Gin rummy, knock and undercut
Gin rummy is the two-player format. Ten-card hands, knock below ten, undercut rewards defence over aggression. The chapter below reads the format end to end so a reader can sit at a gin table knowing the rhythm and the knock rule before the first card is turned.
The ten-card hand
Two players, ten cards each, no printed jokers. The closed stock is the remainder of the 52-card deck; the top card is the upcard. Players alternate drawing from the closed stock or the upcard, then discarding one card to the upcard pile. The round ends on a knock, a gin, or an empty stock.
Knock below ten
A knock is a declaration where the unmatched cards sum to ten or fewer. The knocker lays the hand open; the opponent lays their hand open; the opponent's unmatched cards are counted. If the knocker's unmatched total is lower, the knocker scores the difference.
Gin and the bonus
A gin is a declaration with zero unmatched cards. The gin bonus is typically twenty-five points plus the opponent's unmatched cards. The bonus is format-specific. verify it on the operator's rulebook before joining the table. Most gin rooms set the gin bonus at twenty-five.
Undercut rewards defence
An undercut happens when the defender's unmatched total is equal to or lower than the knocker's. The defender scores the knocker's unmatched total plus a ten-point undercut bonus. The undercut rule rewards the player who reads the defender's pile well. Read the strategy chapter on defensive read.
Gin as the two-player format
Gin rummy is the format the desk recommends as the two-player table. The session is shorter than a 13-card pool, the read is deeper than a points round. Move to a 13-card table once a gin session ends with two consecutive gins. that is the rhythm that survives a multi-player pool.
Pick one format tonight, then read the chapter that breaks it.
The same eight chapters that built this handbook also explain why a particular round went wrong. Open the app, play a single round of this format, then come back to whichever chapter matches the moment that surprised you.