Hollywood Gin♠

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Gin played on three scoreboards

Hollywood Gin changes the accounting of Gin Rummy rather than its cards. The name is associated with the game’s popularity in American film circles, while ordinary Gin is commonly credited to Elwood Baker and his son Graham. Accounts of the scoring format’s exact birth are less secure than the general association. A single real hand feeds several virtual games. We select a complete friendly profile with separate column openings for each player, fixed hand bonuses and a majority-of-columns match finish; club settlement schedules may differ.

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Ten cards and a three-column sheet

Use 52 cards without jokers for 2 players. Deal 10 each, turn 1 up as the discard and leave stock 31. Choose the first dealer randomly and alternate after every hand, including a draw. For each player prepare Game I, II, III, initially closed at 0, plus a personal count of hands won. The non-dealer may take the upcard; if declined, dealer may take it. If both decline, non-dealer draws stock. Whoever takes a card discards and the other player goes next.

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Draw, discard and reduce deadwood

Normally take 1 card from stock or the discard top, then discard 1. You cannot return the very discard you just took. Keep melds concealed: sets of 3 or 4 equal ranks, or sequences of at least 3 in one suit. A is low only: A 2 3 works, Q K A does not. A card belongs to only one meld. Unmelded cards are deadwood: A counts 1, number cards their number, J Q K each 10. No joker or wild card substitutes. If stock falls to 2 cards after a discard and nobody knocked, cancel the hand without points or a win count; reshuffle and change dealer.

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Knock, gin and undercut

After drawing, you may end by discarding face down and exposing your remaining hand if deadwood is at most 10. Knocking is optional. Opponent exposes melds, then may lay deadwood onto your melds, without reusing cards; you cannot lay off in return. If your deadwood is lower, score the difference. If opponent finishes equal or lower, opponent scores the difference plus 25 for undercut. At 0 deadwood declare gin: no opponent layoff, score 25 plus all opponent deadwood after their own melds. This profile has no Big Gin or additional box, shutout or end-game bonuses.

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Open columns independently and close at a hundred

Count wins separately for each player. Your first won hand enters I only; your second enters I and II; your third and every later win enters I, II and III. Enter the whole hand award in each eligible unfinished column, including any newly opened one. A rival’s win does not open your columns. Each column is a single contest between both players: as soon as either reaches at least 100 there, freeze both scores in that column and mark its winner. Never post later points there. Personal win counts continue even when earlier columns are finished. Play until all 3 columns are decided; winning at least 2 wins this match. Do not sum the columns to choose the winner in this selected majority profile.

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One hand, several entries

A holds 4♥ 5♥ 6♥, 9♣ 9♦ 9♠, A♣ 2♣ 3♣, K♦. Draw 7♥ and discard K♦: all 10 remaining cards meld, so gin. If B has 18 deadwood, A’s award is 25 + 18 = 43. If this is A’s second win after a 30-point first win, A’s columns change from 30 / 0 / 0 to 73 / 43 / 0. A later third award of 35 gives 108 / 78 / 35: column I closes for A. That third win still opens III even though I just ended. B’s opening count is independent.

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Common questions