Angling – The act of discarding a card to induce an opponent’s discard of a card one rank away. Often called “sideways fishing” or “side baiting“.

Baiting – “Advertising“.

Base – Four natural cards of the same rank.  A base is essential to making a canasta.

Base Count or Basic Count – In Canasta, the total of a player’s bonus scores, as distinguished from the point values of melded cards.

Blind Discard – A suspect discard made without a history.

Blitz – The act of winning a game in which the opponent has not scored not a single point.  This can have a dramatic impact on scoring.  Also known as Schneider, Schneide or Shutout.

Block – The act of withholding a card that would extend or complete a meld for an opponent.

Borrowing – The act of using extra cards from a previous meld to form new sets.

Box – Each entry on the score sheet.

Buy – To select a card from the stock or the discard pile.

Calling – A card needed to fill a combination.

Canasta – In Canasta, a meld of seven cards of equal rank.  A “mixed canasta” is a meld containing one to three wild cards.  A “natural” or “pure canasta” is a meld containing no wild card.

Captain – the player who opposes 2 players who rotate play against the captain; the captain can also be an entity of two opposing three rotating players.

Combination – Two cards that will become a matched set with the addition of a suitable third card.

Concealed Hand – In Canasta or Oklahoma, a hand that plays out in one turn without prior melds.

Conditions – In Panguinque, certain melds for which the player collects immediate payment.

Contract – In Contract Rummy, the pre-fixed number and type of sets that a player must meld on the first occasion of a deal.

Crack – To discard a card wanted by an opponent when there is a possible advantage in keeping the card.

Cut – the event that occurs after the shuffle and prior to the deal whereby the lower portion of the deck is place on the top.

Dead Cards – Cards buried in the discard pile and not available.

Deadwood – Unmatched cards in hand.

Deal – The act of distributing the cards from the deck to the players.

Dealer – The player who distributed the cards from the deck to the cards.

Deck – The set of cards used to play a game.

Deuce – A card with a rank of two.

Discard – The act of selecting a card from the hand and placing the card on the discard pile, concluding the player’s turn.

Discard Pile – The pile or overlapping row of all cards discarded and not picked up.

Draw – see Buy – To select a card from either the stock or the discard pile.

Exposed Card – In any partnership game, any card that is dropped or so held that partner sees its face illegally.

Fill – occurs when the player draws a card that turns a combination into a matched set.

Foot – The bottom portion of the stock, when it is divided in two parts for easier handling.

Forcing – The act of discarding a card that the next player, under the rules, must pick up.

Frozen – In Canasta, the condition of the discard pile when, under the rules, it may be taken only by matching the top card with a natural pair.

Gin Hand – In Gin Rummy a hand with no unmatched cards.

Go Down – Occurs when a player ends play by placing the remainder of one’s cards face up on the table to knock or meld.

Go Gin – In Gin Rummy, the act of a player laying down a gin hand.

Go Out – Occurs when a player rids himself of the last card in the hand.

Go Rummy – Occurs when a player lays down a hand with no unmatched cards.

Group – Refers to a matched set comprising three or more cards of the same rank.

Hand – The cards dealt to a player; or a reference to the entire deal.

Head – The upper portion of the stock, when it is divided in two parts.

Initial Meld – In Canasta or Gin Rummy, the first meld, that conforms to certain specifications, and is made in a deal by a player.

Kibitz – To observe and comment upon a game without participating.

Knave – Any jack.

Knock – The act of ending play by placing the remainder of one’s cards face up on the table; to go down.

Lay Down – The act of going down.

Lay Off – The act of adding suitable cards to previously melded sets.

Line Score – In Gin Rummy, the box score.

Matched Card – a card that is part of a matched set.

Matched Set – Three or more cards which may be melded together.

Meld – The act of placing matched sets on the table or to lay off a matched set.

Natural Card – A card that is not wild.

Non-Comoquers – In Panguinque, refers to aces and kings in groups regardless of suits.

Off Card – A card that is neither matched nor part of a combination.

Pack – In most games, the discard pile but in Oklahoma or Canasta refers to the stock.

Player – A card which, if retained or taken up, could be laid off.

Pluck – The act of taking the top card off the deck.

Prize Pile – In Canasta, refers to a discard pile that is frozen.

Rank – Refers to a card’s name and hierarchy, as distinguished from its suit.

Rope - A sequence.

Round-the-Corner – Refers to the rule that the ace is in sequence with both the king and the deuce or any variant of Rummy in which this rule is adopted.

Rummy – To go rummy is a hand with no unmatched cards.

Run - A working sequence of cards.

Safe Discard – A discard that cannot be used if taken up.

Schneider – See blitz or shutout.

Sequence – Is a matched set comprising three or more cards of the same suit and consecutive rank.

Set – Three or more cards of the same rank.

Shutout – See Blitz or Schneider.

Skunk – A shutout or defeat by a shutout.

Spread – A melded set.

Stock – The remainder of the pack after the original hands are dealt.

Stop Card – In Canasta, a black three or any wild card that when discarded the next player may not take from the discard pile.

Stringer – A sequence.

Suit – One of the four kinds of cards in a deck and denoted by symbols known as spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs.

Take Up – To draw from the discard pile.

Top or Going on – In Panguinque, paying a forfeit on dropping out of a deal.

Trey – A three of any suit.

Turn-up – The upcard.

Trade – The act of taking the Joker from a meld into one’s hand and supplying to the meld the card that the joker represented therein.

Triplet – A group of three.

Undercut – In Gin Rummy, the act of reducing one’s deadwood to the same or lesser count than the knocker’s.

Unload – To discard high cards, or to meld cards as to reduce the possible loss.

Unmatched Cards – The cards in a hand not included in matched sets.

Upcard – The first card turned face up from the stock which starts the discard pile.

Valle Cards – In Panguinque, threes, fives and sevens, so called because the formation of these groups of cards earns a special bonus.

Wild Card – A card that may be designated to be of any suit and rank by the owner.

Wild Discard – A discard that can be taken up and thus is completely unsafe.