Oklahoma Gin Rummy Strategy

Flash Rummy Online Gaming Guide
Online Oklahoma Gin Strategy

Implementing a winning online Oklahoma Gin strategy is actually a very basic concept, as the game of Oklahoma Gin is quite random. A player is not looking for a specific hand, like in poker, but rather cards that will form into a good hand.

There is no Specific Oklahoma Gin Strategy. Instead a player must follow a few strategic guidelines that will give them a better chance of winning at Oklahoma Gin. These are the kind of Oklahoma Gin strategies that a player normally learns by playing the game often, but even a novice can start winning at Oklahoma Gin in no time by remembering to follow these Oklahoma Gin tips, when applicable.

Oklahoma Gin Strategy Tip #1 - The Deck

Only a single 52-card deck is used with no Jokers or wild cards. When forming Sets and Runs, a player must pay close attention to the deck. Once a card falls into the discard pile, if the next player does not pick it up, it is gone forever. If another player does pick it up, you may not see it again for a long time. By staying aware of the deck at all times, a player will know when they should reconsider their growing Melds.

Oklahoma Gin Strategy Tip #2 - The Stock Pile

It is very important to draw from the Stock Pile when feasible, especially at the beginning of a game. Taking from the Open Pile gives your opponents information about your hand. Your hand should remain as concealed as possible for as long as possible. Do not pass up the opportunity to retrieve a card you truly need, but consider whether you truly need it before picking it up. In addition, drawing from the Open Pile means taking cards your opponent did not need. To draw from the Stock Pile may be preventing your opponent from getting a card they needed.

Oklahoma Gin Strategy Tip #3 - Knocking

A player should always knock as soon as possible, especially in an online Oklahoma Gin game. The only exception to this rule is when you are way behind in score, your opponent is near to winning and you are close enough to Going Gin to be worth the effort.

High value cards should only be collected towards the beginning of a hand. The average Oklahoma Gin game lasts through about half of the deck. When you are nearing this point, get rid of all high value deadwood. This will allow you to knock sooner, or at least give your opponent a lower score if he knocks first.

Oklahoma Gin Strategy Tip #4 - Watch Your Opponent

Always pay very close attention to what your opponents are discarding. There are several benefits of be aware of your opponents actions and intentions.

• Know what Melds to Develop: Remembering what has been discarded throughout the Oklahoma Gin game will tell you whether or not a Meld should be collected. For instance, if you are trying to Meld 3h-4h with a missing 2h or 5h, and the 5-of-hearts is in the Open (Discard) Pile, your chances of completing the Meld have been reduced by half. You may be better off collecting a different Meld. Sets should be watched the same way. There are only 4 of each card in a deck, and 3 are required to Meld a Set. If you are collecting 7-7 and 9-9, if an 9 is lost into the Open Pile, continuing to collect 9's will be very difficult.

• Know what is Safe to Discard: Knowing what your opponent discards can tell you what cards are the safest to discard back to him. For instance, if you opponent discards an 8, he is not building a Set of 8's. Notice the suit of the 8, as he is not likely collecting that suit in the vicinity of an 8. A 7 or 9 of the same suit might be a good discard. (There is an exception to this rule - see Oklahoma Gin Strategy Tip #4 - Baiting your Opponent below).

• Know what Builders to Keep: By remembering what cards an opponent is taking from the Open Pile, you can gather information as to what he is collecting. Not only will this help you in choosing what not to discard to him, but it will let you know what cards to hold onto in hopes of Building on his Melds later in the game. For instance, your opponent picks up a 10 of spades; he is either building a Set of 10's or a Run of high spades. Discarding any 10, or an 8, 9, J or Q of spades would be a bad idea until you can gather more information from the opponent's discards and Open Pile draws.

• Combining the Above Knowledge: When a player successfully watches his opponent in the manners described above, he has a much higher chance of winning at Oklahoma Gin. Remembering your opponent's discards, plus pick ups, throughout the game can give you a wealth of knowledge. For instance, let's say your opponent has discarded a 5 of Clubs in the early stages of the game, then picks up a 5 of Diamonds from the Open Pile a few plays later. You now know he is collecting a Run of Diamonds, adjacent to the 5, and not a Set of 5's.

Oklahoma Gin Strategy Tip #5 - Baiting Your Opponent

Baiting your opponent is one of the oldest strategy tricks in the book. Baiting is generally done in the first 3 to 4 discards of the game. To bait your opponent, discard a card that is near to a Run you want to collect, such as discarding a 9 of Diamonds while keeping a 6 and 7 of Diamonds. The bait is intended to cause your opponent to discard the 8 of Diamonds, thinking you must not be collecting Diamonds anywhere near a 9.

A good example of baiting your opponent would be done in the following manner. For this example, we'll say Bob and Tom are the players.

Bob's Hand: 2h, 2c, 3d, 5d, 6c, 7s, 8s, Jh, Jd, Ks
Tom's Hand: Ac, 2d, 3h, 3d, 6s, 7d, 9c, 10h, Qd, Kh

On Bob's first turn, he discards the 6c (6 of clubs). The reason for this is to draw a discard of 6s from his opponent - the card needed to complete a Run of 6s-7s-8s. Since Tom now knows Bob is not collecting a Set of 6's, and Tom does not need the 6 he is holding, he may be inclined to discard the 6s. This is an example of successful baiting.

Baiting can be done with Sets as well.

Notice that Bob has a 2h and 2c. If Bob discards the 3d, Tom will be led to believe that 1) Bob is not collecting 3's, and 2) Bob is not collecting a low Run of diamonds. This makes it seem safe to discard Tom's 3h or 2d. While 3h is safe, the 2d would complete Bob's Set.

As effective as baiting can be, players must be careful not to fall for that same bait!

Oklahoma Gin Strategy Tip #6 - Lucky Number Seven

The 7 is considered to be the most useful card in Oklahoma Gin. The number 7 is the most frequently used card in building Runs. If you have surmised that your opponent is building a Run with Clubs, it is not recommended to discard the 7 of Clubs. It is also not recommended to collect a Set of 7's because your opponents are less likely to get rid of them.

Oklahoma Gin Strategy - Key Points to Winning

1. Score and Knock as quickly as possible

2. Anticipate 'Baits' - do not discard any cards that fall near the Run or Set of your opponent's first 4 discards.

3. When nearing the end of a match, only play for the points you need to win. Do not attempt to Go Gin when you only need 5 or 10 points to win the match - this is pointless. In the same token, if your opponent is significantly nearer to victory than you, go for highest points by Going Gin.

Oklahoma Gin Strategy - Playing Oklahoma Gin Online

When playing Oklahoma Gin Online, strategies can be added for best results. This is especially handy when playing Oklahoma Gin online for real money. Use the following tips for the best winning strategy.

1. Take Notes! Playing Oklahoma Gin online means you can write down every card a player discards. Take advantage of this by opening a NotePad file, or simply using pen and paper to keep track of all discards. Be quick though, opponents do not like slow players. This is easiest to do when playing a 2 player game. 3 players can be too hard to keep track of effectively.

2. Go For Fast Points. Always gain points as quickly as possible by knocking. Drawing out a long game in hopes of a 25 point bonus for Going Gin is not usually worth the effort. Score and Knock as quickly as possible.

3. When the deck starts running low, your opponent may be getting ready to knock. If you suspect a knock coming soon, get rid of your highest-value cards in exchange for low, draw cards.

Oklahoma Gin Strategy - Other Useful Information

1. There are 13 possible Sets (3 or 4 cards of equal value) in a single hand of Oklahoma Gin. (A-A-A, 2-2-2 ... Q-Q-Q, K-K-K)

2. There are 44 possible Runs (3 cards in sequence, same-suit) in a single hand of Oklahoma Gin.

 

3. It is much easier to extend a Melded Run than a Melded Set. Runs can usually extend in two directions where a Set of 3 can only be built with the exact, equal value card. This makes it twice as likely to extend a Run than a Set.

    

Where to Play Oklahoma Gin Rummy Online

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