Official Game Rules

Object
 

To obtain the lowest number of points after playing all eleven hands of the game.

What's Included
 

The game consists of two 58-card decks. Each deck has three Jokers and five suits: stars ⭐, hearts ♥, clubs ♣, spades ♠, and diamonds ♦. Each suit has eleven cards: 3 through 10, Jack, Queen and King.

Card Values
 

Each number card is worth its face value, the Jacks are 11 points, Queens are 12, Kings are 13, Jokers are 50, and the wild card is 20 points. The wild card changes from hand to hand. The wild card is determined by the number of cards delt. For example, when four cards are dealt, the 4s are wild, when five cards are dealt, the 5s are wild, and so on until the last hand when the Kings are wild. The Jokers will always be wild. 

Runs and Books​

 

Runs: A run consists of a sequence of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit. For example:

2♣️ 3♣️ 4♣️ or J★ Q★ K★

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Any card in a run can be replaced by a wild card. For example, if 7s are wild, a run could be:

9♦, 7♣, J♦, or 6♦, 7★, 7★, 9★. You can have as many wild cards or Jokers in a run as you wish (and they may be adjacent to each other).

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Books: 

 

A book consists of three or more cards of the same value regardless of suit. For example: 8♣, 8♥, 8♠, or K♠, K♦, K♥, K♥. Any card in a book can be replaced by any wild card or Joker. For example, if 8s are wild, then a book could be 8♠, Q♠, Q★. You can have as many wild cards or Jokers in a book as you wish (and they may be adjacent to each other).

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The Deal

 

​Shuffle both decks of cards together.In the first round deal 3 cards, one at a time, in a clockwise rotation, to each player. Each round, the number of cards dealt increases by one. In the second round deal 4 cards, in the third round deal 5 cards and so on until the last round when each player is dealt 13 cards.Place the remaining cards in the center of the table to make the draw pile and flip over the top card to start the discard pile.

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The Play

 

The player to the dealer’s left goes first, and play continues clockwise. Each turn starts with either drawing a card from the deck or picking up the top card from the discard pile. The turn is completed by discarding one card.

 

A player can only lay down his/her books and/or runs when going out or, in turn, after another player has gone out. When a player is able to go out, the remaining players each have one last turn. Each remaining player, in turn, will either draw from the deck or pick up the top discard.

 

The player will then lay down all his/her books and/or runs, discard one card, and count the cards remaining in his/her hand as points against him/her. One cannot play on another player’s books or runs. The value of the cards on the table does not matter, only cards remaining unused in the hand are counted. The scorekeeper records the points and keeps a running tally.

 

The deal passes to the player on the dealer’s left, all cards are shuffled and the next hand is dealt. The number of cards dealt increases by one card each deal, and the wild card changes as described above. Play continues until the eleventh hand, when kings are wild. Lowest score wins.

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Going Out

 

Start your turn as normal, then lay down your entire hand in books and/or runs on the table in front of you before discarding your last card. You can only use the number of cards you were dealt to make your books and/or runs. You must have one card left to discard. Your discard can be a playable card.

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Once a player has gone out, all other players have one more turn. Start your last turn as normal, but lay down any books and/or runs you can before discarding. All unused cards will count toward your score

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Strategy

 

1. Keep your options open. You can come from behind even in the last hand...hence our slogan: The game isn’t over ‘til the Kings go wild! 

 

2. Whenever you are uncertain which card is wild, count the number of cards you were dealt.

 

3. If you have only one wild card or Joker in your hand after someone goes out and you can’t play it, you may wish to discard it. This will cut your losses (wild cards and Jokers are worth lots of points), but unfortunately it will probably help your opponents.

 

4. In the last hand of a seven player game, if all the remaining cards in the deck are used, the discard pile should be reshuffled and used to replenish the deck. Combine 2 games and play with up to 14 people.

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