Objective
Be the one to play out all your cards after the stock runs out; the player still holding cards is the loser.
Setup
- 1Deal five cards to each player. Turn the next card face up to set trumps, then stack the stock face down across it so the trump card stays visible.
- 2One player guesses the trump colour; a correct guess earns the first attack.
How to play
- Play is a series of battles: one player attacks, the other defends.
- An attack is 1, 3, or 5 cards: a single card; a pair plus one; or two pairs plus one.
- To defend, beat an attack card with a higher card of the same suit, or any trump (trumps only beaten by higher trumps). You beat each attack card with one card placed on top.
- Beaten cards (and the cards that beat them) are set aside for the rest of the deal. Beat everything and you attack next.
- You may always choose to pick up attack cards into your hand instead of beating them — often worth it to grab aces or big trumps. Any unbeaten cards go to the defender's hand and the same player attacks again.
- While the stock lasts, refill to five cards after each battle (attacker draws first).
The endgame
- The face-up trump is the last card drawn from the stock; after that, no more drawing.
- You may not attack with more cards than your opponent holds.
- When a player empties their hand at the end of a battle, play ends and the player still holding cards loses. If both empty their hands in the same final battle, it is a draw.
Scoring
Scored in games won
Good to know
- No point score — you avoid being the last holding cards. Track a games-won tally.
Winning
You win by being first to get rid of all your cards once the stock is exhausted.