Gin Rummy vs Rummy 500
Both games use the same building blocks: sets of three or four of a rank and runs of three or more in a suit. What you do with them is different. In Gin Rummy you keep your melds in hand and try to get your unmatched cards, your deadwood, down to 10 or less so you can knock before your opponent does.
In Rummy 500 you lay melds on the table as you make them and score their value, and you can dig into a spread-out discard pile to take a card along with everything above it. It plays with two to four players and the first to 500 points wins.
Side by side
| Gin Rummy | Rummy 500 | |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Two-player rummy: draw, discard, and knock when your unmatched cards total 10 or less. | Meld sets and runs, take deep into the discard pile, and race to 500 points. |
| Players | 2 | 2–4 |
| Family | Rummy | Rummy |
| Type | Table game, bots or friends | Table game, bots or friends |
| Options | Play to: 100 points or Single hand; Big Gin: Off or On | Standard rules only |
| Online turn timer | 30 seconds | 45 seconds |
The differences that matter
- Players: Gin Rummy is strictly two players; Rummy 500 takes two to four.
- Scoring: Gin Rummy scores the gap in deadwood when a hand ends; Rummy 500 scores the cards you melded minus the cards left in your hand.
- Discard pile: in Gin Rummy you may take only the top discard; in Rummy 500 you may take any card from the spread pile together with all cards above it, but must use the deepest one at once.
- Ending a hand: Gin Rummy ends when someone knocks or goes gin; Rummy 500 ends when a player empties their hand.
- Length: Gin Rummy can be a single hand or a race to 100; Rummy 500 is always a race to 500.
Which should you play?
Choose Gin Rummy if you want a sharp head-to-head game where reading your opponent's discards decides most hands.
Choose Rummy 500 if you have three or four players, or you enjoy big turns where one grab from the discard pile sets up several melds.
How to play Gin Rummy
Each player gets 10 cards. Draw from the stock or the discard pile, then discard. Melds are sets of 3-4 of a rank or runs of 3+ in a suit (aces are low). Unmatched cards are deadwood.
First turn: the non-dealer may take the upcard or pass, then the dealer; if both pass, the non-dealer draws from the stock.
Knock when your deadwood is 10 or less after discarding. The opponent may lay off cards on your melds. You score the difference; if the opponent's deadwood is equal or lower it is an undercut and they score 25 plus the difference. Gin (no deadwood) scores 25 plus the opponent's deadwood and allows no layoffs. With Big Gin all 11 cards meld for 31 plus deadwood.
A hand is dead if only two stock cards remain. Play to 100 (plus a 100 game bonus) or play a single hand.
How to play Rummy 500
Draw one card from the stock, or take any card from the spread discard pile together with all cards above it. The deepest card you took must be used immediately in a meld or laid off.
Meld sets (3-4 of a rank) and runs (3+ in a suit, ace low or high). You may lay off single cards on anyone's melds. Then discard one card.
A round ends when a player empties their hand. You score the value of the cards you melded minus the cards left in your hand. Aces are 15 (1 in A-2-3), face cards 10.
First to 500 points wins (highest score if several pass 500).