How to Score Gin Rummy
Quick answer
Here is how to score gin rummy. When a player knocks, both players count their unmatched cards (deadwood), and the knocker scores the difference. Gin scores a 25-point bonus plus the opponent's deadwood. If the defender has the same or less, it is an undercut: the defender scores 25 plus the difference.
The first player to 100 wins and adds a 100-point game bonus and 25 points for every hand won.
You score only the cards that don't fit
A hand of gin rummy ends when someone knocks or goes gin. Both players lay their cards face up in sets and runs. The cards left over are deadwood, and only they count:
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 to 10 | face value |
| Jack, queen, king | 10 |
Then one of three things happens:
| What happened | Who scores | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Knock, knocker has less deadwood | Knocker | The difference |
| Gin (no deadwood at all) | Gin player | 25 + opponent's deadwood |
| Undercut (defender has the same or less) | Defender | 25 + the difference |
Try any hand in the score calculator
Pick one of the four deals, or open “Change the cards” and build your own. The calculator sorts both hands, makes every lay-off the defender can, and adds up the points the same way our game does.
Gin rummy score calculator
Pick a deal and the bonus values. The calculator lays out both hands, makes the best lay-offs for the defender and adds up the points.
Knocker
Defender
Cards marked “laid off” in the knocker's melds came from the defender's hand.
Knock: the knocker scores 5 points.
- The knocker's unmatched cards add up to 1.
- The defender starts with 28, lays off 8♥, 9♥ and 5♣ on the knocker's melds, and is left with 6.
- The knocker has less, so the knocker scores 6 − 1 = 5 points.
A knock scores the difference in deadwood
In the plain-knock deal, the knocker's leftover card is the 5♣, worth 5. The defender is left with 2♠, 4♣, 4♠ and Q♦, worth 20. The knocker scores 20 − 5 = 15 points.
Lay-offs can shrink the defender's count a lot
Before anything is counted, the defender may add (lay off) unmatched cards onto the knocker's sets and runs. In the lay-off deal, the defender starts with 28 points of deadwood. They lay off 8♥, 9♥ and 5♣ and are left with only 6. The knocker still wins, but scores just 6 − 1 = 5 instead of 27.
Only the defender lays off, and never after gin.
An undercut pays the defender a bonus
If the defender ends up with the same or less deadwood than the knocker, the knocker has been undercut. In the undercut deal, the knocker knocks with 9, but the defender has only 2. The defender scores 9 − 2 = 7, plus the 25-point bonus: 32 points. With the older 10-point bonus it would be 17.
Gin pays a bonus and can't be undercut
With zero deadwood, you go gin. The defender may not lay off, so every unmatched card counts. In the gin deal, the defender holds A♠, 3♠, 5♥ and 10♦, worth 19. Gin scores 25 + 19 = 44 points (39 with the older 20-point bonus). Notice the 3♠: it would fit the knocker's melds, but after gin it still counts.
Big gin is a house rule: if all 11 cards fit after you draw, you go out without discarding for a bigger bonus, often 31. Our game doesn't use it.
The game bonus and box bonus are added at the end
- Game: the first player to reach 100 wins the game and gets 100 extra points.
- Box (or line) bonus: each player gets 25 points for every hand they won. Older rules give 20. It doesn't count toward reaching 100.
- Shutout: if the loser scored nothing all game, the game bonus doubles to 200.
The final difference between the two totals is the margin of victory. If you play for stakes, that is what changes hands.
Here is a whole game, scored on paper
Pat and Lee play the four deals above. Write each player's running total in a column. Our engine played this game through, including the bonuses at the end.
| Hand | What happened | Points | Pat | Lee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pat knocks | 15 to Pat | 15 | 0 |
| 2 | Lee goes gin | 44 to Lee | 15 | 44 |
| 3 | Pat knocks | 5 to Pat | 20 | 44 |
| 4 | Lee knocks, Pat undercuts | 32 to Pat | 52 | 44 |
| 5 | Pat goes gin | 44 to Pat | 96 | 44 |
| 6 | Pat knocks | 15 to Pat | 111 | 44 |
| Game bonus | 100 | — | ||
| Box bonus (25 per hand won) | 5 × 25 = 125 | 1 × 25 = 25 | ||
| Final total | 336 | 69 | ||
Pat reached 111 and won, 336 to 69: a margin of 267.
Want to skip the pencil? Our free gin rummy game keeps this sheet for you and explains every point.
If you like Gin Rummy, try
Canasta
2–6 players · 60 min · Learn in a game or two
Meld sevens of a kind with your partner. Red threes are a bonus.
Hand and Foot
2–6 players · 90 min · Learn in a game or two
Canasta’s big-family cousin: play your hand, then pick up your foot.
Phase 10 rules
2–6 players · 60 min · Easy to learn
Rules, the list of all 10 phases and free score sheets.
Questions people ask
How many points do you get for gin in gin rummy?
A 25-point bonus plus all of your opponent’s unmatched cards. In our example, the opponent had 19, so gin was worth 44. Older rule books, including pagat’s main rules and Bicycle Cards, give 20 for gin instead of 25.
What happens if the knocker and the defender have the same deadwood?
It is an undercut. A tie goes to the defender, who scores the difference (zero) plus the 25-point undercut bonus. So never knock unless you are sure you have less.
Do face cards count 10 in gin rummy?
Yes. Jacks, queens and kings count 10 each, aces count 1, and every other card counts its number. Only unmatched cards are counted.
What is the box or line bonus in gin rummy?
At the end of the game each player gets a bonus for every hand they won: 25 points per hand in modern rules, 20 in older ones. It is added only after someone reaches 100, so it never decides who wins.
What is a shutout in gin rummy?
When the loser scored nothing in the whole game. Then the winner’s 100-point game bonus is doubled to 200. Some players double all of the winner’s points instead.
How many points do you play to in gin rummy?
100 is standard for two players. Oklahoma gin is usually played to 150, and four players in teams often play to 125.