

Live Card . . . A card which may be useful to your opponent and about which the deal thus far has yielded no information.

Loose Card . . . Same as Live Card.

Meld . . . Same as Lay.

Meld-Possibility . . . A combination of cards which can be turned into a lay by the addition of one card.

Middle-Straight . . . Two cards of the same suit which can form a sequence only by the addition of a third card which fits between them. For example: Seven of Hearts and Nine of Hearts (Eight of Hearts will make the sequence).

Open Card . . . A card which lies at the top of the discard pile.

Reducer . . . A card which does not form a meld but which is picked up just to reduce the total of unmatched cards in the hand.

Run . . . A sequence of three or more cards in the same suit; a straight-flush.

Safe Card . . . A card which cannot be used by your opponent.

Salesman . . . A card played in the hope that your opponent will discard another card of the same denomination. For example: the discard of an Eight of Clubs in the hope that your opponent will discard an Eight of Diamonds. This is done sometimes if a player holds a Nine of Diamonds and a Ten of Diamonds.

Shnider . . . A game in which one player scores all the points while his opponent doesn’t score any at all.

Snider . . . Same as Shnider.

Three-Card Lay . . . A sequence of three cards in the same suit or Three-of-a-Kind.

Three-of-a-Kind . . . Three cards of the same denomination (like 3 Kings or 3 Eights).

Two-of-a-Kind . . . Two cards of the same denomination (like 2 Fours).

Two-Straight . . . Two cards of the same suit which run in sequence (like Six of Diamonds and Seven of Diamonds).

Two-Way Chance . . . Three cards which may be turned into a meld in four different ways. (For example: A Seven of Hearts and Eight of Hearts plus a Seven of Clubs. These cards can be improved with anyone of the following four cards: Six of Hearts; Nine of Hearts; Seven of Diamonds; Seven of Spades.)

To Be On the Shnide . . . To be scoreless, and so subject to paying double the loss if your opponent wins the game before you score.

To Buy . . . To pick a card.

To Cast . . . To discard.

To Draw . . . To pick a card.

To Get Off the Shnide . . . To score and thus avoid the possibility of paying double stakes.

To Gin . . . To expose your hand and conclude the deal with all ten cards matched into melds.

To Go Down . . . Same as To Knock.

To Go Gin . . . Same as To Gin.

To Go Out . . . Same as To Go Down.

To Go Under . . . To have a total count in unmatched cards less than that of the knocker.

To Knock . . . To expose your hand and conclude the deal when your unmatched cards total a count of 10 or less.

To Lay Down . . . Same as To Knock.

To Lay Off . . . To discard on your opponent’s melds.

To Reduce . . . To lower the total of your unmatched cards.

To Save the Hand . . . In a partnership game, to