Reading the rummy terms, in alphabetical order
A glossary of the rummy terms used on the desk. The reading is on the term, the definition, and the source. The desk does not publish tips that promise earnings.
Reading the first half of the glossary
Twenty terms, in alphabetical order. The reading is short for a reason.
Ace
A card with a value of one. The ace can sit high in a sequence (Q-K-A) or low (A-2-3). The ace is the lowest card in the deck by rank.
Bottom card
The card at the bottom of the discard pile. The bottom card is not turned up for play. The bottom card is the last card discarded.
Closed deck
The face-down deck from which players draw. The closed deck decreases by one card per turn. When the closed deck runs out, the open deck is reshuffled to form a new closed deck.
Deadwood
The cards left in a player's hand that are not in a meld. The face value of the deadwood is the score the player pays to the winner at the end of the round. Face cards count ten, aces count one, and number cards count their face value.
Deal
A single complete round of play. The deal starts with the cards being dealt and ends with the declaration. The deal is the unit of play in Points rummy.
Declaration
The end of a round. The player discards the final card and lays the melds on the table. The other players verify. A valid declaration is the only way to win a round.
Drop
A voluntary exit from the round. The first drop is taken before the player draws. The middle drop is taken after the player draws. The full show is the declaration.
Face card
A king, queen, or jack. The face card counts ten points in the deadwood count. The face card is not the same as the picture card, which is a card with a face on it.
First drop
A drop taken before the player has drawn any card. The cost is typically twenty-five points. The first drop is the right move when the hand is unplayable.
Impure sequence
A run of three or more consecutive cards in mixed suits, with a printed joker or wild joker filling the gap. The impure sequence is a valid meld but is not accepted as the first meld in most formats.
Joker
A card that substitutes for any other card in a meld. The deck has two jokers: the printed joker and the wild joker. The printed joker carries a twenty-five-point penalty if unmatched.
Meld
A group of three or more cards that form a valid run or set. The run is a sequence of consecutive ranks in the same suit. The set is a group of the same rank in different suits.
Middle drop
A drop taken after the player has drawn but before any declaration. The cost is typically fifty points. The middle drop is the right move when the hand has settled into an unworkable shape.
Reading the second half of the glossary
The reading continues. The terms below are the rest of the rummy vocabulary on the desk.
Open deck
The face-up deck from which players can draw. The open deck starts with the top card of the closed deck. The open deck grows as players discard and shrinks as players draw.
Pool
The cumulative chip pool in a Pool-rummy format. The pool grows with each deal. The pool is won by the last player standing.
Printed joker
A joker printed on the card. The printed joker is always wild. The printed joker counts twenty-five points if unmatched in the loser's hand.
Pure sequence
A run of three or more consecutive cards in the same suit, with no joker. The pure sequence is the mandatory meld. Most formats require at least one pure sequence before any other meld counts.
Rank
The number or face of a card. The ranks are ace, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, jack, queen, king. The rank is the same across suits.
Run
A sequence of three or more consecutive ranks in the same suit. The run is one of the two valid meld shapes. The other is the set.
Sequence
A run of three or more consecutive ranks in the same suit. The sequence is the same as the run. The pure sequence and the impure sequence are the two variants.
Set
A group of three or four cards of the same rank in different suits. The set is the second valid meld shape. Jokers can substitute for a missing card in a set.
Show
The declaration. The player lays down the melds on the table. The other players verify. A valid show is the only way to win a round.
Suit
One of four categories in the deck: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades. The suit is the same as the colour in some contexts.
Table
The platform's shared play area. The table contains the seats, the chips, the closed deck, and the open deck. The table is the venue for the round.
Table pool
The chips on the table. The table pool grows as players drop or are eliminated. The table pool is the prize for the winner of the round.
Wild joker
The card drawn from the closed deck at the start of each deal. The rank of the wild joker substitutes for any card in a meld for the duration of the round.
Reading beyond the alphabet
The glossary is the desk's reading-room reference. The reading is on the term, the definition, and the source. The reading is short for a reason.
The glossary is the desk's reading-room reference. The reading is on the term, the definition, and the source. The glossary is indexed alphabetically. The reading is on the term, the term's definition, and the term's source.
The glossary is updated with each edition. The reading is on the affected term, the affected definition, and the affected source. The glossary is the desk's first reference.
Reading the term
The term is the first field of the glossary entry. The term is the rummy word being defined. The reading is on the term, the term's spelling, and the term's pronunciation. The term is the first read.
Reading the definition
The definition is the second field of the glossary entry. The definition is the meaning of the term. The reading is on the definition, the definition's source, and the definition's citation. The definition is the second read.
Reading the source
The source is the third field of the glossary entry. The source is the platform's terms-of-service page, the platform's rules page, or the platform's FAQ page. The reading is on the source, the source's URL, and the source's date. The source is the third read.
The glossary is the desk's reading-room reference. The reading is on the term, the definition, and the source. The reading is on the page, the format, and the edition. The reading is short for a reason — the glossary is on the page.
Continue with the editorial methods
The desk's methodology is the next read. Sources, citations, corrections, and disclosure. The reading is short for a reason. The reading is on the affected page, the affected sentence, and the corrected fact. The reading is short for a reason — the methodology is on the page.