Stuart Errol “Stu” Ungar

Stuart Errol “Stu” Ungar is still Gin Rummy’s most famous player of all time. His extreme competitiveness, fearlessness and photographic memory all helped him become the most-feared Gin player in Las Vegas. They also aided his transition to poker, namely No-limit Hold’em.

Ungar won his first Gin Rummy tournament at the tender age of ten and eventually dropped out of school to play professionally as a way to help support his mother financially after his father passed away. Eventually Ungar made his way to the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas, to seek fame and fortune and to play the best Gin players in the world.

There was nobody Ungar would not play and apparently could not beat, a fact proven when he annihilated high-stakes Gin pro Harry “Yonkie” Stein 86 games to none in one marathon session. Stein actually quit playing the game professionally not long after his embarrassing defeat to the man known as “The Kid”

His reputation became such that he almost found it impossible to find any action, instead he had to resort to giving rebates to losing players, allowing opponents to check the last card in the deck and even playing all hands in the dealer position. All these moves put him at a significant disadvantage, he still regularly cleaned up.

As he was unable to find anyone to play him at Gin Rummy on a regular basis, Ungar learned how to play poker, No-limit Hold’em in particular. His hyper-aggressive style and complete disregard for money saw him become an instant success and he eventually went on to win five World Series of Poker bracelets, including two for winning the Main Event.

Unfortunately for Ungar, he had many demons including addictions to other forms of gambling and drugs, the latter being responsible for his death in 1998. It is estimated he won over $30,000,000 during his career but he died with only $882 of a $10,000 loan on his person. A tragedy for such a genius.

One famous Ungar quote, which summed up his confidence perfectly, is: “Some day, I suppose it’s possible for someone to be a better No-limit Hold’em player than me. I doubt it, but it could happen. But, I swear to you, I don’t see how anyone could ever play Gin better than me.” I think he was correct.

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Rummy Royal is the foremost online provider of fully exciting rummy games to its enthusiasts from all over the world. It offers some sophisticated games of skill for those seeking enhanced game play. Whether you are an experienced player or a new comer to the game, Rummy Royal provides you a variety of games to indulge in. The mental challenge that these games provide, make the players coming back for more fun besides which Rummy Royal offers great rewards to its players in the form of various promotions. Luckily, US players are allowed to play at Rummy Royal.

Software

Rummy Royal is owned by RM Royal Media Ltd. and uses their patented software. The software is available in a flash version that is quick to download and has a very easy to use interface. It provides easy access to games while the 3-D graphics provide a realistic look to them. A score chart is provided that helps keep tab of all the points that you score. Also available are vast tutorials that are of great help to novices wanting to learn how to play. These help them understand the basics of the games and learn the strategies to use. Apart from this a live forum is available where players can interact with one another and discuss about their games and also invite each other for a new game about to take place.

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The games offered at Rummy Royal include the Traditional Rummy, Oklahoma Gin, Gin Rummy, Kalooki 40 as well as Kalooki 51. Ring games involve about one to three rounds and players are not eliminated as they are in tournaments. Points are calculated at the conclusion of the rounds and the contestant with the least number of points is the winner of the game.

Tournaments

Tournaments include single table, multi-table and guaranteed tournaments. There are about two to four players at a single-table tournament and after a number of rounds; the players who have reached their maximum number of penalty points are eliminated from the tournaments while the other players get to share the pool prize. On the other hand multi-table tournaments have several players competing for an enormous pool prize and the tournament totally depends on the skills of the players and their ability to hold on to the very last level, which could go on for a very long time.

Guaranteed tournaments are much sought after and their prize money is determined by the number of players in it and the amounts they wager on the pot. The best part of guaranteed tournaments and also the reason for its popularity, is the fact that if the total wagered amount does not tally with the assured prize amount, Rummy Royal fills in the difference, thereby making it a fully guaranteed cash prize. In case the stakes outdo the guaranteed limit, the prize pool is determined accordingly.

Bonus & Promotions

Rummy Royal offers new players a 100% sign up bonus of up to $200. Apart from this welcome bonus there are various promotions that are held every week and month that reward players very handsomely. Players can invite their friends to play at Rummy Royal and for every friend who plays cash games; the original member gets $20 as a reward.

Customer Support

The support team at Rummy Royal is available around the clock to answer any queries from the players. The experienced and efficient staff are helpful and always ready to help you as soon as possible. Players can contact the staff via email and telephone or through the live chat facility or the live forums for any questions or even to leave a feedback or views. The staff uses this information to improvise on their services and make the players’ experience much happier and entertaining.

One theory is that gin rummy can be traced to rules of a game with certain similarities in a game rule book published in the early 1000’s. This explanation links the game to the Chinese game, named Kon Khin, which was played with two Chinese decks of tiles consisting of 31 tiles each. The purpose was to build melds and reduce the value of unmatched cards in a player’s hand.

Another game believed to have roots to Gin Rummy was described in the 1864 edition of The American Hoyle as Whiskey Poker. The nomenclature reflects that it was most often played in saloons and the stakes were usually alcoholic beverages. In Whiskey Poker, five cards were dealt circularly to each player. One extra hand was included in the dealing process. This extra hand was called the “Widow”. Beginning with the player to the left of the dealer, each player had a chance to replace their hand with the “Widow” until the hand was claimed. If a player selected the “Widow”, the player would lay his hand face up on the table. This action started the hand and a process of discard and draw ensued. Players tried to create melds or spreads and reduce the value of unmatched cards in their hand.

The most commonly acknowledged inventor of Gin Rummy is Elwood T. Baker of Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Baker, a whist instructor at the renowned Knickerbocker Whist Club in New York, created most of the rules of today’s Gin Rummy in 1908. Baker was the first Rummy player to declare that a player could not claim his melds until that player achieved unmatched cards totaling ten or less. In the early 20th century, most card games were played in saloons and clubs. It has been speculated that as the game is often accompanied by alcoholic beverages, the prefix “Gin” was assigned by Baker’s son to the “draw and discard” Rummy feature. However, most early references to the game refer to it as either Gin Poker or Poker Gin.

Gin Rummy is a simple game using the 52 card deck and pitting two opponents trying to achieve 100 points. Each player receives ten cards with the 21st card being turned face up. Each player has the option of selecting the top card of the stock pile or the top card from the discard pile. After each selection, a player must discard. The object is to accumulate a sequence of three or more cards in one suit, or three or four cards of identical rank. In Gin Rummy, the Ace is always a card of low value. Cards that are not melded are called deadwood. When a player’s deadwood is ten or less, the player can declare a showdown. If the opponent has a lower deadwood tally than the declarer, that opponent is the winner of the hand.

While an uncomplicated game, Gin Rummy combines elements of deception and complexity. These qualities lend themselves well to strategy and wagering. Players learn the basic rules in a few minutes and then spend the rest of their lives perfecting a playing strategy. Over time, several different scoring systems have evolved. The most popular of which is Hollywood scoring, whereby three games are contested at the same time.

Baker’s 1909 game floundered for years before establishing a foothold in the U.S. in the years from 1927 – 1930. During The Great Depression, when fewer and fewer people went out for entertainment, Gin Rummy flourished. The fast paced game properly personified the nervous energy of the era. The game lost some momentum until the 1940’s when it was adopted by Hollywood, Broadway and the radio stars of the day. Many movies in this era featured or referenced Gin Rummy. Entertainers liked the pace and wagering action provided by Gin Rummy. Once the artists were on board, the popularity of Gin Rummy soared and the fad had started.

Gin was easier to learn than Contract Bridge and was conducive to family play. The game lent itself to a game on the train or at tables on or around the set or clubhouse. Part of the appeal of the game is that it could be halted for a period of time. Play could easily be resumed at a later time. Combining the stop and go capabilities of Gin Rummy with the ease of the rules made the game a natural for Hollywood and Broadway.

100 years after Baker developed his rules, the two biggest changes to the game are the new age distribution of the deal. Today, the dealer usually receives ten cards and the opponent receives eleven. The second change is the Hollywood scoring system that allows for three or more games to take place simultaneously. Usually the winner of each game in a Hollywood is the first player to accumulate 200 points. Combining the increased action with the pace of the game makes the game a natural for quick jolts of wagered prowess.

Gin Rummy team partnerships have also become popular. In the team concept, the partnership’s individuals compete against two opposing players. When the resulting scores are added together, the team with the highest point total has won the hand and receives the right to post a score in each open frame of the Hollywood.

In Hollywood Gin Rummy, a player who wins a hand scores his first winning score in the first game of the Hollywood, while the second winning score is entered in both the first and second games and the third winning score is entered into the first, second and third games. Each subsequent score is entered in all three games until a player or team goes out of a game.

Gin Rummy has a certain flow. Spectators observing a Gin Rummy hand are often bewildered by a play or strategy. It is particularly interesting how Gin Rummy players view the same ten cards. Each Gin Rummy hand reveals different strategies and personality traits. Therein lies the charm of Gin Rummy.

Oklahoma Gin is played with a standard 52 card deck. Aces are always low. Face cards have a rank value of 10. All other cards are ranked according to their numerical value. Suits are all ranked equally.

As in Gin Rummy, a “set” is a meld of three or four cards of identical rank. A “run” is a meld of at least three cards in sequential order and in the same suit. “Deadwood” is the term used to describe the unmatched cards in the player’s hand.

If there are two contestants, each player is dealt 10 cards. If there are more than two players, each player receives 7 cards. The dealer of the first hand is selected randomly. After the first hand, the winner of the previous hand is always the dealer. After the dealer has dealt each player the correct number of cards, the dealer turns one more card and begins the discard pile. This card is known as the “Knock” card and determines the maximum amount a player can knock for in that hand. So, if there are three players and the dealer deals each player seven cards, the 22nd card is turned and becomes the knock card. If that card is 6, any player can knock during the hand when their deadwood total is 6 or less points.

In Oklahoma Gin, there are three ways to win a hand. A player can Gin, knock or win by undercutting the knocker. To Gin, a player must draw a card from either the stock or discard pile, create melds for all cards in the hand and then declare Gin by turning the discard face down on the table. There are no unmatched cards in a Gin hand. The player then lays the melds face up on the table. When a player goes Gin, no other player can reduce their deadwood by laying off cards on the Gin hand or any other hand. The players then lay their melds down and total their deadwood.

When a player goes Gin, that player receives 25 points. The defeated players receive negative values equal to the amount of their deadwood. These scores are recorded on the score sheet. If a player is left with a queen, ace, two when another player goes Gin, that player’s deadwood total is 13 and his score for the hand is -13.

A player who decides to Knock is known as the Knocker. The player must draw a card from either the stock or discard pile and declare his intention to Knock by turning down one card and laying his melds face up on the table and his deadwood face up on the table. As described, the deadwood must be equal to or lower than the rank value of the first card turned by the dealer. Once a player Knocks, other players show their melds. These players can play cards from their deadwood to the Knocker’s original melds.

When a player knocks, that player receives a bonus of 10 points. The other players receive a negative score equal to the total of their deadwood less the amount of the knock.

The third way to win a hand of Oklahoma Gin is by “undercutting” the Knocker. When a player Knocks, he has declared a knock value equal to the total of his deadwood. If another player has a deadwood total equal to or lower than the Knock amount, that player has undercut the Knocker. This amount can be determined after a player has played off on the Knocker’s melds. The player who undercuts the Knocker receives a bonus of 20 points. Other players receive a negative score equal to the amount of the difference between their deadwood total and the amount of the undercut.

Game limits are set in advance but typically a game ends when a player scores 100 points. In some versions of Oklahoma Gin, the bonus amounts for Gin and the Undercut may vary. Players should make sure they understand all the table stakes and values prior to play.

Oklahoma Gin is a popular game with great strategy. Unlike Gin Rummy, Oklahoma Gin focuses on what the player wins rather than on what the player may lose. Watch out for the undercuts in Oklahoma Gin!