- Block (Stalemate)
- A situation where the stock pile is exhausted and no player wants the top card of the discard pile. Depending on house rules, the round may end with no winner, or the discard pile is reshuffled to form a new stock.
- Book
- Another name for a set — three or four cards of the same rank. For example, three Queens form a book. The term is commonly used in many rummy variants.
- Deadwood
- Cards in a player's hand that are not part of any meld. When the round ends, deadwood cards count against you. The total point value of your deadwood is your penalty score. Also called "unmatched cards."
- Discard
- The act of placing one card from your hand face-up on the discard pile, which ends your turn. Also refers to the card itself that was placed on the discard pile.
- Discard Pile
- The face-up pile of cards next to the stock pile. Players may draw the top card from the discard pile instead of drawing from the stock. Only the top card is available.
- Draw
- The first action of each turn: taking one card either from the top of the stock pile (blind draw) or from the top of the discard pile (open draw).
- Face Card
- Jack, Queen, or King. In rummy scoring, each face card is worth 10 points of deadwood. Face cards are high-risk to hold because of their penalty value.
- Going Out
- Emptying your hand of all cards, ending the round. A player goes out by melding, laying off, and/or discarding their remaining cards. The player who goes out wins the round.
- Group
- Another name for a set meld — three or four cards of the same rank. "I have a group of 8s" means three or four 8s.
- Hand
- The cards a player holds privately. Also refers to a single round of play from the deal to when someone goes out.
- Lay Off
- Adding a card from your hand to an existing meld on the table. You can lay off on any player's melds. For example, adding a 4th card to a three-card set, or extending a run on either end.
- Meld
- A valid combination of cards that can be placed on the table. There are two types: sets (same rank) and runs (consecutive cards of the same suit). A meld must contain at least three cards.
- Open Draw
- Drawing the top card from the discard pile instead of the stock pile. This is sometimes called "picking up" from the discard pile. The drawn card is visible to all players.
- Run
- A meld of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit, such as 5-6-7 of Clubs or 9-10-J-Q of Hearts. Also called a sequence. Aces are typically low only (A-2-3 is valid, Q-K-A is not).
- Rummy (Call)
- An optional rule where if a player discards a card that could be laid off on an existing meld, another player can call "Rummy!" to take the card and lay it off immediately, often scoring a bonus.
- Sequence
- Another name for a run meld — three or more consecutive cards of the same suit. The term "sequence" is more common in Indian Rummy and some international variants.
- Set
- A meld of three or four cards of the same rank, regardless of suit. For example, three 7s (7 of Hearts, 7 of Diamonds, 7 of Clubs) form a set. Also called a group or book.
- Stock Pile
- The face-down pile of undealt cards in the center of the table. Players draw from the stock pile when they do not want the top card of the discard pile. Also called the draw pile or talon.
- Talon
- Another name for the stock pile — the face-down pile of remaining cards. This term is more commonly used in European card game traditions.
- Two-Way Draw
- A situation where a card or pair of cards in your hand can form a meld with either of two different draws. For example, holding 6-7 of Spades creates a two-way draw — either a 5 or an 8 of Spades completes the run.
- Unmatched Cards
- Cards in your hand that are not part of any meld. Synonymous with deadwood. These cards count against you when someone goes out.
- Upcard
- The face-up card on top of the discard pile. At the start of the game, the first upcard is dealt from the stock. On each turn, the upcard is available for the active player to draw.
- Wild Card
- A card that can substitute for any other card in a meld. Standard rummy does not use wild cards, but many variants (such as Contract Rummy and Canasta) designate Jokers, 2s, or other cards as wild.
