How to play

Play a card that matches the pile's active suit or the same rank.

An Ace can be played on any card, whatever its suit or rank. After playing it, you choose the new active suit.

The Ace has to be the last card of a multi-card play.

You can play several cards in one turn if they form a valid chain:

• Same rank: any number of matching values.
• Consecutive ranks in the same suit: a run.

• Drawing normally adds one card to your hand and ends your turn.
• If you owe a pickup, drawing collects the whole amount owed and ends the chain.

• Wild: plays on anything.
• Must be the last card of a multi-card play.
• You choose the active suit for the next player.

• Adds 2 cards to the pickup.
• The next player can stack another 2 (or a Jack, with the 2s and Jacks combo on) to pass it on, bigger.
• Otherwise they pick up the full amount.

• J♠ or J♣ adds 5 cards to the pickup.
• Stacks with other Jacks.
• Whether it stacks with 2s depends on the 2s and Jacks combo house rule.

• J♥ or J♦ wipes out a Jack pickup.
• With the 2s and Jacks combo on, it cancels the whole shared pickup, 2s included.

• Skips the next player.
• Several 8s skip one player per 8.
• A skipped player can't play an 8 back.

• Reverses the direction of play with 3 or more players left in.
• With two players, it works as a skip: it's your go again.
• An even number of Kings cancels out; an odd number reverses once.

• A Queen must be followed by another card in the same play.
• Normally the covering card has to match the Queen's suit, or be another Queen.
• Left uncovered, the Queen stays on the pile and you pick up 1.

• Call it before the turn that empties your hand.
• You can call it with the turn before, or straight after it, before the next player goes.
• Calling it on the play that finishes you is too late.

• Your call is cleared if you do anything else without finishing.
• Go out without calling it and your cards are still played, but you pick up 1 and don't finish.

• An invalid play means you pick up 2 and your turn ends.
• If you owed a pickup at the time, you pick up what you owed + 2.
• You can't finish if your last power card would bring the turn straight back to your empty hand.
• With Finish on power cards off, ending on a 2, Jack, 8 or King still plays the card and its effect, but you pick up 1 instead of going out.

• Each turn at a public table lasts 30 seconds. Run out of time and a card is drawn for you.
• Miss 3 turns in a row and you're removed from the table. It counts as a loss for your rating.