Casino

Full rules

1. Overview
2. Card values
3. Setup
4. Playing a turn
5. Later deals
6. End of a round
7. Scoring
8. Winning the game
9. Tips for beginners
10. Variants

Overview

Casino is a classic fishing game: instead of playing cards into tricks, you use the cards in your hand to capture cards lying face up on the table. You capture by matching a card of the same rank, or by adding table cards up to the value of the card you play. At the end of each round you score points for capturing the most cards, the most spades, the aces and two special cards: the Big Casino (10♦) and the Little Casino (2♠). The first player to reach 21 points wins.

• Players: 2 (3 or 4 are possible, see Variants).
• You need: one standard 52-card deck without jokers, and paper and pencil for scoring.

Card values

For capturing, number cards count their value:

Jacks, Queens and Kings (the face cards) have no number value. They can only be captured by pairing – a King takes a King, a Queen takes a Queen – and can never be part of a sum or a build.

Setup

1. First dealer: each player cuts or draws a card; the lower card deals first. After that, the deal alternates between rounds.
2. Deal: the dealer shuffles and deals 2 cards face down to the opponent, 2 cards face up to the table, then 2 cards face down to themselves. Repeat once more, so each player has 4 cards in hand and 4 cards lie face up in the middle.
3. The rest of the deck stays face down next to the dealer. It is only used for dealing.

Each player keeps a face-down pile in front of them for the cards they capture.

Playing a turn

The non-dealer starts, then you take turns. On your turn you play exactly one card from your hand and do one of three things with it: capture, build or trail.

Capture

You capture (take) table cards with the card you play:

• Pairing: your card takes table cards of the same rank. A number card takes all table cards of its rank (a 5 takes every 5 on the table). A face card takes only one card of its rank.
• Summing: a number card takes a group of table cards whose values add up to its value (a 9 takes 5 + 4, or 6 + 2 + 1).

You may capture several things at once with the same card, as long as every group matches on its own. Put the captured cards together with the card you played face down on your pile.

Example: The table shows 9♣ · 5♥ · 4♦ · 6♠ · 2♣ · A♥ · K♠. You play 9♥. You may take 9♣ (pair), 5♥ + 4♦ (sum 9) and 6♠ + 2♣ + A♥ (sum 9) all together – seven cards in one go. Only the K♠ stays on the table.

Build

A build prepares a capture for your next turn. You play a card from your hand onto one or more table cards so that they add up to a total, and you announce it out loud. You may only build if you hold another card of that value to capture it with later.

Example: The table shows 4♣ and K♥. You hold 3♠ and 7♦. You put the 3♠ on the 4♣ and say “building seven”. On your next turn you capture the build (4♣ + 3♠) with your 7♦.

A build stays together as one unit: it can only be captured as a whole, by a card of its total.

A multiple build is a pile of several groups that each make the same total. It is announced like “building eights”.

Example: The table shows 3♥ and 8♣. You hold 5♠ and 8♦. You put the 5♠ on the 3♥ (5 + 3 = 8) and add the 8♣ to the same pile: “building eights”. Your 8♦ will capture all three cards.

What your opponent can do with your build:

• Capture it with a card of the build's total. Builds are never safe!
• Increase it (single builds only): add a card from hand to raise the total, if they hold a card of the new total. The build now belongs to them. A multiple build can never be increased.

Example (continued): You built seven (4♣ + 3♠). If your opponent holds a 7, they simply take it. If instead they hold 2♥ and 9♣, they can add the 2♥ and say “building nine” – now it is their build, and your 7♦ can no longer take it.

Owning a build: as long as you own a build on the table, you may not trail. On your next turn you must capture it or build further (another capture or build elsewhere is also allowed, but sooner or later your build must be taken).

Trail

If you cannot or do not want to capture or build, you trail: lay your card face up on the table. You may not trail while you own a build.

Sweep

If your capture takes every card on the table, it is a sweep, worth 1 extra point. Mark it by placing one of the captured cards face up in your pile. Your opponent must then trail, since there is nothing left to take.

(Common rule: the very last capture of the round does not count as a sweep.)

Later deals

When both players have played all four cards, the dealer deals 4 more cards to each player, 2 at a time. No new cards go to the table. With two players there are 6 deals in all, which uses up the whole deck. On the final one, the dealer announces “last deal”.

End of a round

After the last card of the last deal is played, any cards still on the table go to the player who made the last capture. Then both players count their piles.

Scoring

Each round is worth 11 points, plus any sweeps:

If you tie for most cards (26 each), nobody scores those 3 points. (With 3 or 4 players spades can tie too – then nobody scores that point either.)

Example: At the end of a round Anna has 30 cards, including 6 spades, the 10♦, three Aces and 1 sweep. Ben has 22 cards, including 7 spades, the 2♠, one Ace and 2 sweeps. Anna: most cards 3 + Big Casino 2 + Aces 3 + sweep 1 = 9 points. Ben: most spades 1 + Little Casino 1 + Ace 1 + sweeps 2 = 5 points. Together that is 11 + 3 sweeps = 14, as it should be.

Winning the game

Play rounds until a player reaches 21 points. If both could reach 21 in the same round, count the items in this order: cards, spades, Big Casino, Little Casino, Aces, sweeps. Whoever reaches 21 first in that count wins.

Simpler alternative: play a fixed number of rounds (e.g. 6) and the higher total wins.

Tips for beginners

• Watch the valuable cards. Keep track of where the 10♦, the 2♠, the Aces and the spades are.
• Count the cards. Know how many cards are left so that the last capture – and the leftover table cards – is yours.
• Don't trail high-value cards. A trailed Ace, 10♦ or 2♠ is a gift to your opponent.
• Build to protect. A build ties table cards together; a multiple build cannot even be increased.
• Avoid leaving easy sums. If the table adds up to 10 or less, your opponent may sweep it.

Variants

All of these are optional – agree on them before the game.

• 3 players: deal 4 cards to each player and 4 to the table, as usual; there are 4 deals in all. Everyone plays for themselves.
• 4 players: play in two partnerships, partners sitting opposite. Deal 4 each and 4 to the table; there are 3 deals. Partners combine their piles for scoring.
• Royal Casino: face cards get values too – J = 11, Q = 12, K = 13 – and an Ace = 1 or 14. Face cards can then capture sums and be used in builds.
• Spade Casino: instead of 1 point for most spades, every spade counts 1 point, and the J♠ 2 points. Play to 61.
• Capturing face cards: a face card captures all cards of its rank on the table (up to three), not just one.