Why is the card game called Gin Rummy?

Gin Rummy. You’ve heard of it. You’ve probably played it. Or at least pretended to during a wet weekend in Margate when the Wi-Fi gave up.

It’s one of those short, sharp games you can play almost anywhere – train table, pub garden, beach bar, dentist’s waiting room if you’re feeling rebellious. 

But have you ever stopped to wonder why this seemingly innocent pastime name-checks not one but two spirits? 

Gin. Rum. Rummy. What’s going on?

Let’s deal you in.

Where ‘Rummy’ comes in

Rummy isn’t just one game – it’s a whole family of card games, all based around drawing and discarding cards to form pleasing little combinations called ‘melds’. 

Think of it as the card world’s equivalent of Tetris but with more chance of passive-aggressive glares.

The original Rummy format rewards the first player to get rid of all their cards by neatly laying down melds – and your score depends on how much ‘deadwood’ (unmatched cards) you and your opponent have left hanging. It’s politely cutthroat.

Over the years, Rummy spawned more spin-offs than a hit Marvel film: Contract Rummy, Michigan Rummy, Carousel, Canasta, Vatican (we’re not making that up), and the star of the show – Gin Rummy.

Gin Rummy takes the core rules of traditional Rummy and mixes in elements of Conquian, Rum Rummy, and Knock Rummy. It’s a streamlined, faster-paced version that doesn’t hang about – the Espresso Martini of the card world.

So why is it called Gin Rummy?

Like most things involving cards and alcohol, the answer is a bit fuzzy around the edges.

The most widely accepted story credits a Brooklyn teacher named Elwood T. Baker and his son C. Graham Baker with inventing the game in 1909. The name? A playful nod to the game’s heritage – rum (as in ‘Rum Rummy’) and gin, because why not double down on the booze?

According to card game historians Albert H. Morehead and Geoffrey Mott-Smith (yes, that’s a real job), the name came from the younger Baker and rode the wave of popularity during the 1940s, particularly in Hollywood and radio circles. Celebs loved it. And like anything celebrities touched, it became a full-blown craze.

Another theory, courtesy of John Scarne in Scarne on Cards (1949), claims Gin Rummy evolved from a game called ‘Whiskey Poker’, which then became ‘Rum Poker’, then just ‘Rum’, and finally ‘Rummy’. There’s also a mention of Conquian being a possible ancestor. Either way, there’s a lot of shuffling and a lot of spirits involved.

Why are so many card games named after booze?

There’s no official rule saying card games must sound like cocktail specials. But it makes sense.

Card games, especially the sociable, fast-play ones like Rummy, Poker, and Euchre, were often played in saloons, speakeasies, and lounges where drinks flowed freely. 

Naming them after drinks was a way to market them to their intended audience: people after a bit of fun, a bit of money, and definitely a bit of booze.

Besides, who doesn’t want to play a game that sounds like it might come with a side of olives?

The Last Drop: Gin rummy through the 

Gin Rummy’s name comes from a spirited mash-up of its roots. Created in Brooklyn, loved in Hollywood, and still played.

As for all the booze names? Blame the fact no one wanted to play ‘Water Rummy’.

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