A discard in poker refers to cards that have been thrown away (discarded) by players, usually to be replaced by new cards. The term is usually found in draw poker games.
For example, in a game of Five Card Draw, every player is given the option to discard up to five cards from their hand and replace them with new cards after the first betting round. The cards they choose to replace are referred to as discards, and the place on the table where all these cards end up is a discard pile.
The term discard is sometimes used in Texas Hold’em as well for cards folded by the players, but the term “muck” is much more frequently used in community card games.
