The following is a

glossary A glossary (from grc, γλῶσσα, ''glossa''; language, speech, wording) also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Traditionally, a gl ...

of terms used in

card games A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ga ...

. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to

Bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, Hearts,

Poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

Rummy Rummy is a group of matching-card games notable for similar gameplay based on matching cards of the same rank or sequence and same suit. The basic goal in any form of rummy is to build '' melds'' which can be either sets (three or four of a k ...

), but apply to a wide range of card games. For glossaries that relate primarily to one game or family of similar games, see Game-specific glossaries.

A

;

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ca ...

# The card with one pip in a pack of cards. Usually the highest card of a

suit A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead of ...

ranking A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak order or total preorder of o ...

immediately above the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ...

. May also occupy the lowest rank. # Commonly refers to the Deuce or Two in

German-suited pack German-suited playing cards are a very common style of traditional playing card used in many parts of Central Europe characterised by 32- or 36-card packs with the suits of Acorns (''Eichel'' or ''Kreuz''), Leaves (''Grün'', ''Blatt'', ''Laub ...

s which don't have real Aces. Often the highest card of a suit. Bavarian pack-Suit of Acorns

;

Acorns Acorns may refer to: * Plural of acorn, the nut of the oak tree * Acorns (company), a micro-investing and robo-advisor financial company * Acorns (suit), one of the four suits in German pattern playing cards * Acorns Children's Hospice Acorns ...

: One of the four suits in a

of cards. Symbol: Bay eichel

; active # A card that is in play i.e. not

sleeping Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited Perception, sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefuln ...

. # See

active player Card players are those participating in a card game. Various names are given to card players based on their role or position. Position Games of Anglo-American origin In games of Anglo-American origin played in English-speaking countries, ...

. ;

# A player who receives cards in the current

deal A deal, or deals may refer to: Places United States * Deal, New Jersey, a borough * Deal, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * Deal Lake, New Jersey Elsewhere * Deal Island (Tasmania), Australia * Deal, Kent, a town in England * Deal, a ...

(i.e. is not sitting out because there are more players than the

game A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (su ...

is designed for as in four-hand Skat or five-hand

Schafkopf Schafkopf (), also called Bavarian Schafkopf, is a popular German trick-taking card game of the Ace-Ten family for four players that evolved, towards the end of the 19th century, from German Schafkopf. It is still very popular in Bavaria, where it ...

). # A player who has ''not'' withdrawn from the current

but elected to play on (as in

Rams In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)Poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

). ; adversary : Any opposing player, especially in two-hand

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (su ...

, or an opponent of the

declarer Card players are those participating in a card game. Various names are given to card players based on their role or position. Position Games of Anglo-American origin In games of Anglo-American origin played in English-speaking countries, ...

. See

defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: *Defense (military) *Defense (sports) **Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...

. ; adverse : Pertaining to an

adversary An adversary is generally considered to be a person, group, or force that opposes and/or attacks. Adversary may also refer to: * Satan ("adversary" in Hebrew), in Judeo-Christian religion Entertainment Fiction * Adversary (comics), villain fr ...

or opponent e.g. an adverse

lead Lead is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...

is one made by an opponent; adverse trumps are those held by one's opponent(s). ; age : Order of priority for

leading In typography, leading ( ) is the space between adjacent lines of type; the exact definition varies. In hand typesetting, leading is the thin strips of lead (or aluminium) that were inserted between lines of type in the composing stick to inc ...

betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three ele ...

bidding Bidding is an offer (often competitive) to set a price tag by an individual or business for a product or service ''or'' a demand that something be done. Bidding is used to determine the cost or value of something. Bidding can be performed ...

, starting from the player next to the

dealer Dealer may refer to: Film and TV * ''Dealers'' (film), a 1989 British film * ''Dealers'' (TV series), a reality television series where five art and antique dealers bid on items * ''The Dealer'' (film), filmed in 2008 and released in 2010 * ...

. See

eldest ''Eldest'' is the second novel in the '' Inheritance Cycle'' by Christopher Paolini and the sequel to '' Eragon''. It was first published in hardcover on August 23, 2005, and was released in paperback in September 2006. ''Eldest'' has been relea ...

and youngest. ; alliance : A temporary

partnership A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments ...

that lasts only for the current

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

(e.g. Prop and Cop in Solo Whist or the normal

). ; alone : Playing without the help of a partner. See

and soloist. ; announce : See

declare ''Declare'' (2000) is a supernatural spy novel by American author Tim Powers. The novel presents a secret history of the Cold War, and earned several major fantasy fiction awards. Plot summary The non-linear plot, shifting back and forth in t ...

. ; announcement # Often used in both senses of declaration. However, Dummett prefers to restrict 'announcement' for the intention to achieve certain feats in

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

, while preferring 'declaration' for a statement that one has a special

combination In mathematics, a combination is a selection of items from a set that has distinct members, such that the order of selection does not matter (unlike permutations). For example, given three fruits, say an apple, an orange and a pear, there are th ...

of cards in one's

. ; ante # A mandatory stake made before the

begins - usually by all players, sometimes by the

only. # Chips required to be put into the pot before the deal. # To put in such chips. ; around the corner : Phrase that describes

sequences In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is called ...

or runs that are built either side of the Ace e.g. Q K A 2 3 4 ; auction : The period of bidding. The phase in some

where players may bid to lead the

, or bid on a certain

or privilege in that hand such as naming the

trump suit A trump is a playing card which is elevated above its usual rank in trick-taking games. Typically, an entire suit is nominated as a ''trump suit''; these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. In other contexts, the terms ''trum ...

. The player with the highest bid wins the auction and plays his chosen

or exercises his privilege. Often used in

trick-taking game A trick-taking game is a card or tile-based game in which play of a '' hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of that trick. The object of suc ...

s.''Glossary of Card Game Terms''
at www.catsatcards.com. Retrieved 11 August 2018

B

;

balanced hand A balanced hand or balanced distribution in card games is a hand with an even distribution of suits. In the game of contract bridge, it denotes a hand of thirteen cards which contains no singleton or void and at most one . Three hand patterns are ...

: A hand of cards with no void suit, singleton or very long suit. ; banker : Also called the

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

or the bank, the person responsible for distributing

chips ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

, keeping track of the buy-ins, and paying winners at the end of a

banking game The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy), ...

. A

against whom the punters bet. ; banking game : A less-skilled

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card g ...

of the gambling type in which one or more punters play against a

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

, who controls the

. ; base value : A constant factor in working out the value of a game e.g. Skat. ; Batons : One of the four suits in a Latin-suited

pack Pack or packs may refer to: Places * Pack, Austria, a municipality in Styria, Austria * Pack, Missouri * Chefornak Airport Chefornak Airport is a state-owned public-use airport in Chefornak, a city in the Bethel Census Area of the U.S ...

of cards. Symbol: Seme bastoni carte bergamasche

; beater : Term used in games of the Karnöffel family for quasi-trump cards able to beat those of lower rank or with no powers at all. ; belle : The last

of the

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, a ...

. ; Bells : One of the four suits in a

German pack German-suited playing cards are a very common style of traditional playing card used in many parts of Central Europe characterised by 32- or 36-card packs with the suits of Acorns (''Eichel'' or ''Kreuz''), Leaves (''Grün'', ''Blatt'', ''Laub ...

of cards. Symbol: Bay schellen

; best : Highest

. ; best card : Highest card of a

not yet played. The

commanding card The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy), ...

master card The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy), ...

. Also king card. ; bet # Any wager on the outcome of a

; any

put in a pot; to put chips in a pot. # The first bet in a betting interval. ; bête, bate, bete or beet. # A

penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalt ...

payment in certain

for e.g. for failing to take the minimum number of tricks, or for a stake or money which a player has lost.�
Bete
�� In:

Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon or was a major encyclopedia in the German language that existed in various editions, and by several titles, from 1839 to 1984, when it merged with the . Joseph Meyer (1796–1856), who had founded the publishing house in 1826, intended to i ...

, Band 2. Leipzig 1905, S. 765. # A player who fails to takes a single

trick Trick(s) may refer to: People * Trick McSorley (1852–1936), American professional baseball player * Armon Trick (born 1978), retired German international rugby union player * David Trick (born 1955), former Ontario civil servant and universi ...

in Mistigri.�
Mistigri
�� In:

, Vol. 13. Leipzig 1908, p. 907. Likewise in

Mauscheln Mauscheln, also Maus or Vierblatt, is a gambling card game that resembles Tippen, which is commonly played in Germany and the countries of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. Background Origin of the name The name Mauscheln means something lik ...

, if the

, or ''Mauschler'', fails to win a

, he is the ''Mauschlerbete''. # Failure to make a

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to ...

. # Conceding defeat without playing. # ''Double bête'': a double

, usually for failing to make a

after choosing to play out the cards. ; bettel or bettler : Bid or

to win no tricks. Also

misère Misère (French language, French for "destitution"), misere, bettel, betl, or (German language, German for "begging, beggar"; equivalent terms in other languages include , , ) is a bidding, bid in various card games, and the player who bids misè ...

. ; bid # An offer to win a minimum or specified number of tricks or points or the privilege of naming the

or the

.Galt, David
''Card Game Glossary''
at entertainment.howstuffworks.com. Retrieved 11 August 2018. # To make a bid. ; bidder # Any player who makes a bid. # The player who makes the highest bid and plays out his announced

. ; blank # In card-point

, a card that is worth no points. A non-counter. # A hand with no court cards, i.e. only pip cards. # A card that is unguarded by other, usually lower cards in the same suit: "I held the blank king of spades." # To discard in such a way as to leave a card unprotected: "She blanked the King of Spades." # To void a suit. ; blank suit : A

of which one holds no cards. A void (suit). To ''blank a suit'' is to get rid of all the cards of that suit from one's hand. ; blaze : A

consisting only of court cards. ; blind : See skat or

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can ...

. ; blocking : Blocking a

is keeping a high card back so that the player with a number of smaller cards cannot win tricks with them. ; bluff # To attempt to deceive one's opponent(s) about the value of cards in one's

. # To use various tactics to mislead one's opponent(s) about the distribution of cards or one's strategy. ; build : To add cards to those already on the table in order to extend a set or

sequence In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is called ...

. ; bonus : An extra amount added to a player's score for the

for holding or winning certain cards or for achieving certain goals, such as ''

Schneider Schneider may refer to: Hospital * Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel People *Schneider (surname) Companies and organizations * G. Schneider & Sohn, a Bavarian brewery company * Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG, the former owner of the D ...

''. ; Bower : The

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

of the

or the Jack of the same colour as the

e.g. in

Euchre Euchre or eucre () is a trick-taking game, trick-taking card game commonly played in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, and the United States. It is played with a deck of 24, 28, or 32 standard playing cards. Normally there are fou ...

or Reunion. :: ''Left Bower'': the

of the same colour as the

. :: ''Right Bower'': the

of the

. ; bring in a suit : Make tricks in a

plain suit The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy), ...

after the adverse trumps are exhausted. ; bury a card : To place a card in the middle of the

discard pile The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy), ...

so that it cannot be easily located. ; buy # To receive a card from the

, face down, in return for a stake e.g. in Twenty-One. # To receive or draw the spare

, ( skat or

) in return for one's own hand and, possibly, a stake e.g. in Newmarket. # To receive or pick up a card or cards in return for a

card or cards e.g. in

Préférence Préférence, frequently spelt Preference, is a Central and Eastern European 10-card plain-trick game with bidding, played by three players with a 32-card Piquet deck, and probably originating in early 19th century Austria, becoming the second mos ...

when the 2 talon cards are picked up and 2 discarded. # To draw cards from the

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

or talon.

C

; call : To

, bid or pass. Any such declaration ; capture : To pick up or take cards during play, often as part of a

. ;

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

: the player who directs the play of his team or who has the final decision in certain

. ; card money : The charge levied by an establishment on the playing of card games. ; card points : The scoring value of a card or cards in

point-trick game A trick-taking game is a card or tile-based game in which play of a ''hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of that trick. The object of such ...

s. Card points are used to determine the winner of a

, based on the value of individual cards won. Not to be confused with

game points The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge (card game), Bridge, Hearts ...

. Sometimes called pips. ; card value : See card points. ; carte blanche : A hand with no court cards (see blank), for example, in

Piquet Piquet (; ) is an early 16th-century plain-trick card game for two players that became France's national game. David Parlett calls it a "classic game of relatively great antiquity... still one of the most skill-rewarding card games for two" b ...

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma, and sometimes also a Comet ta ...

Bezique Bezique () or Bésigue () is a 19th-century French melding and trick-taking card game for two players that came to Britain and is still played today. The game is derived from Piquet,''Transactions of the Philological Society'', Philological Socie ...

; or with either no court cards or no pip cards in

Briscan Briscan is an 18th-century, French Ace-Ten card game for two players played with a 32-card Piquet pack. It is a member of the Marriage group of games in which the 'marriage' of a King and Queen brings a bonus score, but Briscan takes this simple ...

''Le Briscan''
at academiedesjeux.jeuxsoc.fr. Retrieved 11 Jan 2019. ; case card : The last remaining card of a denomination left in play. ; Cavalier : The

court card A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accord ...

in certain card packs that usually ranks below the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and above the

. ; chicane : A hand with no trumps. ; chip : A token used in place of money; a counter; to put chips in the pot Also

jeton Jetons or jettons are tokens or coin-like medals produced across Europe from the 13th through the 18th centuries. They were produced as counters for use in calculation on a counting board, a lined board similar to an abacus. They also found us ...

. ; chosen suit : A suit characterised by a disturbed ranking and in which some cards have privileges over cards of the unchosen suits or special powers when led. Chosen suits are found in most games of the

Karnöffel group Karnöffel is a trick-taking card game which probably came from the upper-German language area in Europe in the first quarter of the 15th century. It first appeared listed in a municipal ordinance of Nördlingen, Bavaria, in 1426 among the games ...

. Sometimes called a selected suit. Sometimes also misnamed a

.''Karnöffel Group''
at pagat.com. Retrieved 11 October 2020. Giatribai

; clear #

Establish Establishment may refer to: * The Establishment, a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization * The Establishment (club), a 1960s club in London, England * The Establishment (Pakistan), political terminology for the milita ...

a card or

by forcing out adverse higher cards or stoppers. # Having taken no penalty cards e.g. in Hearts. ; close : To bar further use of the talon by turning the trump card over and placing it on the top in

such as Sixty-Six and

Schnapsen Schnapsen, Schnapser or Schnapsa is a trick-taking card game of the Bézique (Ace-Ten) family that is very popular in Bavaria and in the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and has become the national card game of Austria and Hungar ...

. ; Clubs : One of the four suits in a

French-suited French-suited playing cards or French-suited cards are cards that use the French suits of (clovers or clubs ), (tiles or diamonds ), (hearts ), and (pikes or spades ). Each suit contains three or four face/court cards. I ...

Spanish-suited Spanish-suited playing cards or Spanish-suited cards have four suits, and a deck is usually made up of 40 or 48 cards (or even 50 by including two jokers). It is categorized as a Latin-suited deck and has strong similarities with the Italian- ...

of cards. Symbol: SuitClubs

;

coat card In a deck of playing cards, the term face card (US) or court card (British and US), and sometimes Royalty, is generally used to describe a card that depicts a person as opposed to the pip cards. They are also known as picture cards, or until the ...

: Original term for

, now obsolete. ; coffee housing : To talk and act in order to mislead one's opponents about one's cards. Siete de Oros

;

Coins A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to ...

: One of the four suits in a Latin-suited

of cards. Symbol: Seme denari carte bergamasche

; color, colour : In

French-suited packs French-suited playing cards or French-suited cards are cards that use the French suits of (clovers or clubs ), (tiles or diamonds ), (hearts ), and (pikes or spades ). Each suit contains three or four face/court cards. I ...

, this is the colour of the suit symbols, which is red for Hearts and

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

and black for Clubs and Spades. ; combination : Two or more cards that score a bonus when melded. Often called a meld. ; command : The best card of a

, usually applied to suits which the

is trying to

establish Establishment may refer to: * The Establishment, a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization * The Establishment (club), a 1960s club in London, England * The Establishment (Pakistan), political terminology for the milita ...

. See best card, king card and

. ; commanding card # The best card of a

in play. Also best card, king card or

. # The top trump or highest

matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

such as the Knave of Clubs in Knave Noddy or the Right Bower in

. ; compendium game : A game in which a number of different

contracts A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to ...

is played in succession e.g. Barbu,

Quodlibet A quodlibet (; Latin for "whatever you wish" from '' quod'', "what" and '' libet'', "pleases") is a musical composition that combines several different melodies—usually popular tunes—in counterpoint, and often in a light-hearted, humorous m ...

and Poch. ; contract : An agreement or obligation to play a certain type of

, to win a certain number of points or tricks in a

round Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the numbe ...

. ; contractor : The highest bidder who then plays out his

. ; contrat : A short rectangular counter or chip used in some French card games and Danish Tarok that is worth a number of

jetons Jetons or jettons are tokens or coin-like medals produced across Europe from the 13th through the 18th centuries. They were produced as counters for use in calculation on a counting board, a lined board similar to an abacus. They also found u ...

or fiches, typically 100 jetons.''Mouche''
for example. Retrieved 5 June 2022. ; counter # Object used to score. Token used in place of money; a chip. Also

. # Card with a point value. Also

counting card The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy), ...

. ; counting card # A card that has an intrinsic scoring value when taken in a

. Also counter. ; count out # During play, to claim to have enough points for

, thus ending the play; to go out during the play. ;

: One of the picture cards i.e. a

in a

French pack French-suited playing cards or French-suited cards are cards that use the French suits of (clovers or clubs ), (tiles or diamonds ), (hearts ), and (pikes or spades ). Each suit contains three or four face/court cards. I ...

; a King,

Ober Ober may refer to: * '' Ober'', a 2006 Dutch black comedy film * Ober (playing card), a playing card value in the German and Swiss decks of cards * Ober, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Oberek, a Polish dance Surname * Bailey Ober (born ...

Unter Unter (German, 'under', 'below' or 'among') may refer to: * Unter (playing card), the Jack card in German and Swiss-suited playing cards * Unter Null, stage name of Erica Dunham, an American musician See also * * Über (disambiguation), the a ...

in a

, or a King, Queen,

Cavalier The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

and

Valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "val ...

in a Tarot pack. Also

face card In a deck of playing cards, the term face card (US) or court card (British and US), and sometimes Royalty, is generally used to describe a card that depicts a person as opposed to the pip cards. They are also known as picture cards, or until the ...

, picture card or royal card. Originally

. ; cover : To play a higher card ''of the same

'' than any previously played to the

. Also play over (but that can also mean to play any higher card). Not to be confused with go over,

head the trick The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy ...

overtake Overtaking or passing is the act of one vehicle going past another slower moving vehicle, travelling in the same direction, on a road. The lane used for overtaking another vehicle is often a passing lane farther from the road shoulder whic ...

. ; cross-ruff : Two partners alternately trumping a different

; cross-suit : Suit of the opposite colour. ; Cups : One of the four suits in a Latin-suited

of cards. Symbol: Seme coppe carte bergamasche

; cut : To divide the deck into two parts; usually after

shuffling Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome. __TOC__ Techniques Overh ...

. Cards may also be cut to determine who

deals Deals (previously stylized as ''DEAL$'') was an American chain of discount variety stores owned by Dollar Tree. The chain operated more than 221 stores located in shopping centers, malls (until 2015), and urban areas in 19 states throughout the U ...

or which

is trumps.

D

; dead card : One that cannot be used in the

. ; deadwood : Unmatched cards remaining in the hand e.g. in

. ; deal # Verb: To distribute cards to players in accordance with the rules of the

being played. In many games, this involves picking up all the cards,

them, having them cut and redistributing them, but in other

(such as Patience games) it simply involves turning over the

wastepile The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy ...

to act as a new

. # Noun: The play from the time the cards are dealt until they are redealt. Also referred to as a

;

: The person whose turn and responsibility it is to

the cards. ; deck : May refer either to the

or the

/ talon. ; declaration #

Announcement Announcement may refer to: * "Announcement" (song), a 2008 song by Common * Announcement (computing), a message about a new software version * Campaign announcement A campaign announcement is the formal public launch of a political campaign, o ...

of melds or scoring combinations, as in

. Dummett prefers to restrict 'declaration' to this sense, while preferring 'announcement' for the intention to achieve certain feats in play i.e. the 2nd meaning below. # The

at which a deal is played. A

call Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call, a type of betting in poker * Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage Music and dance * Call (band), from Lahore, Pak ...

or bid. ; declare # To bid or to announce the

trump Trump most commonly refers to: * Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) * Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank Trump may also refer to: Businesses and organizations * Donald J. T ...

. # To announce; predict

schneider Schneider may refer to: Hospital * Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel People *Schneider (surname) Companies and organizations * G. Schneider & Sohn, a Bavarian brewery company * Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG, the former owner of the D ...

or #schwarz, schwarz. # To meld or show. # To #count out, count out. Note: Dummett prefers to restrict #announce, 'announce' for the intention to achieve certain feats in

, while using 'declare' for a statement that one has a special

of cards in one's

. ; declarer : In a #contract, contract game, the highest bidder who then tries to achieve the announced

. ; declaring side, declaring team : The side that wins the #auction, auction. The player who made the highest bid and his or her partner who join forces to achieve the announced

. ; defenders : The opponents of the #declarer, declarer(s) in

or Skat. Originally those 'defending' the #pool, pool (see Pigott's Hoyle (1800).). ; denomination :The #rank, rank of a card e.g. 2, 3, 4, etc. English pattern pack - Suit of Diamonds-IMG 7662

English pattern pack - Suit of Diamonds-IMG 7662

; Deuce (playing card), Deuce : The Two of any

. In

s, the Deuce is nowadays usually called the #Ace, Ace despite having 2 suit symbols. In Austria and Bavaria usually called the Sow (''Sau''). ; Diamonds (card suit), Diamonds : One of the four suits in a

of cards. Symbol: SuitDiamonds

; discard # To get rid of

cards when unable to #follow suit, follow suit and unwilling or unable to #trumping, trump. # To #lay away, lay away cards, e.g. of high value or to void a suit, after picking up from the talon or skat. # A card that is removed from the hand in either of those ways. ; discard pile : The pile of cards already rejected by players. The common pile of discarded cards. Also

. ; double, redouble : To increase the #game value, game value by a factor of 2. Redoubling effectively quadruples the original game value. ; double-ended, double-figured, double-headed : Of a playing card, being designed to be read either way up by having indices at each end and, in the case of court cards, dividing the picture horizontally or diagonally and displaying only the upper part of the figure at each end. Also reversible. See #single-ended, single-ended. ; doubleton : Only two cards of the same

in the hand. ; downcard : A card lying face down. ; draw : To take a card from the

( talon). Also 'buy' e.g. in Rummy.''Rummy Glossary''
at www.rummy-games.com. Retrieved 29 Nov 2019. ; draw lots : To select e.g. the first

by letting players choose a card at random from the #fan, fanned

or by #cutting, cutting the pack ; drop : To withdraw from the current

; to discard one's hand rather than stake enough

to stay in the

. ; dummy, dummy hand : A hand dealt to an imaginary extra player, and often played out according to certain rules. ; durch, durchmarsch : See #march, march.

E

; elder # Sitting at the left (when the #rotation, rotation is clockwise. # Non-dealer in two-hand play. ; eldest # Of several players, the one nearest the #dealer, dealer's left when the #rotation, rotation is clockwise. May not necessarily be #eldest hand, eldest hand. # Short for #eldest hand, eldest hand. ; eldest hand : This is the player to the left of the

in games that are played clockwise; or to the right of the dealer in those played anti-clockwise and who is usually first to bid or

and #play, play. The first player to play in the

. Called #forehand, forehand in many

. ; empty card : In #Tarock, Tarock games, a card without a special point value, usually a #pip card, pip card, but sometimes also an ordinary trump (i.e. not one of the #Trull, Trull cards.Dummett & McLeod (2003), pp. 4–9. ; endhand : See #rearhand, rearhand. ; entrump : To make a particular suit trumps. ; establish : To make cards the best by forcing out adverse higher cards; to #clear, clear. ; established suit : A suit is established if when you or your partner can take every

in it, regardless of who #lead, leads. ; exit : To relinquish the

; force another player to win the

F

; face # The side of a card depicting its rank : To turn a card so that its rank is visible and its back underneath ; face card : See

. ; face down : With the denomination side of the card downwards and its back upwards. ; faceup (US) : A card positioned so that it reveals its

and value. Also #upcard, upcard. ; face value : The marked value of a card. Also #pip value, pip value. #court card, Court cards are usually take to have a value of 10, the Ace 1 or 11. ; fall of the cards : The identity and order in which cards are played, especially as it gives an indication of the location of unplayed cards. ; fan # To spread cards fanwise. To spread a hand or pack of cards, face up, in an arc so that they can be identified from their corner #index, indices. Alternatively to spread them, face down, in order to enable players to 'draw lots' in order, for example, to choose teams or the first dealer. # An arc of cards so fanned. A spread of face-up cards. # In Patience (card game), Patience, a small number of cards laid in an overlapping row, so that only one is exposed. ; fatten : To discard #counting card, counting cards to one's partner's tricks. Also #smear, smear. ; fat trick : A

that is rich in counting cards. ; fiche : A long rectangular counter used in some French card games and Danish Tarok that is worth a number of

, typically 10 or 20. See also #contrat, contrat. ; finesse : An attempt to take a

with a card that is not the best of the

; first hand # The leader to a

. # The first player to

. # Eldest hand. ; flush (cards), flush : Cards of the same

. ; fold # To withdraw or surrender the current

. # To withdraw from the #auction, auction having been #overcall, overcalled. ; follow suit : To play a card of the #led suit, led suit. ; force # To compel a player to #trumping, trump a

in order to win it. A player may 'force out' trumps by leading a long plain suit in which the opponent is void. # A compulsory

in which all players must play and none may drop out. Also known in German

as a 'muss'. See Schafkopf#Muss, Schafkopf. ; Forehand (card player), forehand # Another term for eldest hand usually in

originating from Europe. The player who is usually first to receive cards, bid and #play, play. Sits to the left of the

in clockwise games and right of the dealer in anticlockwise games. # The player who has the right to lead to a trick. Also said to be "in forehand". ; French-suited pack : A

of cards with the four suits: Clubs, Spades, Hearts and

. So-called because it originated in France, but now used worldwide. Compare with #German-suited pack, German and #Latin-suited pack, Latin-suited pack. The standard 52-card pack consists of French-suited cards which may be of various patterns (English/International, Belgian-Genoese, Dondorf, Swedish, etc.). ; free card # A card with special privileges when led to a trick e.g. the Sevens in Bruus or the Eights and Nines in Knüffeln. # A card that cannot be beaten because all the trumps have been exhausted. # A card that cannot be beaten because all the trumps and higher cards have been played.

G

; game # A pastime in general, usually involving some form of competing. # A variant of a basic game e.g. Gin Rummy or Wendish Schafkopf. # A bid, declaration or

. # A period in a #session, session of play which results in a winner. # The target number of points as in "game is 100 points". # Fulfilment of the declared contract as in "their team made game". # A style or system of play. ; game points : In

s, the score awarded to the players based on the outcome of a

, the game value of a

and any #bonus, bonuses earned. Game points are accumulated (or deducted) to decide the overall winner. Not to be confused with card points. ; game value : The amount a

is worth in points or #hard score, hard score ; German-suited pack : A

of cards with the four suits: #Acorns, Acorns, #Leaves, Leaves, Hearts and #Bells, Bells. So-called because it originated in Germany. Such packs are common in Austria, Germany, north Italy, Hungary and several other countries in eastern Europe. Compare with #French-suited pack, French and #Latin-suited pack, Latin-suited pack. ; good : Concession by a player that he or she accepts the bid and does not wish to bid against it. May be announced with "good." ; go out : To finish playing in the current

because a) you have got rid of all your cards (e.g. in

or Domino (card game), Domino or b) you have achieved the tricks or points needed to win (e.g. in Fipsen or Sixty-Six). ; go over # To #bidding, bid higher; #overcall, overcall. # To #trick play, play a higher card than any so far played to the trick. Also

or play over (but that can also mean to play a higher card of the same suit). Not to be confused with #cover, cover or

. ; guard : One or more cards that protect a high card. A high card may be singly guarded, twice guarded, etc.

H

; hand # The cards held by one player ("playing hand") # The player holding the cards, as in "Third hand bid 1." # Synonymous with the noun usage of

. ; hand card : A card held in the hand as opposed to one on the table. ; hand game or handplay. : A type of

in certain

in which the skat or

is not used. See Hand game (cards). ; hard score : A game played for 'hard score' – as opposed to those played for #soft score, soft score – is one played for money. Coins may be used to stake; alternatively chips or counters with an agreed monetary value may be utilised. ; head the trick : To play a better (i.e. higher) card than any already played to the

. Also go over or play over (but that can also mean to play a higher card of the same suit). Not to be confused with #cover, cover or

Swedish pattern cards-Suit of Hearts down to Six-IMG 7484

; Hearts (card suit), Hearts : One of the four suits in a

of cards. Symbols: U+2665

; hold : As an earlier bidder in the #auction, auction, to match a higher bid, thus retaining the right to play a

. ; hold up : To refrain from playing (a high card). Also 'hold back'. ; honour : A card attracting a bonus score or side payment, usually to the player or team for holding and declaring them, but sometimes for capturing them in play. From the French ''honneur''. See

. ; house : See

I

; index : The number or letter printed in the corner of a playing card, so that it may be read when held in a #fan, fan. ; in turn : A player, or an action, is said to be in turn if that player is expected to act next under the rules. ''Jerry said "check" while he was in turn, so he's not allowed to raise.'' ; invite : To lead a small card of the long suit.

J

; jan, jann : The equivalent of #lurch, lurch or ''

'' in north German or Scandinavian games. It may mean losing without taking a trick, as in games of the Bruus family, or scoring less than 1/4 of the points, as in games of the Sjavs family. ; Jack (playing card), Jack : The

ranking, naturally, between the

and the Ten. Also called the #Knave, Knave or

in certain

. ; jeton : A circular counter which forms the basic unit of scoring or payment, especially in French card games. Often used along with fiches and #contrat, contrats which are worth more. See also chip. ; Joker (playing card), Joker : A card, usually depicting a jester, used as the highest #trump card, trump or as a #wild card, wild card.

K

; kibitzer : Onlooker at a #pastime, card game. ; kind : See #rank, rank. ; King : The highest

, usually

between the #Ace, Ace and the

. ; king card : The best card remaining unplayed of the suit. Also best card,

and

. ; kitty :Additional cards dealt face down in some

. ; Knave : The

in certain

. Also

. ; knock : As the #cutter, cutter, to tap the

with a fist to indicate that you are satisfied with the #shuffle, shuffle and are happy not to cut the cards. Common informal practice in social or family circles in European countries.

L

; Latin-suited pack : A

of cards with the four suits: #Swords, Swords, #Batons, Batons, #Cups, Cups and #Coins, Coins. So-called because it originated in Spain and Italy. Compare with #French-suited pack, French and

. ; lay away : To #discarding, discard after picking up the skat or

. ; lay down : To meld a

. ; lay off : To add cards to another player's melds or combinations. ; lead # To play the first card of the

. # The card played first to the trick. # The privilege of leading e.g. "A has the lead" or "A is on lead". Bavarian pack-Suit of Leaves

; Leaves (card suit), Leaves : One of the four suits in a

of cards. Symbol: Bay gras

; led card : The first card played to a

. Sometimes called the leading card. ; led suit : The

of the first card played to a

. The suit of the #lead card, lead card. ; lone hand, lone player : A player who chooses to play without the help of his #partner, partner's hand. ; long card : A card left in one's hand after all opponents are exhausted of that

. Similarly, long cards are the dregs of a suit which has been led several times and exhausted in the hands of other players. ; long suit : A

containing more than four cards e.g. at Whist or the suit with the most cards in a player's hand. ; loser # A player who has lost a

. # A #losing card, losing card. ; losing card : A card that is unlikely to win a

. ; low card # A card of low #rank, rank # A card of low value, especially in Tarot and Tarock games. ; lurch : A player is 'lurched' or 'in the lurch' in

like Cribbage, Saunt or Cassino (card game), Cassino if they not only lose but fail to score a minimum number of points, typically half of a winning score. Being in the lurch typically costs double. Similar to

M

; March (cards), march :

term, from the German ''Marsch'' or ''Durchmarsch''. To win every trick in a deal. The score for doing so. The same as #slam, slam. ; make # Fulfil a

. # Name the

. ; maker : The player who names the

. Also

or #contractor, contractor. ; master, master card : The best (i.e. highest) card left in a suit which has been played. Also best card,

or king card. : The highest card in play from a particular suit. ; matador : A top trump, sometimes with special privileges. However, in some

such as Skwitz, it is not a #trump card, trump but a bonus-earning card. Any high trump. ; matsch # A #slam, slam in certain Austrian or Bavarian

. # Failing to win at least a quarter of the points available in some German games. Equivalent to a

. ; Meld (cards), meld # Any scoring

of cards announced, shown or played, e.g. three of a #kind, kind or a

of three or more cards. A declaration of such a combination. # To make a meld. ; misère : A

or undertaking to lose every

. Also #bettel, bettel, #bettel, bettler or #null, null. ; Meld (cards), mixed deal : A hand #leading, dealt wrongly. Or to make a mistake while dealing cards. ; mord : A #slam, slam in certain Austrian or German

. ; multipliers : Factors by which the #base value, base value of a declaration (and sometimes any #bonus, bonuses) are multiplied to determine the value of a

N

; natural : Without the use of a wild card (cards), wild. ; natural card : A card that is not wild card (cards), wild ; natural order, natural ranking : The normal hierarchical sequence of cards within a suit. In a 52-card, French-suited pack the natural order is from Ace (high) to Two (low) i.e. A > K > Q > J > 10 … 2. In a 36-card German-suited pack, it is from Deuce ("Ace") to Seven i.e. D (A) > O > U > 10 … 7. Many games do not follow the natural order, for example, in Ace-Ten games the ranking is A > 10 > K > Q > J... or D (A) > 10 > K > O > U... ; natural suit : The suit that a card would naturally belong to if not designated as e.g. a trump ; negative game : A negative

or negative

is one in which the aim is to: # Avoid taking tricks # Lose every trick (as in bettel (cards), ''Bettel'' or misère) # Avoid taking the highest number of points (as in a ''Räuber'' in games like Cego). ; next, next suit : The

of the same colour as the

e.g. in

. ; non-counter : A card which is not a counter i.e. has no scoring value. ; null, null game # In games of the Skat family, a contract in which the declarer undertakes to lose every

. # In Swedish Whist, a game in which both sides aim to take the fewest number of tricks. ; numeral : A card for which the #rank, rank is a number (Ace usually counts as 1 in this case), as opposed to the court cards. Also #pip, pip. See also Pip (counting).

O

; Ober (playing card), Ober : The

usually ranking between the

and the

in a

. The equivalent of the

in a #French pack, French-suited pack. Formerly also Obermann ("overlord"). ; open # To make the first bid, declaration or move. # To make the first #bet, bet. # To make the first

of a

. "It was correct to open Diamonds..." ; opening lead : The first

of a

. ; outbid : To bid higher than an earlier bidder. Same as #overcall, overcall, but distinct from #overbid, overbid. ; ouvert(e) : A contract played with the player's hand of cards spread out face up on the table so it is visible to the other players ; overbid # A bid of more than the value of the

. # #overcall, Overcall. # An unduly optimistic bid. ; overcall : To bid higher than an earlier bidder. May take the form of a suit overcall (bid a higher-value suit e.g. in Preference (Austrian), Preference), majority overcall (bid to take a higher number of tricks e.g. in Fipsen) or value overcall (bid to win more card points e.g. in Binokel) The name of such a bid. ; overs : Excess points in e.g. Cassino (card game), Cassino. ; overshoot point : In

s, a #card point, point in excess of the minimum needed to win the

. ; overtake : To play a card higher than the winning card played by your partner, unnecessary to win the

but necessary to gain the

. Not to be confused with #cover, cover, go over,

or play over. ; overtrick # To take more tricks than #bidding, bid or #contract, contracted. # A trick exceeding the bid. ; overruff, overtrump : To play a #trump card, trump higher than any previously played to the

P

; pack : A complete set of cards. In English-speaking countries, a standard

comprises 52

cards. In other countries, packs of 24, 32, 36, 40 or 48 cards are common as are #German-suited, German or #Latin-suited, Latin-suited packs. Also deck. ; packet : A portion of a

, less than the whole pack. ; pair royal : Three cards of the same denomination (#rank, rank). Also called a '#prial, prial' or '#triplet, triplet'. See set. ; partie : A

which requires a specified number of

to decide it, especially at

. See also

. ; partner : Another player with whom one shares a common score, and with whom one therefore cooperates in

and #play, play. ; partnership : Two or more players who play jointly and win or lose together. May be 'fixed', in which case the players play together for the entire session, or 'floating', in which case partners vary from deal to deal, sometimes called an #alliance, alliance. Also called a #side, side or #team, team. ; pass # In

, to make no bid. # In #vying, vying

to pass the privilege of #betting, betting first. ; penalty : A score awarded for common violations of the rules of the

. It can be awarded either negatively to the violating player/partnership, or positively to their opponent(s) ; penalty card : A card that incurs a

, usually a minus score, e.g. the Queen of spades, Queen of Spades and all hearts in Black Lady. ; penny ante : A

played for insignificant #stake, stakes. ; picture card : Usually the same as

, but can include the #Ace, Aces as well. ; pile : A set of cards placed on a surface so that they partially or completely overlap. Also #stack, stack. ; Pip (counting), pip # A #numeral, numeral. # A

symbol (e.g. , , , or Bay eichel

) on a card. # A #card points, card point in point-trick games. Not necessarily the same as the actual number of pips (symbols) on a pip card. #court card, Court cards also have a pip value. ; pip card : See #numeral, numeral. ; pip value : The numerical, #index, index or #face value, face value of a card. ; plain card : a card other than a

. ; plain suit : Any suit that is not a

. ; play # To contribute a card to a

. # To move a card to a place on the table (either from the players hand, or from elsewhere on the table), in Patience games. # The card played or the move made. # The stage of the

during which the players' #hand, hands are depleted by plays to tricks or to a common #pile, pile, etc. The "rules of play" are the rules for playing tricks, etc. e.g. stating that players must follow suit if able, otherwise may play any card (as at Whist). # #Bet, Betting in general. ; play over : To play a higher card. : To #cover, cover i.e. play a higher card of the same suit. Not to be confused with go over,

. ; pone :US term for non-dealer in some two-player

e.g. Colonel (card game), Colonel or the player on the dealer's right, who #cut, cuts the cards. ; pool : See pot. ; positional priority : The priority a player has by virtue of his position in relation to the

and direction of play. Normally #forehand, forehand or #eldest, eldest hand has the highest priority, followed by the other players in the order of play. So, for example, in an #auction, auction if two players bid the same ranking

and #play, play is clockwise, the player nearest the dealer's left hand usually has priority. Virapulla - IMG 7659

; pot # A container into which money or

are paid initially and during a

and from which the winnings are paid out. # The contents of the pot. An accumulation of chips, antes, bets, forfeits, etc., to win which is the object of the game. ; preference : A bid in the #preference suit, preferred suit. ; preferred suit, preference suit : A

that has #bidding, bidding preference over the rest, as in Boston (card game), Boston,

or Fipsen. ; prial : A 'pair royal'. A set of three cards of the same #rank, rank. ; protection. : Cards that #guard, guard others, normally of higher #rank, rank. ; punter : Person who lays bets in a

Q

; quart : A

of four cards of the same suit. ; quart major : The Ace, King, Queen and Jack of one suit. ; Queen : The

ranking naturally between the

and the

or #Knave, Knave. In Tarock card games, Tarot and Tarock games, it ranks between the King and the

. ; quinte or quint : A

of five cards of the same suit. ; quinte major or quint major : The Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of one suit. ; quinte minor or quint minor : The King, Queen, Jack, Ten and Nine of one suit. ; quitted trick : A

that has been taken and turned face down.

R

; raise # To name a higher

than one has #call, called previously because one has been #overcall, overcalled # To increase one's stake # To increase the #game value, game value ; rank : The position of a card relative to others in the same

. The order of the ranks depends on the

being played. ; Rearhand (card player), rearhand # Usually refers to the player who sits to the right of the dealer in a four-handed, clockwise game. However, in a three-hand #play, play, rearhand is the

; the last active player to receive cards. Also called #endhand, endhand. # The last player to the trick. Also said to be "in rearhand". ; redeal # A new

by the same

after an irregularity. #:A new

of some of the cards, e.g. the

in Patience games. # The action of #deal, dealing again. ; redouble : To #double, double, again, a bid that has already been doubled once. ; reduce : To shed one's

of #deadwood, deadwood e.g. in

. ; regular pack : A #pack, pack of cards comprising suits each distinguished by a suit sign and divided into #numeral, numeral and court cards, as opposed to a Tarot pack that has additional cards known variously as #Tarot, tarots, #Tarock, tarocks or #Tarocchi, tarocchi and which do not have suit signs, numerals and courts. ; renege # To #revoke, revoke. This is the most common usage. # To legally play a card of a

other than the led suit. # To legally withhold a high #trump card, trump when a lower trump is led. ; renounce # To fail to follow suit legally because one is void; a void. This is the most common usage. # Of a suit, void. Having none of the suit led."B" (1858), p. 24. # To play a card of a different suit from the #led suit, led suit. May be legal or not, depending on the rules. ; return : To lead back, usually the suit that partner led. ; reversible : See #double-ended, double-ended. ; revoke # To fail to #follow suit, follow suit when able to do so and the rules require it. Normally incurs a

. # To breach the rules of #follow suit, following suit, trumping, #head the trick, heading or #go over, going over. ; rob # To exchange a hand card for the trump turn-up. # To discard several cards in exchange for the remaining trumps in the pack. ; rotation : The direction of #deal, dealing,

and #play, playing e.g. clockwise (to the left) is standard for American and English

. Anticlockwise (to the right) is common in traditional European games. ; round # The events between the

player's action, and the youngest player's action of the same type (i.e. deal, bid, play), inclusive. A phase of play in which everyone has the same opportunity to perform such an action. # A series of #hand, hands in which each player has dealt only once. ; round game : One in which there are no #partner, partnerships and everyone plays for himself or herself. : One playable by an indefinite number of players, typically 3 to 7. ; royal card : See

. ; rubber : A match consisting of a number of #game session, games, typically three. ; ruff # To trump a suit i.e. when a non-trump was led. # An instance of ruffing. # Historically, to #rob, rob the

#turn-up, turnup. ; Run (cards), run : A combination of three or more playing cards with consecutive #rank, rank values. Also called a

S

; sandbag : To withhold an action on a good hand in order to trap an opponent into greater loss. ; scat : See skat. ; schmear : See #smear, smear. ; schneider (cards), schneider : When a player or team wins over 3/4 of the available card points in point-trick games, thus scoring a bonus. Typical of the Skat and

families. The team scoring less than 1/4 of the points is said to be ''schneidered'' or 'in ''schneider. The successful player or team is said to have won ''schneider''. See also #lurch, lurch. ; schwarz (cards), schwarz : When a player or team wins every

of the

, thus scoring a #bonus, bonus. The other side is said to be ''schwarzed''. Common in

of the Skat and

family. ; seat : Position relative to the

: for example, in bridge, the dealer's left-hand opponent is said to be in ''second seat''. ; second hand : The second player in turn to

or play. ; second turn : The turning over of the second card of the skat for trump, e.g. in Reunion or Skat. ; see, seeing : To #hold, hold a higher bet in a #vying, vying game. ; see saw : See #cross-ruff, cross-ruff. ; selected suit : See #chosen suit, chosen suit. AcetoFive

; Run (cards), sequence : Three or more cards adjacent in #rank, rank. The adjectives ''ascending'' and ''descending'' may be applied (i.e. "building in ascending sequence" means "laying cards out so that each has the next highest rank to the previous one"). A sequence need not all be of the same

. Also #run, run. ; Set (cards), set : Three or more cards of the same #rank, rank. ; shed : To #discard, discard. ; short deck : See #shortened pack, short pack. ; short game : Any

in which not all the cards of a

are put into play, e.g. ''kurzer'' or short

which is played with 24 cards. ; short suit : A suit with less than four cards, two cards or fewer than the average cards for the

. ; stripped deck, short pack, shortened pack : A set of cards that has been reduced in size from a full pack (normally of 52 cards) by the removal of a certain card or cards. ; shuffle : Rearrange (a deck of cards) by sliding the cards over each other quickly.(verb) : An act of shuffling a deck of cards. (noun) ; shut out : Defeated without a single point. ; side : See

. ; side card : A card of a #side suit, side suit; a non-trump. ; side money : A bet in a #side pot, side pot. ; side payment : When players are primarily playing for the #stake, stakes in a pot, this is a separate payment directly from one player's pocket to another, for example to reward a #bonus, bonus. ; side pot : A pot that is separate from the main pot, either for specific #bonus, bonuses or used when the main pot reaches a certain limit. ; side strength : A player with side strength has high cards in #side suit, side suits. ; side suit : A suit that is not the

;

. ; signal : Any convention of play whereby the team members properly give each other information as allowed by the rules. ; single, singly : The basic, usually lowest, value of a game is described as 'single'. A game is won 'singly' if its value is not increased by bonus factors such as winning

which would double the score or winning #schwarz, schwarz which might quadruple it. ; single-ended, single-figured, single-headed : Of a playing card, being designed so that it can only be properly read one way up. There are usually no indices and the courts depict full length figures. Today they have been largely replaced by #double-ended, double-ended or reversible cards. ; singleton : Only one card of a

. ; skat or scat # #widow, Widow; extra cards dealt to the table which may be used for exchanging later. Also #blind, blind. # Note that, in German, 'skat' can also mean void i.e. lacking any cards of a given suit and therefore 'seeking the skat' means looking for an opponent's void suit. ; slam : Winning every trick. Sometimes called a 'grand slam', with a 'little slam' being every trick bar one. Also called a march (e.g.

), mord (e.g. Brandle (card game), Brandle and Grasobern), #durch, durch or durchmarsch, (e.g. Skat and

), #matsch, matsch, #tout, tout or #vole, vole. ; sleeping : Said of cards that are not in play because e.g. they are in the unused part of the

. See #active, active. ; sluff or slough : To discard. To play a card of little or no value. ; smear or schmear : To play a high-scoring card to a

if it is likely to be won by one's partner, especially in

or Sheepshead (card game), Sheepshead. Also #fatten, fatten. ; sneak : Lead a singleton in order to be able to #trumping, trump (#ruff, ruff) the second round of the

. ; soft score : A game played for 'soft score' – as opposed to #hard score, hard score is one played for anything other than money, usually points. The score may be chalked on a slate, recorded with pencil and paper. Equally, counters, tokens or chips or even matches may be used. ; solo # A hand #contract, contract i.e. one played without the aid of the skat or

. # A contract played alone against the combined efforts of all other players. ; soloist : Player who plays a #solo, solo. ; sous-forcer :See #underforce, underforce. Suit of Spades-Écarté ranking-52-card pack

Suit of Spades-Écarté ranking-52-card pack

; Spades (card suit), Spades : One of the four suits in a

of cards. Symbol: Naipe espadas

; spot card : See #numeral, numeral ; squeeze : In trick-taking

, a player is 'squeezed' if he has to weaken himself in either of 2 suits, but has no way of deciding which. ; stack : A #pile, pile of cards, less than the whole

, placed on top of each other and usually face down. ; stake # The money, counters or chips that a player places during a

. # The agreed monetary amount to be paid for each point,

. ; staking board : A board with compartments, cards or marked areas on which stakes are laid during a game as in Newmarket or Poch. ; staking layout : A marked-out area on the table or a set of face-up cards on which stakes are placed. ; stand # Refuse to draw additional cards. # Accept the turn-up as #trump suit, trump. # Remain in the current

or pot, as opposed to #drop, drop. ; stay # Remain in the current

or pot, as opposed to #drop, drop. # Refuse to draw additional cards. Also stick. ; stick : Stand fast and refuse to draw additional cards. ; stock : A pile of cards, face down, which are left over after setting up the rest of the

(i.e. dealing hands, setting up other layout areas) and will be used in the rest of the game. Also talon. ; stop, stop card : A card which, when played, ends a

of cards on the table or a card that is undealt whose absence prevents the completion of a sequence. Gives its name to the Stops family of

. ; Stops family, Stops group : A family or group of matching games in which cards must be played in ascending

and usually in

. The aim is to be first to #shed, shed all one's cards. The cards out of play or which terminate the sequence are called #stops, stops. Examples include

, Pope Joan (card game), Pope Joan, Michigan (card game), Michigan, Newmarket and Yellow Dwarf (card game), Yellow Dwarf. ; Suit (cards), suit : Any of the sets of cards in a

that share the same #pip, pip symbol. For examples see #French-suited pack, French-suited pack,

and #Latin-suited pack, Latin-suited pack. 3deespadas

; sweetener # An additional stake #ante, anted to the pot in Poker to encourage players to stay in the game. # A small bet in Poker not meant to cause an opponent to fold but to build up the pot.''Pot Sweetener''
at pokerstrategy.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021. # An agreed amount that everyone pays into the pot following an auction in which all passed e.g. in

. The pot goes to the next player to win a bid. ; sweep # In fishing games to clear the table by capturing all the table cards upon it at that time. Usually earns a bonus. # The cards so captured. ; swing # Lead the master card of a suit. # One of an unbroken

of cards from the top of the suit downwards. ; Swords (card suit), Swords : One of the four suits in a #Latin-suited, Latin-suited pack of cards. Symbol: Seme spade carte bergamasche

T

; tableau : Layout of face-up table cards in

like Yellow Dwarf (card game), Yellow Dwarf, Zwickern, Zwicker and games of the Patience (card game), Patience family. See Glossary of patience terms. ; talon (cards), talon :The undealt portion of the

which will be used in the rest of the

. Also

; Tarocchi : #trump card, Trump cards in tarot games of Italian origin. Also #Tarock, Tarock or #Tarocchi, Tarocchi in

from other countries. ; Tarock card games, Tarock : A trump card in tarot games of Austrian or German origin. Also #Tarot, Tarot or #Tarocchi, Tarocchi in

from other countries. Also spelt Taroc or Tarok. ; Tarot card games, Tarot : A trump card in tarot games of French origin. Also #Tarock, Tarock or #Tarocchi, Tarocchi in

from other countries. ; team : See

. ; tenace : A combination of high cards not in sequence. ''Major tenace'': A-Q (or K-C in Tarock games); ''minor tenace'': K-J (or Q-J in Tarock games); ''double tenace'': A-Q-10 (or K-C-10/A in Tarock games). ; throw in : To return cards to the

if, for example, no-one makes a bid or if the cards are misdealt. ; throw off : To #discard, discard or #smear, smear. ; touching : Said of cards that are adjacent in #rank, rank. ; tout : Winning all the tricks in European games. Also #durch, durch, #durch, durchmarsch, #march, march, #matsch, matsch, #slam, slam or #vole, vole. ; Trey : The Three of any

. Also 'three-spot'. ; trick (cards), trick : See Trick-taking game. A set of cards played by each player in turn, during the #play, play of a

. ; triplet : Three of a kind. ; tripleton : Three cards of a

in the hand. ; trump (card games), trump # A privileged card whose trick-taking power is greater than any

card. # The

. # A card in the special suit of #trumps, trumps found in #Tarot, tarot packs such as the Tarot Nouveau. # To play a #trump card, trump after a

has been #lead, led. Also #ruff, ruff. ; trump suit : A privileged

in which, in the current

, all its cards #ranking, rank higher than any #plain suit, plain (=non-trump) card. ; turn the corner : Said of a sequence of cards when the top card (typically the Ace or King) is preceded by high cards on one side and low cards on the other e.g. 3-2-A-K-Q-J. ; turn-up : A card turned up at the start of a

to determine the

U

; ultimo : Winning the last

with the lowest

or, sometimes, with a King. ; unchosen suit : In games of the Karnöffel Group, a suit, usually ranking in the #natural order, natural order, most of all of whose cards have no special privileges, in contrast to the #chosen suit, chosen suits. Sometimes called an unselected suit. ; underforce or under-force :To answer a card with one of the same

, but inferior value to those remaining in hand; e.g. putting the Nine of Clubs on the Ten, having the Ace in hand. Also under-force, under-play or sous-forcer. ; underlead : To lead a low card when holding the top card or cards in a suit. ; underplay or under-play # To

or #follow suit, follow suit with a lower card when holding a higher one; #hold up, hold up; refuse to #cover, cover. # See #underforce, underforce. ; undershoot point : In

s, a #card point, point shy of the minimum needed to win the

. ; undertrick # To fall short of the declared number of tricks. # A trick short of the bid. ; unguarded : Unprotected by another, usually lower, card of the same suit. See also blank. ; unload : To get rid of dangerous cards from one's

; unselected suit : See #unchosen suit, unchosen suit. ; Unter (playing card), Unter : The

usually ranking between the

and the Ten in a

. The equivalent of the

in a #French pack, French-suited pack. Formerly also Untermann ("underling"). ; upcard # A card laid on the table face-up. # The top card of a pile, turned face up.

V

; Valet : The

in certain

. Also #Knave, Knave. ; value : See card points ; variant : A game version whose aim, mechanism of play, equipment or tactics are sufficiently different for it to be viewed as a separate, albeit related, game. ; variation # A game version in which there are minor rule differences, but in which the aim, mechanism of play and tactics remain the same. # A minor rule difference. ; vie, vying : To claim you have, or will have, the best

and stake money on it. Vying includes an element of #bluffing, bluffing. ; Void (cards), void : Having no card of a given

. Also #blank suit, blank suit. : To discard all cards of a given

. ; vole : Winning all the tricks in some English and European games. Also #durch, durch, #durch, durchmarsch, #march, march, #matsch, matsch, #slam, slam or #tout, tout.

W

; wastepile or waste-pile : A pile of #discard, discards or cards that a player is unable to play. Also

. ; whitewashed : Losing without scoring a point. See also #schwarz, schwarz. ; talon (cards), widow : American term for a #blind, blind or skat. Hand of cards dealt face down on the table at the start of play that may subsequently be used by players to exchange cards. ; Wild card (card games), wild card : A card that may be designated by the owner to represent any other card. A #Joker, Joker is often used as a wild card, but can also have other uses.

Y

; youngest : The last player to play before the

player's second turn. Some family

will use ''

'' and ''youngest'' to refer to the players' actual ages.

Game-specific glossaries

A few games or families of games have enough of their own specific terminology to warrant their own glossaries: * Blackjack. See the glossary of blackjack terms. * Bridge. See the glossary of contract bridge terms which covers contract bridge, duplicate bridge, and auction bridge; some of the terms are also used in whist, bid whist, and other

s. * Patience (game), Patience or Solitaire. See the glossary of patience and solitaire terms. * Poker. See the glossary of poker terms. *

. See Schafkopf language. * Skat. See the glossary of Skat terms.

Footnotes

References

Literature

• _ (1881). ''Ausführliche anleitung zum Deutschtarokspielen''. Munich: Cäsar Fritsch. 88 pp. * * * * * * Dummett, Sir Michael (1980). ''The Game of Tarot''. London: Duckworth. * * * * * * Goren, Charles (1950). ''Goren's Hoyle''. NY: Greystone. * * * * * Pardon, George Frederick (1864). ''The Card Player''. London: Routledge, Warne & Routledge. * Parlett, David (1979). ''The Penguin Book of Patience''. London: Penguin. * * * * * * * {{Non trick-taking card games Glossaries of card games, Card game terms Card game terminology, Glossary