How to Win: The objective of the game is to be the first to complete all 14 Contracts as listed on the sheet.
Set Up:
2 to 5 players
2 Decks of Cards including Jokers
Deal 13 Cards to each player
Place the rest of the deck in the center of the table to make a draw deck and flip one card over to form a discard pile.
Jokers and 2's are wild cards. Aces can be high or low for Runs
Sets and Runs
Set - a group of cards of the same value. The Contract will tell you have many sets you need and how big the sets need to be.
Run - a group of cards of the same suit in a row. The Contract will tell you have many Runs you need and how long the Runs need to be.
Play
All Players must attempt to complete the 14 Contracts in order of how they are listed.
A player may only complete one Contract per round and only the Contract they are currently on. After that, then they can add extra sets of 3 or runs of 4.
Starting with the player to the left of the dealer and continuing clockwise each player may either draw the top card of the deck or any discard visible on the table.
When they have completed all their moves, they must discard a card. Each player lays their discard in front of them on the table. These “discards” are available to all players to draw from. Once a card from the top of anyone’s discard pile is used by another player, the card beneath it becomes available. In other words, any cards visible on the table are available to any player.
(Note: When the first discard which is turned up next to the pile in the center of the table is used, it does not get replaced.)
If the deck runs out, reshuffle the discard pile, except for the top card, and make a new draw deck.
If a Player has all of the cards to complete a Contract, they may lay them down on the table on their turn. They may still have extra cards in their hand (See ending a round on how to discard them).
You may never have more wild cards then natural cards in a Contract set or Run.
For example, for a set of 3 you could have two fives and Joker but not 2 Jokers and a 5.
2's are always wild. If you were making a Run of A, 2, 3, 4 the 2 would be considered wild for purposes of wild vs. natural cards.
For Runs they must all be of the same suit.
Ending a Round
A Round ends when one player goes out.
To Go Out - they must have completed and laid down their current Contract and laid down all their extra cards and have one card left for a final discard.
After a player has completed and laid down their Contract, they can get rid of the extra cards in their hands by adding to the table.
They may make extra sets of 3 or more
They may make extra Runs of 4 or more (same suit)
They may add to an existing set of their own or of an opponent that has already completed their Contract. Example: Player one has a 5 in their hand, Player two has completed their Contract and has a set of 5's on the table. Player one may add his 5 to players two's set of 5's.
They may add to an existing Run of their own or of an opponent that has already completed their Contract.
Example: Player one has the 5 of Diamonds, Player two has a Run of the 6,7,8,9 and 10 of Diamonds. Player one may add his 5 of Diamonds to the end of the Player two's Run.
They may play wild cards to any sets or Runs as long as it doesn’t break the rule of more wild cards to natural cards for the Contract they are laying on.
Once a player has laid down his Contract, laid down any extra cards and discarded his last card, the round ends then.
Any players that have met their Contract move on to the next Contract.
Any players that have not met their Contract remain on their current Contract.
The player who played first will become the dealer for the next round
First player to go out on Contract 14 wins.
For a shorter game you can select a different finishing Contract (i.e. playing to Contract 7).
Card Games Main Page