See also Gin Rummy Strategy
Rummy is a not an easy game to master. There is considerable skill and memory work involved.
Key to any strategy is to try to determine what cards are in your opponent’s hand and what types of runs and sets they are trying to build. To do this you need to watch what cards they are playing and memorize the cards in the discard pile. If you know your opponent’s cards you are in a better position to discard cards that will not help them.
At the same time, you want to make it difficult for your opponent to determine the cards in your hand. Play your hand in a way that deceives your opponent about what cards you have in your hand.
In general, it’s a good idea to discard high-count cards rather than low ones. But don’t give your opponent cards that will help them. Some players understand the tendency to discard high cards and deliberately try to form high melds so they can unload many high cards fast.
It’s important to have a basic understanding of the strategic value of different cards in the deck. For example, middle cards are more strategically valuable than low or high cards. A 7 is strategically more valuable than an Ace since it can be used in more combinations. An Ace can only make a run with 2 and 3. A 7 can make a run with 56, 68 or 89.
Several good free online resources are available that will help Rummy players improve their knowledge of the game. For serious, advanced Gin Rummy players, we suggest a site called Rummy Talk. This is the most comprehensive site for Gin Rummy strategy and contains everything from the basics, to strategies for opening, middle and late play, and even a section on how to handle different types of opponents.