How to Knock in Gin Rummy
Quick answer
You may knock in gin rummy when, after you draw, you can discard one card and have 10 points or less in unmatched cards (deadwood). Discard face down, lay out your sets and runs, and your opponent may then lay off cards on them. The lower count wins the hand.
You can knock when your deadwood is 10 or less
Count only the cards that are not in a set or run: aces 1, number cards their number, jacks, queens and kings 10. If the total is 10 or less after your discard, you may knock. You can knock on any turn, including your first. You never have to.
Try it: tap the card you would discard
You have just drawn, so you hold eleven cards. Pick your discard, and the checker sorts the other ten and tells you whether you can knock.
Try it: can you knock?
Your eleven cards: Seven of hearts, Eight of hearts, Nine of hearts, Four of spades, Four of diamonds, Four of clubs, Four of hearts, Ace of spades, Two of clubs, Three of diamonds, King of spades.
Discard the K♠: your unmatched cards add up to 6. That is 10 or less, so you can knock.
The ten cards you keep, sorted into sets and runs:
In hand 1, throwing the K♠ leaves 6: a knock. In hand 2, throwing the K♣ leaves nothing at all: gin. Hand 3 can't get below 15 this turn, so you keep playing.
How to knock, step by step
- Draw as usual, from the stock or the discard pile.
- Put your discard face down on the discard pile. That is your knock.
- Lay your hand face up: each set and run together, the deadwood to one side. Say your count.
- Your opponent lays out their hand and lays off what they can.
- Compare counts and score the hand.
The defender may lay off cards on your melds
After you knock, your opponent arranges their own sets and runs. Then they may add loose cards to your sets and runs. Here the knocker has 1 in deadwood. The defender starts with 28, lays off 8♥, 9♥ and 5♣, and is left with 6.
Knocker's hand, with the defender's lay-offs added
What the defender has left
The knocker never lays off on the defender's melds. And if you go gin, the defender can't lay off at all.
The risk of knocking: an undercut
If the defender ends up with the same count as you or less, you are undercut. They score the difference plus 25 points. For example, knocking with 9 against a defender who holds only 2 gives the defender 32 points. That is why many players like to knock with a low count, not just any count under 10.
Knock early, unless gin is close
- Early in the hand, knock as soon as you can. Your opponent hasn't had time to build melds, so an undercut is unlikely.
- Later on, knock with a low count. After many turns, your opponent's deadwood is probably low too. A knock with 8 or 9 is risky then.
- Wait for gin only when you are one card away and several cards could complete you. Gin pays a 25-point bonus and can't be undercut.
- Watch the discards. If your opponent has been picking up cards that fit your melds, they may be able to lay off a lot.
More tips are on how to win at gin rummy.
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Questions people ask
What does it mean to knock in gin rummy?
Knocking ends the hand. You may do it when, after drawing, you can discard and have 10 points or less in unmatched cards. You discard face down and lay out your hand, and the other player gets a chance to lay off.
Do you actually knock on the table?
Some players still rap the table, but the rule books just say to place your discard face down. That face-down card is the signal that you are knocking.
Can you knock with 0 in gin rummy?
Yes, but that is called going gin. You get a 25-point bonus, your opponent can't lay off, and you can't be undercut.
Can you knock on the first turn?
Yes. If your first draw leaves you able to discard down to 10 or less, you may knock right away. It doesn't happen often.
What happens if you knock and the other player has less?
That is an undercut. The other player scores the difference plus a 25-point bonus (10 in older rules). A tie counts as an undercut too.
Is the knock limit always 10?
In standard gin rummy, yes. In Oklahoma gin, the first upcard sets a lower limit for each hand, and an ace means you may only go gin.