Gin Rummy Glossary

Add-on: A card which is knowingly and deliberately discarded to an opponent who needs it

Advertising: To discard a card in order to entice an opponent to discard another card of the same rank or suit

Angling: To discard a card to induce your opponent to discard a card one rank away

Baiting: "See Advertising"

Blind Discard: A discard made without a clue as to whether an opponent can use it

Blitz: To win a game without the opponent having scored

Block: To withhold a card that would allow an opponent to complete a meld

Bonus Box: The added score for winning a hand (box), usually worth 25 points

Book: "See Set"

Box: Extra point awards of 25 each, given for a "knock", "gin" or "gin off"

Breaking Pairs: "See Splitting Pairs"

Buy In: The buy in is the minimum amount required to enter into a money tournament

Catch: To receive a particular card or hand

Chumming: "See Advertising"

Combination: Two cards which will become a matched set by addition of a suitable third card

Count: The point value in any given hand after deducting the total melded cards

Cut: To separate the deck into packets and change their order after shuffling

Dead Cards: Cards which are no longer available; because they're in the discard pile or are melded in a hand

Deadwood: Unmatched cards in the players hand

Deadwood Count: The total value of any unmatched cards left with a player when a hand is completed

Deal: To distribute cards to players

Dealer: The designated player that deals the cards

Deck: The cards used to play a game

Deuce: Two cards of any suit

Discard: To place a card from one's hand to the discard pile as part of your turn

Discard pile: The top of the face-up cards next to the stock pile

Draw: A card taken from the stock or discard pile.
Draw: "See Going to the Wall"

Face Card: Jack, Queen, or King

Fill: To draw a card that turns a combination into a matched set

Fishing: "See Advertising"

Gin: When a player is able to meld his entire hand with no deadwood. They place one card face down and score's the value of the opponent's deadwood count, plus a 25 point "Gin" bonus

Gin Hand: One with no unmatched cards (no deadwood)

Gin Off: When an opponent lays off all of his deadwood (ie unmelded) cards on the knocker's hand. (There is no laying off when a player has gone gin)

Going Gin: "see Gin"

Going to the Wall: To play a hand to a tie/draw

Go Down: Lay down a hand after having knocked or gone gin

Go Out: Getting rid of the last card in the hand

Gut Card: A card which completes a broken sequence

Hand: The cards dealt to a player

Knave: The Jack

Knock: To announce the end of play by laying down cards arranged in melds and deadwood

Lay Off: "See Gin Off"

Matched Card: A card which is part of a matched set

Matched Set: "See Meld"

Meld: Three or more cards either of the same rank or in a sequence of the same suit

Natural Card: A card which is not a wild card

No Game: "See Going to the Wall"

Off Card: A card which is neither matched or part of a combination

Picture Card: "See Face Card"

Ragpicker: A player who frequently picks up low-value cards

Reducer: Any low card chosen with the object of allowing the discard of a higher value card

Runs: Three or more cards (of the same suit) in consecutive order

Safe Card: A card which your opponent is unlikely to use when discarded

Safe Count: The point value which can be retained in a hand to prevent an opponent winning a game

Salesman: A card discarded to lure a wanted card from your opponent

Score: The score accumulated for each player

Sequence: "See Runs"

Set: Three or four cards of the same rank and different suits

Shuffle: To mix up the order of the cards before dealing

Shutout: "See Blitz"

Side Baiting: "See Angling"

Sideways fishing: "See Angling"

Skunk: Term describing defeat by a shutout

Speculate: To draw a discard which may produce a meld at a later time

Splitting Pairs: To discard a card while holding another card of the same rank

Spread

Stand Off: "See Going to the Wall"

Stock: The top of the face-down cards next the the discard pile.

Suit: One of the four suits of cards in a deck: Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs and Spades

Tie: "See Going to the Wall"

Triangle: A hand with two cards of the same rank and a third card of one of two suits. This situation maximizes probability to draw a card to make a meld

Undercut: To reduce one's deadwood to the same or lesser count than the knocker's

Unload: To discard high-ranking cards to reduce your point count

Unmatched cards: "See Deadwood"

Upcard: After the dealer deals the cards, the 21st card is the last card placed face up on the table and is the start of the discard pile.

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