Deadwood (Patreon)

I’ve been hit hard with a new hyperfocus. Gin Rummy. I’ve been playing an obscene amount of it both on boardgamearena.com and by using the Gin Rummy app that is free with Apple Arcade. It’s one of the only specifically two player card games I can think of and it’s certainly the best. My mom taught me how to play it when I was young and I was never very good at it. I got a bit better at it in my early twenties and then stopped playing. Cards just weren’t the thing in the group of folks I was hanging out with. Now I’ve got friends all over who enjoy card and tabletop games and there are numerous ways to play them. Gin Rummy in particular has been a great way to spend my lunch break with friends at work.

Something I believe has helped me this time around is the riichi mahjong experience I’ve gained over the past decade. While the games are quite different, there are some strategies that are shared. Setting up waits, keeping track of discards, and mitigating losses when the hand is simply trash are all things I’ve been practicing for years, but within a different set of rules. It has definitely helped me rocket out of lower rankings, although I think my initial skill level has taken me about as far as it can. I’m back in practice and learning mode.

I did not and still do not know a lot about the history of Gin Rummy, but a little bit of research has taught me some interesting things. It became insanely popular during World War II, particularly on Hollywood sets. Gin Rummy was also once quite popular in Vegas, but is currently not played there due to certain players who were too good at the game. One of those was Stu Ungar, a three time WSOP champion who passed away in 1998. Apparently he was so good he won 48 games in a row against another seasoned gambler who then essentially dropped off the face of the earth from embarrassment. Casinos began banning him from play and he couldn’t find any opponents anyway, even when offering them huge handicaps. This was what led him to move into poker, another game in which he was wildly successful. His life story isn’t exactly a happy one, but it’s definitely interesting reading and I’m happy that my current obsession led me to research his life for a few hours. Maybe give him a Google if you’ve got some time to kill!

-Ian