Gin Rummy History

The game of Gin or Gin Rummy has been around for over one hundred years. The game has been popular with gamblers, families, men and women throughout history. As with any history there are several thoughts as to its origin. Below are a few brief overviews on Gin Rummy history.

In the late Nineteenth century, Gin Poker was popular. Some consider Gin Poker to be the forerunner of Gin Rummy. Gamblers played Gin Poker in saloons and other gambling gathering spots. The rules of Gin Poker are very much like the rules to Gin Rummy, with the exception of a different point system.

Gin first appeared on the scene, in its current format, at the beginning of the 20th century. Some historians have recognized a member of the Knickerbocker Whist Club, Elwood Baker, as the originator of the game. Elwood Baker’s son came up with the name of the game based off of the beverages of gin and rum. Gin was popular immediately. It then rode waves of highs and lows where it was forgotten about and then re-gained popularity in the late 1920s and the 1940s. At that time, the movie and radio personas made the game popular again through the media of film and sound. It was featured in movies and became equally popular among the stars of California and New York.

Conquian and Elwood Baker

Many people feel that Gin came from the Mexican or Spanish (depending on which source is the accurate one) game of the 1800s called Conquian. In Conquian, the stakes were fixed and the play was simpler. Some believe that Elwood re-worked Conquian into gin, re-worked the scoring system, and made the game possible to have a monetary stake for the gamblers.

Regardless, Gin has once again made a comeback. This time it is most popular among the technical and on-line groups. History is constantly being made and the same is true with Gin. For example, there is software available so people can play against a computer. There are also games available on-line. Examples include sites such as Red Hot Rummy, Rummy Royal, Money Gaming and Game Colony where you can play for free or for cast prizes. Other sites only offer Gin against a computer such as Net Gin Rummy, Java Gin Rummy and Game Desire. What more could you want than to relax and play cards, against a real person or a computer, the choice is yours.