The deal is an essential part of the Gin Rummy game. It is something that people commonly do wrong, but yet it is one of the most simple parts of the game.
First you start by shuffling. This should be obvious, but you need to shuffle the cards well. Card shufflers can be found at any game or discount store for a relatively low cost, and they come in handy especially if you are playing a large game with 6 or 8 people. It makes it easy if you have one or two decks shuffling while you are playing the game. It not only makes it quicker but then there are no disputes as to how the cards were shuffled. If you have only two people and you are shuffling by hand then each person must shuffle the deck before dealing. The dealer shuffles first, and then gives the deck to the non-dealer who shuffles last.
Second, after the shuffling is complete, you spread all the cards out face down on the table. Each player draws a card from within the center 40 cards. This means that you should not draw from the 6 cards on the left, or the 6 cards from the right. The person who picks the lowest card automatically deals the first hand. If you have two people that pick the same ranked card and they are the lowest then those two people redraw until someone has a lower cards.
Third, you shuffle again. The non-dealer cuts the deck and returns the pack to the dealer so that he or she can deal the hand. Again, the person with the lowest card deals first, but after the first hand the loser of each individual hand deals the following hand. You do not go “around the table” as in other card games, which is especially important to remember when you are playing a partnership game.
Finally, the dealer then deals the cards. It is done one at a time, putting the cards face down when dealing to his opponent first, and then to himself. He alternates dealing the cards until each player has 10 cards each. The next card, which is the 21st card, is dealt face down to the non –dealer so that non-dealer has 11 cards and the dealer has 10. The remaining cards in the pack are placed face down in either the middle of the table or in one section of a 2-sectional box to form what is called the stock.
Then, you can let the game begin!