Melds

Melds are a concept used in many card and tile games to describe combinations of cards or tiles that are laid down for scoring or progression. A meld typically represents a planned grouping that meets specific rules and is revealed to other players, either to gain points or to advance toward a win.

In common card games, melds usually take two basic forms: runs (also called sequences) and sets. A run is a sequence of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit (for example, 4-5-6 of hearts). A set is three or four cards of the same rank (such as 7-7-7 or 9-9-9-9). Different games vary in the minimum size of a meld, whether multiple suits can be used for runs, and whether jokers or other wild cards are allowed.

Examples and game variants:

- In many rummy-style games, players lay down initial melds that meet a minimum point value and may later add cards to existing melds (laying off).

- In Canasta, a meld is any three or more cards of the same rank; seven-card melds become canastas and may include wild cards, with natural canastas differing from mixed ones in scoring.

- In Mahjong, melds include pungs (three identical tiles), chows (three consecutive tiles in the same suit), and kongs (four identical tiles), forming the hand toward a win. Open versus concealed melds affect scoring.

Strategy and scoring concepts: Melds influence when players can go out, how points are earned, and how opponents’ draws and discards are managed. The exact rules for what constitutes a valid meld, how many cards it must contain, and how it interacts with remaining cards vary widely between games.