The Basics

Gin is a two player game using a standard 52 card deck where each player receives
10 cards. Taking alternate draws, players attempt to organize all their cards into runs or sets.

The Deck

Gin uses a regular 52 card deck ranked lowest to highest:
Ace- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10- J- Q- K

Cards values are:

Face cards (K,Q,J) - 10 points
Ace - 1 point
All other cards are worth their face value.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to collect a hand where most or all of the cards can be combined into sets and runs and the point value of the remaining unmatched cards is low. A run consists of 3 or more cards of the same suit in consecutive order. 5, 6, 7 of clubs for example. A set is a group of 3 or 4 cards of the same value. The same card cannot be used in a set and a run. Ace is always low.

Playing the Hand

A normal turn consists of two parts, the draw and the discard. Except for the start of
each hand (explained below), a player can draw from the discard pile (cards are face up) or the stock pile (cards are face down. After drawing a card, one card must be discarded from your hand and placed face up on the discard pile. If you took the top card from the discard pile, you must discard a different card.

Knocking

The play of the hand ends when one of the players knocks. This can be done on any turn, including the first turn. If you have knocked, you then arrange your cards as far as possible into groups and sets and select a discard (the highest valued card remaining). The remaining cards that are not part of a group or set are called "deadwood". In order to be allowed to knock, the total value of your deadwood must be ten points or less. Knocking with no unmatched cards at all is called going gin, and earns a special bonus.

Scoring

Each player counts the total value of their unmatched cards. If the knocker's count is lower, the knocker scores the difference between the two counts.
If the knocker did not go gin, and the counts are equal, or the knocker's count is greater than that of the opponent, the knocker has been undercut. In this case the knocker's opponent scores the difference between the counts plus a 10 point bonus.

A player who goes gin scores a bonus 10,20 or 25 points (depending on game setting), plus the opponent's count in unmatched cards, if any. A player who goes gin can never be undercut. Even if the other player has no unmatched cards at all, the knocker gets the 20 point bonus the other player scores nothing.

The game continues with further deals until one player's cumulative score reaches the end score