What's the Best Hand in Gin Rummy?
What is a Gin Hand?
A Gin hand has all 10 cards organized into valid melds (sets and/or runs) with no leftover cards (deadwood). When you "go Gin," you:
- Score your opponent's entire deadwood
- Earn a 25-point Gin bonus
- Block opponent from laying off cards onto your melds
Three melds: 3-4-5♥ + 8-8-8♠♦♣ + 10-J-Q-K♠ = 10 cards, 0 deadwood
Two melds: A-2-3-4-5-6♦ + 9-9-9-9♠♥♦♣ = 10 cards, 0 deadwood
Rarer: 4-5-6-7-8-9-10♣ + Q-Q-Q♥♠♦ = 10 cards, 0 deadwood
Big Gin (11-Card Gin)
In some Gin Rummy variants, you can declare Big Gin if all 11 cards (your 10 cards plus the drawn card) form melds without needing to discard. This earns a higher bonus (typically 31 points instead of 25).
- Draw a card that completes your hand
- All 11 cards form melds
- Declare Big Gin without discarding
Perfect Dealt Hands
Being dealt a Gin hand (10 cards already forming melds) before your first draw is extremely rare. The odds are roughly:
- Dealt Gin: Approximately 1 in 185,000 hands
- One card from Gin: Much more common, roughly 1 in 500
Best Strategic Hands
Beyond pure Gin, strong starting hands have:
- Connected cards: Cards close in rank and suit (4-5-6♠ potential)
- Pairs: Two cards of same rank can become sets
- Low deadwood potential: Aces and 2s are safer to hold
- Flexible cards: Middle cards (5-6-7-8) work in more runs
4-5-6♥, 8-9♠, 3-3♦♣, A♦, 2♣
One run, one near-run, a pair, and low deadwood (1+2=3 points). Lots of Gin potential!
Hand Rankings (Best to Worst)
| Hand Type | Description | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Big Gin | 11 cards melded, no discard | +31 points |
| Gin | 10 cards melded, 0 deadwood | +25 points |
| Low Knock | 1-3 deadwood points | None (but safe) |
| Standard Knock | 4-10 deadwood points | None |