Gin Rummy Tips
- If the Upcard to start the game is an Ace (or a two) - take it.
- If you can knock early, do so.
- Don't pick off the discard pile if it doesn't complete a meld.
- Don't forget the defense part of the game.
- Advertise
- Be reasonable with high pairs
Take the Low Upcard
This is nearly obvious, but there's no reason not to start at the beginning. Taking that Ace gives you a chance to unload some lonely high cards in your hand, reducing your point count. The Ace is a nice start to a knock meld if you see your hand moving in that direction.And, if you take the Ace, it keeps your opponent from getting it and getting the same opportunities to put a foundation on his knock meld, or unload high cards.
Knock Early When You Can
When I was learning the game, it was presented to me in a way that going Gin was winning. And knocking was a dangerous move because the other guy could undercut you, so that was playing with fire. As a result, I lost an aweful lot of matchsticks.Having a second breath at the game, I've found that if you can knock early, your opponent probably hasn't dipped below ten yet, and you can catch them with some points in their hand. You'll get these points, plus you'll win the box. Two quick knocks can make up for losing a hard-fought Gin hand.
If you're going to try for a Gin, you'll need (usually) three complete melds. So, you're trying to build a meld of three, another meld of three, and a final meld of four. If you're going for the knock, you only need to build two complete melds, and a third "low cards" meld.
Your lows meld is so much more forgiving, since suits don't come into play. If, early in the hand, you can gather four cards that total 10 or less, you can treat them as a knock meld and turn what would be an uphill start to a Gin hand into a downhill race to a Knock hand.
The key phrase being used here is "early". As the hand drags on you're more likely to find an opponent who has a hand with three melds and a low deadwood card just waiting for a Gin card to come his way. In the meantime, he's in a great position to undercut you.
Take Discards that Fill in a Meld
Anything you take off the discard pile is now a card that your opponent knows for certain that you have in your hand. He just watched you do it. Combined with with the cards he's seen you discard, or those that he himself has, he can deduce more of the cards in your hand. There is nothing subtle about it.So, if you're letting him know that much about what you have, you may as well make it for a good reason.
Defense
This takes paying attention to the cards that went into the discard pile, the cards your opponent scoops from the discount pile, and the cards in your hand. But, if you use these three pieces of information, you can block your opponent from completing thier melds by failing to make discards that fall neatly into their hands.
Advertise
Once a card of a certain rank hits the discard pile, it is safer to assume that your opponent doesn't need a card of the same rank. After all, if they discard a Jack, they certainly aren't collecting Jacks.You take this idea, and play on it. Say your hand contains an incomplete run of Queen/Jack of Hearts. You hold the King of Diamonds. When you discard your King, it may signal your opponent that it is now safe to throw his King knowing you are not collecting Kings. Well, you don't want any King, but you do want a particular King.
You may be able to lure him into discarding something that will complete your meld.
High Pairs
Never pick up a high card to make a pair of them, but if you're dealt two it's not the end of the world. In a rush to rid yourself of high cards, players often throw Kings and Queens very early in the hand. So, players who pick up a high pair can afford to wait a moment before breaking them up to toss them into the discard pile. Your opponent might be in a rush to rid himself of his, so there may just be a card to make your meld coming your way.How long you should wait for your card is subjective. You can't hold 20 points in your hand forever, but hitting the panic button immediately won't help your cause either.
Pay attention to your opponent. Does he immediately toss all of his face cards? Pay attention to yourself, do you immediately toss all of your face cards? Any tendency you can discern can be used to play more insightfully, and the first tendency you can pick up on is how players treat face cards.
