Use Strategy and Mathematics to Play Gin Rummy
Out of all rummy games Gin Rummy is the game where the skill factor is of paramount importance. The reasons for that are
- 15,820,024 possible ten-card hands in Gin Rummy
- A player will not play the same kind of game consistently
- Players use the cards that come their way in different ways
Winning in the game of gin rummy will be much easier, if you review the strategy tips presented below.
Gin Rummy Statistics that Always Hold True:
- In the Gin Rummy game there are 52 three-card melds of three of a kind -- three queens, three tens, and so on.
- There are 44 melds of three cards of the same suit in sequence 4-5-6 of spades, jack-queen-king of diamonds, and so on .
- Once you have a three-card meld, it is twice less likely to extend three of a kind than to extend a sequence.
- Most of squence melds can be extended on either side, but three of a kind can only be added-on in one way. A sequence
meld of four cards can grow to five or more, but four cards of equal rank have no further possibilities.
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From the start of the game it is best to discard a card ranking one or two away and in a different split to the one discarded by your opponent. For instance, if your opponent's first discard is the 6 of diamonds, then 5 or 7 of clubs, spades or
hearts is probably your best bet.
If your hand does not contain any of the former cards, discard a card of rank equal to the one that your opponent has previously dis
carded (i.e. the 6 of spades). Statistically there are only four possibilities that an equal-rank card can be used against you.
An important skill for a good gin rummy player is good memory -- memorize all the possible melds in a hand. You
also need be able to figure the chances for your two-of-a-kind sequences. Think about your own resources and strategy f
irst, then worry about what your opponent is plotting. Try to deduce what is in your opponent's hand. This way you won't give any good cards away an
d you also won't be holding cards for an unlikely meld.
The seven is the most valuable card in the deck when it is time for forming melds. The seven can be used to make melds in more ways than
any other card.
Your Winning chances will improve if you:
- Score and knock as quickly as possible
- Foresee your opponent's "baits" - especially with the first couple of discards
- Do not speculate on a good hand
- Towards the end of the game, either play the score or try to keep under to stop your opponent from winning the game with tha
t hand
More Notes on Strategy
In online gin rummy observe your opponent's discards and
see which of your discards he picks up. Memorize all discards. This will allow you to deduce the structure
of opponent's hand.
It is ill-dvisable to go all out for the gin hand. The bonus of 25 is
not enough to compensate for the times when you should have knocked.
Usually a game ends at half-deck to two.thirds of stack, so try to knock in the first part of the deck.
It is usually better to draw a deck card than an upcard. This way your opponent is in the dark about the card that you got from the deck. Also taking an upcard means taking a card that your opponent does not need. If you draw from deck you may pick up
a card that your opponent needs for a gin hand.
There is an exception to the rule: pick the upcard when it can help you meld two other cards, thus eliminating some deadwood from the start.
If you can knock right after that, more power to you.
When you believe that your opponent is about to knock, (when more than half the deck is gone, etc), it may be better to take a low upcard and throw a high-value
deadwood.
It is good practice to keep high-ranking pairs and 2-card sequences acquired
early in the online game with the hope that your online opponent will discard a matching 3d card. It is also a good idea to delay
discarding high-ranking non-paired unmatched deadwood until later in the game to
stop the other player from creating high-ranking melds.
WHen arranging your melds after knocking, it is better to attach a card to a
set of 4 rather than a sequence (provided both are possible.) This way you
stop your online opponent from laying off his deadwood against it, attaching to
your meld.
Until half-deck moment is reached, keep the high-value potential
unmelded combinations (such as Jack plus King of Hearts hoping for the Queen of Hearts). After the half-deck, get rid of such cards ASAP. Make sure that your high card discards are not picked up bu your opponent.
- If there are unmatched high-value cards at the start of the game (with a low chance of creating
melds), then it is better not to discard them before reaching half-deck -- they may be
of value to your opponent. For example, discarding a Jack (10 points) if opponent
takes it will potentially give your opponent a meld of 3 Jacks. (and reduce his deadwood by 30 points) If, on the other hand, your opponent
discards cards that would have potentially created melds with your unmatched high-value
cards, it may be better to discard such high unmatched cards before half-deck; not in
the very beginning. Continuing the example with one unmatched Jack of Hearts at the
beginning of the game, if we see that the opponent discards one of his Jacks, it may
be safe to discard yours in the beginning. It might be atrick discard though. For example, if opponent discarded the Jack of Spades, and we assume that we can
safely discard our one and only Jack of Hearts because he cannot get 3 or more Jacks, he may
be able to take our Jack of Hearts to use in a meld with King of Hearts and Queen of
Hearts.
- Early on in the game it is best to discard a card ranking one or two away and in a different suit to the one previously discarded by opponent. For example,
if opponent discards 7 of Clubs. It is best to discard one of {8 of Diamonds, 8 or 6 of
Hearts, 8 or 6 of Spades, etc.}. If you do not have such a card, then discard a
card of rank equal to one discarded by opponent
- Seven is the most valuable card in the deck since you can make most melds with it. Therefore, you should be careful
discarding it too early in the online game since it can help your opponent
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