Gin has been around for over one
hundred years. Consequently, it is not
surprising that there have been many variations that have developed
throughout the years. Some Gin Rummy variations are new
rules, some variations are new ways of scoring and some variations
add additional players or teams of players. See which variations
interest you and challenge you. There is always a little something
for everyone when it comes to variations. Below a few of the most
interesting variations are discussed:
Straight Gin Rummy: The
dealer receives 10 playing cards, the other player receives 11
playing cards. No card is turned up. The non-dealer then discards a
card, and the dealer takes his turn as normal and play continues. In
straight gin, knocking is not allowed. The match is usually
completed in seven games and the first person to win four times wins
the match.
· Allow a player to pick up and discard the same playing card on the
same play.
· If a player goes gin, the bonus is worth 25 points.
· If a player undercuts, the bonus is worth 20 points.
· The bonus for the undercut, for going gin and for the box bonus
are each worth 25 points.
· If a player does not score at all during the game, the winner’s
score in its entirety is doubled.
Oklahoma Gin
Oklahoma Gin Rummy: The upcard indicates the knock number or the number
of points you must reduce down to before you can knock. If the
upcard is a Jack, Queen or King, players must get down to ten or
less. If the upcard is an Ace, knocking is not allowed and players
must play until they’ve gone gin. The goal is to reach 150 points.
Another variation inside this variation is that if the upcard is a
spades, all points are doubled.
Three Player Gin
· Three Players: Each of the three players draw cards, the highest
is the dealer, then the players arrange themselves, depending on who
has the next highest card, to his left. The players take cards from
the stock pile or from the two other players’ discards. When the
hand is over, the player who won calculates the difference between
his score and the combined score of the other two players. The
undercutting bonus is eliminated. Players are only allowed to lay
off on the knocker’s cards. Forty points are awarded for the gin
bonus. 200 points wins the match.
Four Player Gin
· Four Players: Two partnerships are formed. Each player plays
against a player of the other team. At the end of the hand the team
combines their score. The winning partnership is the first
partnership to reach 125 points.
Hollywood Gin
· Hollywood Gin: Hollywood Gin is played like normal gin, but the
scoring is very different. Three different games are scored at once.
The first win for a player is recorded as Game One. The second win
for that player is Game Two. The third win for that player is scored
for Game Three. When three hands are won, only then can scoring be
initiated.
surprising that there have been many variations that have developed
throughout the years. Some Gin Rummy variations are new
rules, some variations are new ways of scoring and some variations
add additional players or teams of players. See which variations
interest you and challenge you. There is always a little something
for everyone when it comes to variations. Below a few of the most
interesting variations are discussed: