The reason behind the rummy card game being so popular is its large number of variants. Among all those variants gin rummy and traditional rummy are the variants that are played the most around the world. If you are new to the game then it’s imperative that you know the difference between these two.
The number of players
When it comes to classic Indian rummy the number of players that can play this game on a table can be anywhere from two to six but in gin rummy online or offline the number of players are either two or four.
Choosing the dealer & objective
In the classic rummy online the cards will be dealt to you automatically by the game program as there is no involvement of a human dealer. However, if you play the same variant offline, for the first game/round the dealer will be chosen randomly and in the round/games ahead the opportunity to deal the card will move clockwise among the players on the table. Though in the gin rummy variant offline, every player will pick up a card from the shuffled deck and the player who gets the card with the lowest-value will have to deal the cards first. The same process will be followed after each hand in order to determine the dealer. Unlike in the classic variant, the chance to deal doesn’t move automatically.
After your rummy app download is successful for the classic rummy variant your key objective is to arrange the cards in valid sets and sequences and arrive at a score of zero or get as low a score as possible in the pool rummy mode. However for gin rummy the player’s objective is to arrange the cards in valid sets and runs/sequences until a player knocks or lays down their hand after forming necessary sets and runs.
How are the cards played?
The rules for the rummy card game’s classic variant say that every player has to draw a card from the closed deck or the open deck/discard pile on their turn. After they have picked a card, the player has to discard a card to the discard pile as well. If a player, however, opts to draw the top card from the discarded pile, the rules prohibit them from discarding the same card to the discarded pile in the same turn but while playing gin rummy, the player who isn’t dealing has the option to pick the topmost card from the open deck. If this player doesn’t opt to pick that card, the dealer gets this opportunity. In case even the dealer doesn’t want to choose that card either, the non-dealing player may pick a card from the closed deck.
Calculating the scores
In traditional rummy variants the face cards carry 10 points each and the numbered cards are worth their face value. At the time of the declaration the combined value of the unmatched cards in every rummy player’s hand is added and it is the total points by which a player/players loses the game. While in gin rummy online or offline the players have the two options of declaring their hand. They can either declare the hand after arranging all the cards in sets and runs with no deadwood. It’s called going gin, for which the player scores 25 points.
The second option is by way of knocking. If the sum of a player’s deadwood cards is less than 10, then the player may opt for knocking. The knocker’s score is equal to the difference between the values of the knocker’s deadwood cards and the deadwood cards of the opponent.
The Joker & Ace Card
The Joker card plays a huge role in the classic variant. After the shuffling process is over, a wild joker card is also selected randomly. All the cards that have the same face value as the randomly selected wild joker card but different suits become wild jokers. While no joker cards are used in the gin rummy.
The value of an Ace can be the lowest or highest in the classic version. An Ace card can be used to form a sequence with the 2 and 3 of the same suit or it can be used with the Queen and the King card of the same suit as well. While in gin rummy variant Ace cards have the lowest value.
