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Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy against WOPR, first to 100 points. The panel shows WOPR’s face-down hand, the stock and the top discard. It also shows your hand sorted into melds, with your deadwood count.

Start it 

wopr gin

Or log on, type LIST GAMES, and pick number 3 from the list. It also answers to 3, gin-rummy and rummy.

Screenshots

Click or tap a screenshot to see it larger.

The opening panel: WOPR’s ten cards face down, the stock, and the JC on the discard pile. Your hand has the 3H-4H-5H run (MELDS 1-3) and 61 deadwood.
The opening panel: WOPR’s ten cards face down, the stock, and the JC on the discard pile. Your hand has the 3H-4H-5H run (MELDS 1-3) and 61 deadwood.
Three melds after drawing from the stock: eights, jacks and the heart run (MELDS 1-3 4-6 7-9). The deadwood is 11 before the discard.
Three melds after drawing from the stock: eights, jacks and the heart run (MELDS 1-3 4-6 7-9). The deadwood is 11 before the discard.
KNOCK 6C: you knock with 5 deadwood. WOPR lays off the 2H and 6H on your heart run, and you score 45.
KNOCK 6C: you knock with 5 deadwood. WOPR lays off the 2H and 6H on your heart run, and you score 45.

How to play

  • Each side holds ten cards. A meld is three or four cards of one rank, or a run of three or more in one suit. Aces are low: A-2-3 is a run, Q-K-A is not.
  • Cards outside your melds are deadwood. Aces count 1, face cards count 10, and other cards count their number. The panel shows your DEADWOOD and which positions are MELDS.
  • On your turn, WOPR asks STOCK OR DISCARD? Answer S to draw from the stock, or D to take the top discard. Then at DISCARD: name a card (7H) or its position on the panel. You cannot discard the card you just took from the discard pile.
  • With 10 or less deadwood after your discard, type KNOCK and the card (KNOCK 7H) to end the hand. With no deadwood, GIN 7H goes gin. Except after gin, the other side’s cards are laid off on the knocker’s melds for it.
  • The knocker scores the difference in deadwood. If the other side has as little or less, that is an undercut. Then the other side scores the difference plus 25. Gin scores 25 plus the other side’s deadwood.
  • At NEXT HAND? press Enter to deal again, or type LEAVE. A hand ends with no score when the stock has only two cards left.

Controls

You typeWhat it does
S or STOCKdraw the top card of the stock
D or DISCARDtake the top card of the discard pile
7H or 3at DISCARD:, discard that card, by name or by its position on the panel
KNOCK 7Hdiscard the 7H and knock (10 or less deadwood)
GIN 7Hdiscard the 7H and go gin (no deadwood)
Enterat NEXT HAND?, deal the next hand
LEAVEat NEXT HAND?, stop with the score so far
Esc, Escleave the game and return to WOPR

Tips for winning

  • WOPR knocks as soon as its deadwood is 10 or less, so hands are short. Discard high cards that are not in a meld (kings, queens and jacks) early.
  • Keep your deadwood low even when you cannot knock. If WOPR knocks and you have as little deadwood or less after laying off, you score an undercut. An undercut scores the difference plus 25.
  • WOPR takes the discard only when it goes straight into a meld. Watch which cards it takes. Do not discard cards of the same rank, or cards next to them in the same suit.
  • WOPR discards the card that leaves it the least deadwood. A card of the same rank as one it just discarded is less likely to help it.

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