Originally Posted by Phila26Flyers
One of my college roommates taught us a game his family calls 13. Simply because each of the four players has 13 cards. There might be another name for it. Everyone I've taught the game to thinks it's so confusing at first until we play a couple rounds, then they're hooked. I'll try to explain it as simply as I can.
• Cards are shuffled and dealt, 13 apiece.
• Cards are ranked in order, from lowest to highest, by number: 3-K, then Ace, and 2 is the HIGHEST; and by suit: Clubs, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds. Easy to remember because the club is the smallest symbol and diamonds are high in value.
• The goal is to get rid of all your cards. The game continues until only one person still has cards. The last person with cards loses the game.
• The game is based on starting a pattern, and beating that pattern as you go around the table with either a higher suit or number.
• Person with the 3 of clubs, the lowest ranked card in the game, starts.
• The pattern can be anything: you can lay down just the 3 of clubs, or a pair of 3s, or a 3 thru 9 7-card straight. It doesn't matter, as long as the 3 of clubs starts it.
• The next person has to beat the previous person's draw. If the game starts with the 3 of clubs, you can put down the 3 of spades, or a 6 of whatever, an Ace, etc. Then the next person has to beat that, and so on.
• If the pattern involves multiple cards, like a three card straight, only the end card has to beat the pattern. For instance, if the first person puts down 3, 4, 5 spades, you can put down 3, 4, 5 hearts. Obviously, a 9, 10, J straight beats it altogether.
• If you can't beat the pattern on the table, or want to save your cards, pass. Even the person who started the pattern has to pass if he can beat it. The "round" ends two ways:
1) Everyone passes, meaning the last person standing starts a new pattern of whatever he wants.
2) Some puts down a 2. The 2 is the bomb card. The bomb is used to stop the current pattern. You use it to stop patterns you can't beat. If someone put down three 7s and you can't beat that, put down a 2. The only way to beat the bomb is if anyone has a higher 2 they want to use, or a paired three-card straight (ex. 66, 77, 88). If someone can beat the bomb, they start the next pattern. If no one beats the bomb, the bomber starts.
It sounds like a lot to keep track of, but it really isn't. Not any more than any other game I've played anyway. People always give me the same looks I gave my roommate when he explained it to us, but everyone always ends up loving it. It gets pretty competitive and intense. It's a great party game too. Better than a game like Kings for instance, which is great but involves too many people so eventually half of them stop paying attention and the game takes FOREVER or stops being fun.
|