Deal your opponent and yourself 10 cards alternately. Place the remaining cards facedown; turn the top card faceup to start a discard pile. Your opponent plays first, taking this card if he can use it to develop matched sets and discarding one he can’t use. If he can’t use the faceup card, you can take it. If you can’t use it, your opponent draws one from the stockpile and discards. So it goes for the rest of the game, each player holding only 10 cards at a time.
Arrange the sets in your hand: three or more cards of the same rank or in sequence in a suit. Face cards are 10, aces 1, other cards their given value. When your deadwood (unmatched cards) is down to 10 points or less, you can knock by rapping on the table and discarding a card.
Spread out your hand. Your opponent does likewise and, if possible, lays matching cards on your sets-if you don’t go gin (have no deadwood). If you go gin, add his deadwood plus 25 points for your score. If he has more deadwood than you, subtract yours from his for your score. If his deadwood equals or is less than yours, he earns the difference plus 25 points. One hundred is the game. Add 25 points to your score for each hand you’ve won. If your opponent hasn’t scored a hand during the game, it’s a shutout; you get an extra 100 points.