Card break glossary
New to card breaking and not sure what half the terms mean? Plain-language definitions of words you will see on break listings, live streams, and shop pages. Once you have the basics, check the live schedule.
- Base card
- A common, non-inserted card from a set — the standard cards that make up the bulk of any box, as opposed to inserts, parallels, or autos.
- Bounty Break
- A break where a specific pull is set as a target before the box or case is opened. If the breaker hits that target, the buyer tied to that spot wins an extra prize on top of whatever they would normally receive, usually cash or store credit.
- Box break
- Opening a box (or case) of trading cards live, usually on stream, where the contents are divided among participants who bought in ahead of time.
- Case break
- A break involving a full case of boxes rather than a single box, typically with more spots and a larger product pool.
- Divisional / Tiered Mixer
- A format where spots are sold by group rather than by individual team — by sports divisions or by pre-sorted tiers meant to represent roughly equivalent value.
- Duck Duck (Duck Race)
- An animated, randomized “duck race” some live-stream breakers use to decide draft order, stash-or-pass order, or a giveaway winner.
- Fillers & Razzes
- A way of subdividing an expensive spot into cheaper mini-lottery entries. The winner of that smaller lottery moves up into the main break.
- Group break
- A box or case break where multiple people each buy a spot (a team, a player, or a random slot) and receive whatever cards match their spot.
- Hit
- A notable pull from a pack or box — typically an autograph, a rare parallel, a low-numbered card, or a card of significant value.
- Live break
- A break that happens in real time on a live stream (Whatnot, Fanatics Live, YouTube, and similar), as opposed to a break recorded and posted afterward.
- P3K2 (Pick 3, Keep 2)
- A format where a buyer is randomly given three teams or spots and keeps two, tossing the third back into the pool.
- Personal break
- A break bought entirely by one person — they get every card in the box or case, with nothing divided among other participants.
- Presale
- A break listed and available to buy into before the live break happens, so you can pick a spot instead of already watching when a stream starts.
- PYT (Pick Your Team)
- A format where each participant selects a specific team (or player) as their spot, rather than being randomly assigned one.
- Random break
- A format where spots are randomly assigned (wheel, RNG, or similar) rather than chosen — as opposed to a PYT break.
- Sealed wax
- Unopened boxes or packs still sealed by the manufacturer — the product being broken, or bought unopened.
- Serial Number / Left Digit
- A format where participants buy a single digit (0 through 9) instead of a team. If a numbered card’s serial matches that digit on the left or right side, that buyer wins the card.
- Spot
- An individual slot within a group or case break — buying a spot means buying one team, player, or random slot, not the whole box.
- Stash or Pass
- An interactive format where a participant is randomly given a spot and must stash it (keep it) or pass (give it up for a new random selection).
- Team break
- A break where spots are organized by team (similar to PYT, though sometimes team breaks are pre-assigned rather than picked).
Browse what's actually breaking. Open the BreakRadar schedule.