The history of Gin Rummy (also known as gin) started at the beginning of the 1990s thanks to it being invented by Elwood Baker. The game basically evolved from Whiskey poker and is a game aimed for 2 players, although it can also be played with a maximum of 4 players. The main aim of Baker was to create a game that was faster than regular rummy and add aces as the cards with the lowest possible value.

Although this is the start of the history of Gin rummy is considered to be the one above, it actually started some time ago. The first real rule book appeared around the 10th century and described a game named Gin Poker, which stands out as highly similar to Gin Rummy game features that we play today.

A closer look at the history of gin rummy will show us that the Whiskey Poker rules set said that 5 cards need to be dealt for players and one extra hand is named widow and will also be dealt. The one that has the first hand will decide whether or not it is strong. If he thinks that it is then he will pass but if not he will also take the widow. To put it simple, all players have the possibility to take the widows and then end up with 10 cards. There are actually many similar elements between Whiskey Poker and most rummy games out there, including Gin Rummy.

Now if we are to talk about the name of the game, all should also start with Whiskey Poker. Whiskey was chosen as a name because players would get refreshments or drinks. Also, most card games were popular in saloons that showed a lot of gambling and drinking. We also had Gin Poker, which was also known as Rum Poker or Rum for short. Due to the fact that the players would receive drinks as prizes, the name of the drink that was usually given remained as an indication of the game.

Nowadays there are many rummy games that are played, with Gin rummy being one that evolved towards having a lot of popularity in a short period of time. Nobody actually expected that it would be more popular than some games that have existed a lot earlier than Gin Rummy.

If you want to play an exciting game of gin rummy and participate in its next historic step, you should start thinking about playing in online casinos. Specialists believe that due to its simplicity, complexity (this game actually has both although it sounds as a paradox) and the fact that the Internet offers a lot of advantages for players, more people will begin to play this game online, either for free or for money. We recommend that you give it a try in a free game and see if you like it. If you do then you can start learning how to play it better and keep on improving and winning more games than losing. Why don’t you read also about the interesting Oklahoma Gin history? Take the time to read it and you will be able to see the differences.