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.