Gambling terms, explained straight

Card Games

Meld meaning in English

A meld is a set of cards a player lays on the table that meets a game's rules for a valid combination, usually to earn points or reduce their hand.

Minimum cards
3 or more cards13
Common types
Set (same rank) or run (consecutive same suit)2
Main games
Rummy, canasta, gin, mahjong, pinochle, bezique12

Key points

  • A meld is typically three or more cards forming a set or run, laid down during play.1
  • Melds score points, satisfy game requirements, or help a player go out by emptying their hand.2
  • The term is central to rummy-family games, canasta, gin, mahjong, and pinochle.1

Where this term is used

Card games Meld meaning The same term explained in the context of card games. Card games Meld score meaning How points are awarded for melded combinations. Card games Whist drive meaning A social event for playing whist, unrelated to melding. Card games Straight gin rules Straight gin is a gin rummy variant in Card games Whist vs spades Whist vs spades is a comparison between two trick-taking card games: Whist Card games Bridge terms and definitions Bridge terms and definitions are the standard words and phrases used in contract bridge to describe cards

Sources

  1. Meld (cards) en.wikipedia.org Provides the core definition and examples of meld in card games.
  2. Rummy en.wikipedia.org Explains meld types (sets and runs) in rummy.
  3. Glossary of card game terms en.wikipedia.org Covers the glossary term and minimum card count for a meld.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.