Number of Players	Number of Cards	Game Play	Skill Level
2 (3, 4)	52	Easy - Complex	Luck - Skill

This very popular version of Gin Rummy is just like the original except for one key rule that requires even more skill of the player: The rank of the upcard fixes the maximum number of points with which a player may knock in that deal. Thus, if the upcard is a five, the knocker must have 5 points or less. Face cards count 10. When an ace is the knock card, neither player may knock with a count of 1 point; instead, each must play for a gin hand. An additional rule, often played, is that when the upcard is a spade, all scores accruing from that deal are doubled.

If the upcard is not taken by either player, it is usually set aside near the stock, so that both players can refer to it during play. If the upcard is taken by either player, the opponent may, at any time, ask what the upcard was, and the other player is required to give this information.

 

Gin Rummy for Three Players

There are two methods for playing three-hand Gin Rummy in which two players are active and one is inactive in each hand. In another method, all three players may be active in every hand.

First method. Each player cuts the deck. The player with the lowest card sits out the first hand; the player with the next deals. At the endof each hand, the loser goes out and the idle player takes his place. The score sheet should have three columns, since each participant plays for himself, and winning hands are credited to individual scores. The idle player may not advise either of the active players. The game ends when a player reaches 100 points or more; after game and box bonuses have been added, each player pays the difference in scores to each player having a higher score. If one player is shut out, he pays an additional 100 points to the winner.

Second method. Each player draws a card; the high player is "in the box," and the two others play as partners against him throughout the game. The partner drawing the second-highest card deals the first hand, and the other partner sits out but may consult on the play, with the active partner having the final decision. When the active partner loses a hand, the idle partner takes his place. One score is kept for the player in the box, another for the partnership; if the player in the box wins, he collects in full from each opponent. If the partners win, each collects in full from the player in the box.

Third method. All three players participate. Each player draws a card. The player with the highest card deals, and the player with the next-highest card sits on the dealer's left. Ten cards are dealt to each of the three players. The player to the left of the dealer plays first; if he refuses the upcard, the player to his left may take it. Thereafter, each player in turn may draw either of his opponents' previous discards, unless one of them has already been taken.

An individual score is kept for each player. The winner of each hand scores the difference between his count and the combined counts of the other two players.

There is no undercut bonus; if the knocker is tied, the player who ties him wins the hand, and 20 points are deducted from the knocker's score.

The other two players may lay off cards only on the knocker's hand, and only on the original matched sets. For example: If the knocker has 9, 8, 7, and one opponent lays off 6 on it, the other opponent may not lay off 5. The bonus for going gin is 40 points. When only three cards remain in the stock and no one has knocked, the hand ends in a draw, and there is no scoring.

The game ends when a player reaches 200 points, after which bonuses are added as in two-hand Gin Rummy, and each player pays the difference in scores to any player having a higher score.

Partnership Gin Rummy (for Four Players)

The players draw for partnerships. The holders of the the two highest cards each play a two-hand game against the players with the two lowest cards. Partners sit opposite each other at the table. One member of each side cuts for deal, and both members of the side with the lowest card deal the first hand. Thereafter, the winners of each hand deal next.

Each dealer deals to the opponent on his right for the first hand and thereafter, the players alternate opponents.

Only one score is kept for each partnership, so that if one member wins his hand by 12 points and the other member loses his by 10 points, that side wins the hand by 2 points and will eventually receive a box bonus when the game is over.

When one member of a partnership knocks, either player in the opposing partnership may delay play until he learns how many points were scored. When one hand is finished, the idle player may advise his partner (after the partner's opponent has knocked) as to the best way of matching the hand, or laying off.

Drawn hands are not replayed. The game does not end until one
side reaches 125 points, but all other scoring is the same as in regular Gin Rummy.

For Six or More Players (in Even Numbers)

Half the players form one partnership against the other half.
All partners sit on one side of the table, and each plays against the opponent facing him, never changing opponents during the game.
One partner draws for deal on each side, and all members of the side drawing the lower card deal the first hand. Thereafter, all members
of the winning side deal the next hand.

Each player plays a regular two-hand game against the player facing him and the results of all these two-hand matches are added up for each side and then compared to determine the winning side of each deal.

The game ends when:

1) A partnership of 3 or 4 players reaches 150 points.

2) A partnership of five players reaches 175 points.

3) A partnership of six or more players reaches 200 points.

A player whose hand is finished may advise any of his teammates, but only if he has not seen the hand of any opponent.

Drawn hands are not replayed.

Round-The-Corner Gin Rummy

Round-The-Corner may be played as a version of Gin Rummy, but with the following differences:

The ace may rank high or low in a sequence, and sequences may go around the corner (A, 2, 3, A, K, Q, K, A, 2). As an unmatched card, an ace counts 15 points.

Unlike other Gin Rummy versions, if a knocker goes gin, the opponent is allowed to lay his cards off, and if the opponent can reduce his own count to zero, neither player scores on that hand.

The game ends when one player reaches 125 points. In any partnership game, it takes 25 points more to end the game than when regular Partnership Gin Rummy is played with the round-the-corner features.

Players may at all times inspect the previous discards.