Gin Rummy Dictionary
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| Aces High This term is used when Aces are counted with a high point value instead of low. For instance Q-K-A and not A-2-3. In some games Aces are counted for both high and low and is then called Round the Corner. |
| Aces Low This term is used when Aces are counted with a low point value instead of hish. For instance A-2-3 and not Q-K-A. In some games Aces are counted for both high and low and is then called Round the Corner. |
| Angling Also known as baiting. When you discard with the intention of inducing your opponent to discard one rank away. |
| Ante This is a forced bet put into the pot by all players before the hand is dealt. |
| Baiting A strategic move also known as angling, chumming, fishing, tempting. When you discard with the intention of inducing your opponent to discard one rank away. |
| Base 4 Natural cards of the same rank. This is essential when making a canasta. |
| Base Count The total of one’s bonus scores, as distinguished from the point values of cards melded. |
| Basic Count See base count. |
| Blind Discard A discard made without knowing whether the opponent can use this card. This is often the first discard of the deal. |
| Blitz This term is used when a player loses without scoring a single point. Also known as a shutout. |
| Block To hold a card in your hand instead of discarding, knowing that it keeps your oponent from making a meld. |
| Bonus Box The added score for winning the hand which is usually worth 25 points as in Gin Rummy. |
| Borrowing Taking extra cards from your opponent’s previous meld to form new sets. |
| Box Each entry on the score sheet is known as a box. |
| Box Score The score for winning a deal. Also known as a line score. |
| Canasta A card game that is similar to rummy, but more complex. Players attempt to make melds of 7 cards of the same rank, and go down by playing all cards in their hand and discarding. It is commonly played by two players with two standard decks of cards, but many variations exist for 3 and 4 player games or teams. |
| Combination 2 cards that will eventually be a matched set with the addition of a third suitable card. |
| Concealed Hand A hand that goes out in one turn, without having any previous melds. |
| Contract A predetermined number of sets or runs that a player must meld on the first occasion in a specific deal. |
| Count After deducting the total melded cards, this is the point value in any given hand. |
| Cut This is done after the shuffle. When a deck of cards is separated into two stacks. You take the second stack and place it on top of the first stack to mix up the order. |
| Dead Cards These are cards that are either in the discard pile or being used in a players hand as a meld. |
| Deadwood Any unmatched cards remaining in a players hand when the game is finished. |
| Deadwood Count The total value of any unmatched cards remaining in a players hand when the game is finished. |
| Deal The distribution of the cards to the players at the start of each new hand. |
| Dealer The person that deals the cards. |
| Deck 52 playing cards make up a deck. A deck consists of 4 suits and 13 denominations or ranks. |
| Denomination The denomination of each card in the deck is its number from two through ten, or is Jack, Queen, King or Ace. |
| Discard To take a card from your hand, after picking a card, and placing it face up into the discard pile, ending your turn. |
| Discard Pile The pile of cards that players have discarded into, face up. |
| Draw When you pick up a card from the either the discard pile or the stock pile. |
| Exposed Card In a partnership game, when a player drops or shows the face of the card illegally. |
| Face Card A Jack, Queen or King in a deck of cards. Also called a picture card. These are normally worth 10 points. |
| Foot The bottom half of the stock when it is divided into 2 parts for easier handling. |
| Forcing When a player discards a card that the opponent must pick up under certain rules like in the game Conquian. |
| Frozen This is a condition of the discard pile when under the rules, it may only be taken by matching the top card with a natural pair, which normally is used in Canasta. |
| Gin 1. The name of one of the most popular Rummy games. 2. To Gin is to knock all cards at once, melding the entire hand with no deadwood. The player that gins, places one card face down with no cards left in his hand. |
| Gin Hand A hand with no unmatched cards. |
| Go Down To end the play by placing the rest of the cards face up on the table. Also known as knock or lay down. |
| Going to the Wall To play a game until there is a tie. |
| Group See set. |
| Hand Your hand is considered the cards that were dealt to you. A hand is also the overall meaning of everything that happens from the time the cards are shuffled until the time a winner is declared. |
| Head The top half of the stock, when it is divided in two parts for easier handling. |
| House Rules These are rules that are agreed upon prior to the start of the game. It may deal with certain rules or variations that are sometimes used. |
| Illegal Hand This is any hand that contains more or less than 10 cards after discarding as with Gin Rummy. |
| Initial Meld the first meld made in a deal. |
| Joker This is a card that usually plays as a wild card. Jokers are used in Kalooki and Rummy 500. |
| Kalooki Also known as kaluki or kalookie. This is a variation of traditional rummy and is played with 2 to 5 players using 2 decks of cards plus 2 jokers, 106 cards in total. Each player is dealt 13 cards. |
| Kibitz To watch a game rather than play. A kibitzer is the person watching the game. |
| Knock See Go Down. |
| Knocking Count The maximum deadwood score with which a player may knock. |
| Lay Down See Go Down. |
| Lay Off To place a card or cards that match up with opponent’s melds. Once a player has gone gin, you may not lay off. |
| Line Score Same as a box score. |
| Matched Card A card that is part of a matched set. |
| Matched Set 3 or more cards that are melded together. |
| Meld A set of 3 or more cards of the same value or a group of 3 or more cards of a consecutive run, of the same suit. |
| Melding The act of placing cards into a set or sequence in the hand or on the table. |
| Meld Area The area on the table where players place their melds. |
| Natural Card A non wild card. |
| Off Card A card that isn’t part of a combination or matched up with any other cards. |
| Oklahoma Another variation of gin rummy. Oklahoma is played with 2 to 4 players using a standard 52 card deck. With 2 players, each player is dealt 10 cards, when playing with 3 or 4 players, each player receives 7 cards. |
| Pack The discard pile or stock. |
| Player A card if kept or picked up, could be laid off. |
| Pluck To take the top card off the deck. |
| Prize Pile A discard pile that is frozen, used mostly in canasta. |
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| Round the Corner This rule is used when the Ace can run from the high to the low or the low to the high. For instance K-A-2 is allowed as a meld. |
| Rank The numerical value of a card or it’s denomintion. |
| Redeal If a deal is null and void, the cards are dealt again. |
| Rope A run or a sequence. |
| Rummy To lay down a hand with no unmatched cards and no previous melds. |
| Run A group of 3 or more cards of the same suit and consecutive rank in a sequence. See also rope. |
| Safe Card A card that once discarded, should not be picked up by the opponent. Also called a safe discard. |
| Safe Count The point value that can be held in a hand to prevent any possibility of the opponent winning the game. |
| Schneider Also known as a shutout or skunk, when a game is won where the opponent did not score one point. |
| Set 3 or more cards of the same rank. |
| Shuffle The deck of cards is mixed and rearranged so when the cards are dealt the outcome is unpredictable. |
| Shutout Also known as a schneider or skunk, when a game is won where the opponent did not score one point. |
| Skunk Also known as a schneider or shutout, when a game is won where the opponent did not score one point. |
| Speculate To pick a card the opponent has discarded, and use it for a combination and not a meld. |
| Spread A melded set. |
| Stock The pile of cards left face down, after the cards have been dealt. Players can pick from the stock pile or the discard pile when it is their turn. |
| Stringer See run. |
| Suit In a deck of cards, each card that is not a wild card is in one of the four suits: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts or Spades. |
| Take Up To draw from the discard pile. |
| Target Rounds This is a game that is played for a predetermined set number of rounds. Also called hands target or rounds target. |
| Target Score A predetermined score that must be reached for a winner to be determined. The first player to reach the target score wins the game. |
| Three Meld Hand A hand consisting of 3 melds. |
| Top Card The card at the top of the stock pile, face down. |
| Trade This is only done with the joker. To take the joker from a meld into one’s hand, and replace in the meld, the card that the joker represented originally. |
| Undercut To have the same deadwood count as the knocker or less. This pertains to gin rummy, receiving a bonus. |
| Unload To discard high cards or meld with the intention of reducing the possible deadwood score in case a player knocks. |
| Upcard The card at the top of the discard pile, face up. |
| Valle Cards This term is used in a game similar to rummy called Panguingue. It is used for the threes, fives and sevens which are worth a special bonus. All other cards are called non valle cards. |
| Wild or Wild Card A card that may be used to substitute for any other card in the deck, such as a joker. |
| Wild Discard When the player discards a card that is unsafe and will probably be picked up by the opponent. It is often necessary to do this. |
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