Have you ever heard of Oklahoma Gin or Tedesco? Great, if you have, and no problem if you haven’t, because we’re going to talk about these two popular variations of Gin Rummy, among others! You can find them and other exciting modifications as optional custom rules in the Gin Rummy Palace.
Make your selection, try something new, and find your favorite way to play Gin Rummy online! But before we get into it, let’s first clarify the default rules at the Gin Rummy Palace.
Gin Rummy Online: The Basic Rules
With our default settings, we offer the most popular set of rules: two players, 52 cards, no jokers, and 10 cards per player. You can find details about the gameplay in our Gin Rummy Rules.
We are also planning a four-player variation of Gin Rummy that expands the basic rules but can still be combined with the following Gin Rummy Custom Rules.
Variations of Gin Rummy tweak different aspects of the game: they expand the rules for melding and knocking, change the point values of certain cards, and alter the winning conditions. You can combine these Gin Rummy Custom Rules and test out many different game modes at the Gin Rummy Palace.
Custom Rules at the Palace
You can creatively modify the game at the Gin Rummy Palace when creating a table. You can choose from the rules Catch the Glass, Cyclic Sequences, Gin Pro, Boasting, Jokers, Oklahoma Gin, Rainbow Sequences, Tedesco, and Training. Let’s find out what each of them means in detail.
Additional Gin Rummy Melds
Two of our offered custom rules affect valid melds. According to the basic rules, valid combinations in Gin Rummy are called melds and consist of at least three cards. There are two types of melds: sets and sequences.
Cyclic Sequences
Using this custom rule, you can now also place the Ace after the King in sequences instead of exclusively before the Two.
Additionally, the Ace can also be placed between the Two and the King, allowing sequences to start with any card and not necessarily end after the King.
Rainbow Sequences
With this custom rule, you can declare rainbow sequences in addition to the classic sequences. This means you can meld exactly four cards with consecutive ranks in a rainbow sequence, where each of the four cards must have a different suit, alternating between black and red. For example, a valid rainbow sequence would be Ace of Hearts, Two of Spades, Three of Diamonds, Four of Clubs.
More Game Mechanics
If additional melds are not enough for you, you can modify the game even more creatively with the following two custom rules and add a twist or two to the gameplay. It may be advisable to familiarize yourself with the basic Gin Rummy Rules beforehand so that you can really enjoy these new elements.
Gin Pro
Winning a table becomes slightly more challenging: Not only do you have to reach a specific score, but you also need to win a minimum number of rounds. If you meet both conditions at the end of a round, you win, and the table ends automatically.
If both players meet both conditions at the same time, the player with the higher score wins.
Jokers
Three Jokers are added to the deck. You can use them instead of any other card in melds. To double your opponent’s deadwood points, discard a Joker when knocking. A Joker in the deadwood counts 15 points.
If you knock and meld a Joker, your opponent may place the fitting card from their deadwood onto the Joker. With that, this card doesn’t add to their deadwood anymore.
Modified Ending
To end a round of Gin Rummy by knocking, you are usually allowed to have up to 10 deadwood points. Deadwood points are the values of the cards in your hand that do not belong to a valid meld. There are no other restrictions. After knocking, the player with the fewest deadwood points wins the round.
In the basic game of Gin Rummy, after one or more rounds have been played, you win the table by reaching a predetermined total score first.
But that can be changed.
Oklahoma Gin
This custom rule affects the deadwood threshold for knocking. After dealing the cards, the bottom card of the draw pile is revealed and placed face-up underneath the pile, rotated by 90°, so that all players can see it throughout the round.
In this round, the deadwood threshold for knocking changes to the value of the open card. Since most cards in the game have a value lower than 10, this rule makes the threshold for knocking stricter in most cases. If an Ace is revealed, however, the threshold is not one but zero. This means you can only end this round with a Gin.
You can get a detailed look at the Oklahoma changes, their effects, and strategy adjustments in our lesson on Oklahoma Gin.
Tedesco
Tedesco also influences the rules regarding knocking, but also the Aces. By the way, it works particularly well in combination with the custom rule Cyclical Sequences. If Tedesco is in effect at the table and you knock, Aces in your opponent’s hand count as 15 points instead of one point.
However, if you draw a card from the discard pile, you can only knock in that turn if the drawn card belongs to one of your valid melds. It is no longer possible to draw a discarded Ace to reduce your deadwood points: If you cannot meld the drawn Ace, you are not allowed to knock immediately. And if your opponent knocks in their next turn, that Ace will cost you.
Check out our Tedesco Gin Lesson for an even more detailed look at the Tedesco changes, their effects, and strategy adjustments.
Want Some Bonus Points?
If you are looking for additional challenges in the game that also offer bonus points, we have two first-class options for you!
Boasting
You can boast in your turn if no other player already did so in this round. You cannot knock in the same turn, but you would receive bonus points for winning the round soon:
- If you knock and win in your first turn after you boasted, you gain 5 bonus points.
- You gain 10 bonus points in the second turn,
- And it’s even 20 bonus points in the third turn.
If you knock within the three turns but your opponent undercuts you, you get no bonus points for boasting.
If your opponent knocks within the three turns after you announce boasting, you also get no bonus points for boasting.
If you don’t knock within three turns after you boasted, your opponent gains 15 bonus points, no matter which player knocks and wins.
To find out how boasting works in detail and how you can adapt your style of play to this new mechanic, take a look at our Boasting Lesson.
Catch the Glass:
You may try to catch the glass once per turn to gain bonus points: If you think that cards in the discard pile amount to a meld, you state whether it is a group or sequence, and then the card rank or suit, respectively. You cannot catch melds that are enabled only via other custom rules!
If you are right, the cards are removed from the discard pile, and you gain 10 bonus points at the end of the round. If you miss, your opponent gains 10 bonus points instead.
Use our lesson on Catch the Glass to learn how it works in detail in the Gin Rummy Game and how it could change your game strategy.
Practice Makes Perfect
So that you can play as a newcomer without jeopardizing your position in the league, we offer the custom rule Training in all Palace Games. It allows you to try out Gin Rummy until you understand how it works. Afterward, nothing will stop you at other tables in the Gin Rummy Palace!
Training
This custom rule keeps the table’s result separate from the league. Therefore, the points you earn or lose here do not affect your league ranking, and your rating will neither decrease nor increase due to training. However, you will continue to accumulate experience points.
Your Gin Rummy, Your Choice!
Now that you have learned about the custom rules of the Gin Rummy Palace, it’s up to you how you play. In our Gin Rummy Game, you will find the “Create Table” option, where with a Premium Membership, you can select with a single click which rules should apply at your table.
Even without a Premium Membership, you can join tables with custom rules and enjoy the variety! When you play Gin Rummy online at our Palace, all players will be informed at the beginning of the table about the custom rules in effect, if applicable. This way, everyone knows what to expect.
By the way, if you want to review the custom rules during the game, you can access the table information via the three-line button at the edge of the screen. There you will find the effective custom rules.
More Gin Rummy
If you want to return to the roots after this excursion into the branches of Gin Rummy, click on the fitting page below. Should you be in the mood for a live and online game of Gin Rummy, don’t hesitate to visit the Gin Rummy Palace directly!
