What is a discard in card games?

A descarte (discard) is a card or group of cards that a player gives up because they are not useful to their hand. How you discard depends on the game: in Chinchón, the card goes face up onto a pile, while in Mus, cards are discarded face down to request replacements.

In Chinchón

In Chinchón [a Rummy-style game], each turn you draw a card and discard (descartarse) another, which remains visible in the pile. The next player can take it if it suits them. This makes discarding an art form: what you throw away might be useful to someone else. In our Chinchón guide, we offer more tips.

In Mus

In Mus [a popular bluffing game], if all players agree to "Mus", each person discards the cards they want and receives the same amount from the deck. Here, the descarte is secret, but how many cards each person asks for provides a great deal of clues.

Reading the discards

The descarte of other players speaks to you. If someone lets go of a seven of Copas (Cups), it is likely they are not building a run of Copas (cups) around the seven. Paying attention to this is one of the things that distinguishes a beginner from a veteran player.