Rules
Rummy Glossary
Rummy has its own vocabulary, and different families and apps often use different words for the same thing. Here are the terms you’ll hear most often, explained simply.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 101 / 201 | The two common limits in Pool rummy. Reach that total and you are out of the game. |
| Ace high / Ace low | The Ace can be used above the King (Q♠K♠A♠) or below the Two (A♠2♠3♠), but not both at once (K♠A♠2♠ is invalid). |
| Arrange / sort | Ordering the cards in your hand into groups so you can see your melds. Also done at the end of a deal to count points. |
| Card value | The points a card is worth in a losing hand: A, K, Q, J = 10; 2–10 = face value; jokers = 0. |
| Closed deck | The face-down pile you can draw from. Nobody knows the next card. |
| Count | The points in a losing hand. “What’s your count?” means “How many points do you have?” |
| Cut joker | Another name for the wild joker card turned face up after the deal. |
| Deadwood | Loose cards that don’t belong to any group. These are what you count when you lose. |
| Deal | One complete hand, from dealing the cards until someone declares. Also the act of handing out cards. |
| Deals rummy | A format with a fixed number of deals; the lowest total wins. See Deals rummy rules. |
| Declare | To finish the deal by showing all 13 cards in valid groups. Also called a show. |
| Discard | The card you throw face up on the open pile at the end of your turn. |
| Discard pile | Same as the open pile. |
| Draw / pick | Taking one card from the closed deck or the open pile at the start of your turn. |
| Drop | Leaving a deal voluntarily for a fixed penalty. See first drop and middle drop. |
| Elimination | Being knocked out of a Pool rummy game after reaching 101 or 201 points. |
| Finish slot | In apps, the place where you put your 14th card when you declare. |
| First drop | Dropping before you draw your first card. Costs 20 points (25 in 201 Pool). |
| First life | A popular name for the pure sequence – the first thing you need to “stay alive” in a deal. |
| Full count | The maximum penalty for one deal: 80 points. |
| Group | Any meld – a sequence or a set. |
| Impure sequence | A sequence where a joker stands in for a missing card, e.g. 4♦★JKR6♦. |
| Joker | A card that can replace any card in a sequence or set. See printed joker and wild joker. |
| Meld | A valid group of cards: a sequence or a set. |
| Middle drop | Dropping after you have already drawn at least once. Costs 40 points (50 in 201 Pool). |
| Open pile | The face-up pile of discarded cards. You may draw its top card instead of a closed-deck card. |
| Points rummy | A single-deal format: winner 0, losers count their points. See Points rummy rules. |
| Pool rummy | A format where points add up over many deals until players are eliminated. |
| Printed joker | The two picture jokers ★JKR added to the two decks. Always a joker, worth 0. |
| Pure sequence | Three or more cards of one suit in order with no joker standing in, e.g. 9♥10♥J♥. Every valid declaration needs one. |
| Rejoin | A house rule in some Pool games that lets an eliminated player come back in. |
| Run | Another word for a sequence. |
| Second life | The second sequence needed for a valid declaration. It can be pure or impure. |
| Sequence | Three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive order. |
| Set | Three or four cards of the same rank, all in different suits, e.g. J♠J♥J♣. |
| Show | Same as declare. |
| Toss | Deciding who deals or plays first, often by each player drawing a card. |
| Wild joker | All cards of the rank shown by the card turned up after the deal. If that card is a printed joker, Aces are wild. |
| Wrong show | An invalid declaration. It costs 80 points. |
FAQ
What does “first life” mean in rummy?
First life is a common name for the pure sequence. You need it to declare, and without it every card in your hand counts when you lose.
Is a cut joker the same as a wild joker?
Yes. The cut joker is the card turned face up after the deal, and every card of that rank becomes a wild joker for the deal.
What is deadwood?
Deadwood is any card in your hand that is not part of a valid sequence or set. When someone else declares, deadwood is what you count as points.