🂡 Gin Rummy Deadwood Calculator

Deadwood is the total value of cards not used in a set or run. Enter how many of each rank are left in your hand and this tool totals your deadwood using standard Gin Rummy values: Ace = 1, number cards = face value, face cards = 10.

Aces (value 1 each)

Face cards J/Q/K (value 10 each)

How deadwood is valued

Enter how many of each rank are left over once your sets and runs are laid aside. The tool multiplies each count by its standard point value and adds them up:

ace         1 point
2 to 10     face value
J, Q, K     10 points each
deadwood = aces + ∑(count × rank) + 10 × face cards

Say your melds leave you holding K, Q, 7, 3 and an ace. That is two face cards for 20, plus 7, plus 3, plus 1 — 31 deadwood, far too much to knock. Trade the king and queen for a pair of deuces and it falls to 15; lose the seven as well and you are at 8, legal to knock. The readout splits aces, number cards and face cards so you can see which few cards are carrying the weight.

Using it during a hand

Count only unmatched cards. Anything already in a set of equal ranks or a run of three in one suit is not deadwood. There are no suits in this tool, so it cannot spot your melds for you — set them aside first.
Ten is the knocking line. Ten or fewer points of deadwood lets you knock; zero is gin. Shed big cards early, as one king eats the whole allowance.
Score the round from the difference. The knocker takes the gap between the two deadwood totals. Gin adds a 25-point bonus, and an undercut, where the defender ends up equal or lower, usually pays 25 as well.

The J, Q and K share one field because they are worth the same 10 points. Enter three of them as 3, not as separate ranks.

Frequently asked questions

How many points is an ace in gin rummy?

One. It is the cheapest card to be caught with, and it is low in runs too: A-2-3 is valid, Q-K-A is not.

How much deadwood can you knock with?

Ten points or fewer. Knocking with 10 exactly is legal, though it leaves you wide open to an undercut, so many players wait for 5 or less.

What is the most deadwood a hand can hold?

100, from ten face cards. In practice anything above about 40 means your hand never came together and you should be playing to deny cards rather than to knock.