GRA Rules

1. Players shall be paired for the first match by a blind draw.
2. CUT FOR DEAL each new game. LOW card starts first deal and keeps score. Ace is low. Before starting play, be sure to count your cards.
3. DEALER SHUFFLES: Non-dealer may make additional shuffles and then cuts. Dealer may reshuffle and non-dealer may square cut only. That is the end of the action.
4. Each player is dealt alternately, 10 cards. The 21st card is turned face up in one slot of the gin rummy tray. The remainder of the deck is placed face down in the other slot. The UP CARD is the knock card, and its numerical value determines the number of points with which a hand can be knocked. If the up card is an ACE, the game must be played for gin. Scorer records the up card immediately to avoid later arguments. It is the responsibility of both players to see that the proper up card is recorded. If players disagree as to the up card of the hand in progress, the Tournament Director will tend to ACCEPT the up card as the one RECORDED ON THE SHEET.
5. If a player TOUCHES THE TOP OF EITHER PILE by mistake, he is not forced to take that card.
6. PLAY CONTINUES UNTIL: A player KNOCKS, A player GINS, or Neither player knocks or gins going through the draw pile until the 50 th card is drawn. Either player has action on the 50th CARD.
7. SCORE CARDS MUST BE SIGNED by the two players in the correct places at the conclusion of each game. Final scores must be shown in the proper column. Game number must be shown also.
8. WRONG NUMBER OF CARDS: If a player has more or less than ten cards: AND DISCOVERED BEFORE ONE PLAY IS MADE THERE IS A NEW DEAL. IF BOTH PLAYERS HAVE THE WRONG NUMBER OF CARDS AT ANY TIME DURING PLAY, THERE IS A NEW DEAL. IF ONE PERSON HAS THE WRONG NUMBER OF CARDS, AFTER PLAY HAS BEGUN, THE PLAYER WITH THE CORRECT AMOUNT HAS THE OPTION TO LET THE OPPONENT CORRECT HIS HAND OR THROW THE CARDS IN AND BEGIN A NEW HAND. THE DIRECTOR WILL INFORM THE PLAYER IF HIS OPPONENT HAS 9 SPREAD OR GIN. THE PLAYER CAN THEN THROW THE HAND IN OR CONTINUE PLAY.
9. IF A PLAYER GINS OR KNOCKS AND THE OTHER PLAYER HAS LESS THAN 10 CARDS THE PERSON WHO GINS GETS THE UNMATCHED POINT COUNT PLUS 10 POINTS FOR EACH MISSING CARD. IF A PLAYER HAS MORE THAN 10 CARDS, THE ADDITIONAL CARDS ARE COUNTED BY THEIR NUMERIC VALUE.
10. IMPROPER KNOCK: If a player makes an IMPROPER KNOCK, with his count being higher than the knock card, his hand must then be PLAYED OPEN, ALL TEN CARDS FACE UP. He MUST KNOCK when his point count is at the value of the knock or below. HE CANNOT BE FORCED TO KNOCK BY HIS OPPONENT. When a player makes an illegal knock with more than the knock card count, the opponent may accept the knock as proper, provided his point count is the same as the knock card or lower. (example; the knocking point is 8 and a player knocks with 10 points, the opponent with 8 points or less may accept the knock and get credit for the undercut). The opponent may also lay off points to get under the knock. When a player announces he is ginning or knocking or calls a number and starts to lay his meld down, he must continue to do so. If his hand is not a gin or his knock is not legal, he must play an open hand. The opponent may ask that the cards be spread for proper viewing but may not touch the cards himself.
11. If a player gins or knocks and TURNS THE WRONG CARD FACE DOWN , he can retrieve the card and rearrange his hand.
12. In DRAWING FROM THE DECK, if a player draws 2 cards, he will lose the use of the extra card he has seen. The extra card is put on the side until a discard is completed by the player. The opponent can take the discard or draw. When the opponent discards , the player cannot pick up the discard. The player must put the extra card on the discard pile. Play then resumes.
13. If a dealer takes the knock card out of turn, his opponent has the option to take the knock card or not, however, THE KNOCK CARD IS OUT OF PLAY FOR THE DEALER. If the opponent takes the knock card, then play resumes. If the knock card is not taken, the opponent draws and discards and play resumes.
14. The fact that a penalty may or may not be provided for an irregularity does not justify committing one deliberately. The cards should be thoroughly shuffled, and no effort should be made to remember the order from previous deals. Do not start to draw before your opponent has discarded. If you have no intention of taking your opponent’s discard, do not pretend that you are interested in it. If a player informs the Supervisor that he has played a specific player and in fact HE HAS NOT, he can be CREDITED WITH THE LOSS OF ONE GAME, although the other player is not credited with a win.
15. If a card is taken from the discard pile, the card can be discarded back into the tray, however, this constitutes a play. Your opponent cannot retake the card unless he uses it to knock.
16. Players can ask for a new deck of cards one time each. The changed deck cannot come back into play.
17. Once a count has been AGREED TO BY THE PLAYERS AND RECORDED BY THE SCORE KEEPER, the hand stands. CARDS SHOULD REMAIN UNSHUFFLED UNTIL THE CORRECT SCORE IS RECORDED.
18. Any 2 players who were not matched by the staff, can both be penalized with a loss of 1 game or eliminated from the contest. If a player gives a game away, both parties are subject to be eliminated from the contest.
19. During the course of the gin match, if there is ever a question about procedure or rules, the director should be called over to make the ruling. A player should not rely on the decision of his opponents.

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