- Big Gin
- A special achievement where a player holds 11 cards (without discarding) and all 11 form complete melds with zero deadwood. Typically awards a larger bonus than standard gin.
- Box Bonus
- A bonus of 25 points awarded for each hand won during the game. Box bonuses are tallied at the end of the game and added to the winner’s final score.
- Deadwood
- Cards in a player’s hand that are not part of any meld. The total point value of deadwood determines whether a player can knock and how the hand is scored. Face cards count as 10, aces as 1, and numbered cards at face value.
- Discard Pile
- The face-up pile of cards next to the stock pile. Players may draw the top card of the discard pile on their turn instead of drawing from the stock. Each turn ends by placing one card face up on the discard pile.
- Draw
- The action of taking a card at the start of your turn, either from the top of the stock pile (face down) or the top of the discard pile (face up). Also refers to a hand that ends without a winner when the stock is nearly exhausted.
- Game Bonus
- A bonus of 100 points awarded to the player who reaches the target score (typically 100 points) and wins the game. Added to the winner’s total at the end of scoring.
- Gin
- Ending a hand with zero deadwood — every card in the hand is part of a meld. The player who goes gin scores the opponent’s total deadwood plus a 25-point bonus, and the opponent cannot lay off cards.
- Hollywood Scoring
- A scoring variant where three games are played simultaneously. The first hand won counts in Game 1, the second hand won counts in Games 1 and 2, and the third hand won onward counts in all three games. This increases the stakes and speeds up overall play.
- Knock
- Ending a hand by revealing your cards when your deadwood totals 10 points or less. After knocking, the opponent reveals their hand, lays off cards if possible, and deadwood totals are compared for scoring.
- Layoff
- After an opponent knocks, the non-knocking player may add their unmatched cards to the knocker’s melds to reduce their own deadwood. For example, if the knocker has a set of three 9s, the opponent can lay off their own 9. Layoffs are not allowed when a player goes gin.
- Meld
- A valid combination of cards. There are two types: sets (3 or 4 cards of the same rank) and runs (3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit). Forming melds is the primary objective of the game.
- Oklahoma Gin
- A popular variant where the rank of the first upcard determines the maximum deadwood allowed to knock for that hand. For example, if the upcard is a 4, a player can only knock with 4 or fewer deadwood points. If the upcard is an ace, the hand must be played for gin only.
- Run
- A meld of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit. Aces are always low in Gin Rummy, so A-2-3 is valid but Q-K-A is not.
- Schneider
- Also called a shutout. Occurs when the losing player fails to win a single hand during the entire game. Many scoring systems double the winner’s total score (including bonuses) as a penalty for a schneider.
- Set
- A meld of three or four cards of the same rank but different suits. A set cannot contain two cards of the same suit.
- Stock Pile
- The face-down pile of undealt cards from which players draw. After dealing 10 cards to each player and turning one card face up, the stock contains 31 cards. If the stock is reduced to two cards without a knock, the hand ends in a draw.
- Straight Gin
- A variant where knocking is not allowed. Players must go gin (achieve zero deadwood) to end a hand. This version increases the length and strategic depth of each hand.
- Undercut
- When the non-knocking player has deadwood equal to or less than the knocker. The non-knocking player wins the hand and scores the difference in deadwood plus a 25-point undercut bonus. Undercuts are a powerful comeback mechanic.
- Upcard
- The first card turned face up from the stock pile at the beginning of a hand, which starts the discard pile. In Oklahoma Gin, the upcard’s rank determines the maximum deadwood allowed for knocking.
- Wild Card
- Not used in standard Gin Rummy. In the Oklahoma Gin variant, some house rules treat the upcard suit as wild (typically when the upcard is a spade, point values are doubled). True wild cards that substitute for any card are not part of traditional Gin Rummy.
