User:Hans Adler/Glossary of card games

Playing cards

pack, deck: A complete packet of playing cards as sold or as used in a game. Some games are played with one pack consisting of several decks.
suit: One of usually four symbols into which most cards are divided. Most, sometimes all, cards are determined by their rank and suit.
rank: The number or other denomination (e.g. king) of a card. Most cards have a suit in addition to a rank.
numeral: A card which has a suit and whose denomination is a number.
ace: The numeral rank 1.
deuce: The numeral rank 2. In German-suited packs, which do not usually have more than 36 cards, the deuce typically replaces the ace.
court card, face card: A card which has a suit and whose denomination is a person rather than a number.
suitless card: A card without a suit. Typical examples are jokers and tarots.
joker: A suitless type of card that may come with a pack in varying quantities, and which is used for some games. Sometimes there are subtle differences between jokers which make it possible to distinguish between a "red" and a "black" joker.
tarot: One of a number of suitless cards in a tarot pack. A typical tarot pack has 21 tarots numbered from I to XXI, and an unnumbered tarot called the fool.

General notions

stock, talon

Cards that are not dealt to a player. The stock may serve as a widow, players may draw from the stock during the play of the hand, or the stock may not be used at all.

direction of play, game orientation

The orientation according to which activity during the game normally proceeds. Only relevant in games with three or more players.

deal

The phase in which the dealer deals the cards to the players.

dealer

The player who shuffles the cards and deals them.

elder hand, non-dealer

In a two-player game, the player who is not the dealer. This player usually begins the play of the hand.

eldest hand, forehand

The player who sits after the dealer in the direction of play. This player usually begins the play of the hand.

hand

The cards a player has been dealt. Players normally hold their cards so that only they can see them. Sometimes players may exchange some of their hand cards or draw new cards.
A phase of the game that falls between two deals.

round: A period of the game consisting of as many deals/hands as there are players, so that each player deals once.
game, rubber: A game is normally the smallest period after which scores are settled and players may join or leave. In Bridge and Whist this is called a rubber, and a rubber consists of a number of smaller units called games.

Trick-taking games

widow, blind, skat, kitty: Cards which initially are not dealt to a player, but may under certain circumstances be taken up by a player to improve his or her hand. This player must then discard the same number of cards. The terms are also used for the cards discarded in this way.
trick: A group of cards to which each player has added one card, starting with one player and continuing in the direction of play. A trick can be regarded as a subgame.
winning a trick: A trick is won by the player who added the best card, according to certain rules. Players usually collect the tricks which they have won face-down on a stack.
leading to a trick: Playing the first card of a trick.
heading a trick: A trick is headed by the player who would win the trick if no more cards would be added.
trump, ruff: A card that has special powers to head a trick. Often all cards of a specific suit are made trumps, but sometimes certain suitless cards or cards of a specific rank are also trumps. All trumps are regarded as members of the same (virtual) trump suit, even though they may be of different natural suits.
trumping, ruffing: Playing a trump to a trick.
plain suit: A suit whose cards are not all trumps.
slam: Winning all tricks.
following suit: Playing a card to a trick that is of the same suit as the card led.
renouncing: Not following suit because unable to do so.
revoking: Illegally not following suit although able to do so.
reneging: Legally not following suit although able to do so.

Contracts

contract: An undertaking to reach a certain objective in the play of a hand.
declarer: The player who undertakes to win a contract and typically gets some privilege such as deciding the trump suit.
soloist: A declarer who does not play with a partner.
opponents: All players other than the declarer or the declarer's partner if declarer has one.
null, misère: A contract in which the object is not to win a single trick.
ouvert: A contract in which the declarer must play with all cards face-up on the table.
bidding, auction: A process in which it is decided which player becomes declarer.

Card combinations

melding: Showing or announcing a card combination in order to score points.
set: A group of cards of the same rank.
flush: A group of cards of the same suit.
sequence, run: A group of cards forming a sequence of consecutive ranks. Often required to be also a flush.
marriage, bela: King and queen of the same suit.

Scoring and payments

pot: In games played for money or tokens, a physical object into which all players pay their stakes and from which winners are rewarded.
side-payment: A payment that does not involve the pot. May also occur in games that use numerical book-keeping rather than a pot.