Question: does a run in gin rummy have to be the same suit

Answer: Yes, The basic game strategy is to improve one's hand by forming melds and eliminating deadwood. Gin has two types of meld: Sets of 3 or 4 cards sharing the same rank, e.g. 8♥ 8 8♠; and runs of 3 or more cards in sequence, of the same suit, such as 3♥ 4♥ 5♥ or more. Deadwood cards are those not in any meld. Aces are considered low--they can form a set with other aces but only the low end of runs (A♠ 2♠ 3♠ is a legal run but Q♠ K♠ A♠ is not). A player can form any combination of melds within their hand, whether it contains all sets, all runs, or a mix of both. A hand can contain three or fewer melds to knock or form legal gin.