Rules and Scoring

Object of the Game:

The aim is to get rid of cards from your hand (11 cards), and then from your foot (11 cards), by melding them. A Meld is a set of three to seven cards of equal rank placed face up on the table. A Meld cannot have fewer than three cards.

After a Meld of three or more cards has been started, you can add further cards to it until there are seven. Then it becomes a Book. You can meld cards of any rank from A, K, Q, … down to 3.

Deuces (twos) and Jokers are wild cards and can be used in melds, as long as there is at least one more real card than wild cards. You can not meld wild cards alone.

There are two types of melds:

  1. A Clean(Natural) Meld has no wild cards and may become a Red Book.
  2. A Dirty(Wild) Meld has wild cards and may become a Black Book.

A Meld of seven cards is complete and is called a Book.

While melds are laid out face up for everyone to see, completed Books are piled up and the card placed on top shows the type – a red card for a Red Book, a black card for a Black Book. Cards of equal rank can be played on completed Books. Wild cards can not be played on Books.

You score points for cards you have melded and for each Book. If you did not go out, you lose points for any cards left in your Hand and/or Foot at the end of the play. The round ends when someone gets rid of all the cards in their Hand and Foot, by melding/booking or discarding them.

In order to go out, you must:

  • Have reached your Foot and played it completely.

AND

  • Have at least one Red Book and one Black Book.

Card Values:

  • Jokers = 50 points (Wild Card)
  • Deuces = 20 points (Wild Card)
  • Aces = 20 points
  • Eight through King (8-K) = 10 points
  • Three through Seven (3-7) = 5 points (unless minus threes are used)

Deck Options:

Players : decks equal the number of players (2 players = 2 decks.)
Players 1 : decks equal the number of players + 1 (2 players = 3 decks)
Players 2 : decks equal the number of players x 2 (2 players = 4 decks)

Round Points Options:

50/90/120/150

  • Round 1, cards points must total at least 50 to play
  • Round 2, cards points must total at least 90 to play
  • Round 3, cards points must total at least 120 to play
  • Round 4, cards points must total at least 150 to play

50/100/150/200

  • Round 1, cards points must total at least 50 to play
  • Round 2, cards points must total at least 100 to play
  • Round 3, cards points must total at least 150 to play
  • Round 4, cards points must total at least 200 to play

Book Points:

300/500

  • Red Book = 500 points
  • Black Book = 300 points
  • Player going out gets 100 bonus points

500/1000

  • Red Book = 1000 points
  • Black Book = 500 points
  • Player going out gets 100 bonus points

Minus Three’s Option:

(If chosen, no threes may be played on the board)

NO – Threes play as usual 5 point cards

0/100 – Black threes are zero points, Red threes are -100 points

0/300 – Black threes are zero points, Red threes are -300 points

0/500 – Black threes are zero points, Red threes are -500 points

5/100 – Black threes are -5 points, Red threes are -100 points

5/300 – Black threes are -5 points, Red threes are -300 points

5/500 – Black threes are -5 points, Red threes are -500 points

Play Discard Option:

NO -Discard pile pick up not allowed

3 – Pick up last 3 discards (top card and 2 previous)

4 – Pick up last 4 discards (top card and 3 previous)

5 – Pick up last 5 discards (top card and 4 previous)

6 – Pick up last 6 discards (top card and 5 previous)

7 – Pick up last 7 discards (top card and 6 previous)

8 – Pick up last 8 discards (top card and 7 previous)

All – Pick up all discards (must contain at least 3 discards)

In order to pick up the discard pile the following criteria must be met:

  1. You must have 2 matching cards in your hand
  2. You must meld the top discard
  3. You must have the required round points

The top discard may give you the required round points

The Scores:

You receive two scores per hand. One for the books, then the combined face value of all cards played on the board, booked or not. Once your books have been counted then all the cards you played, including those in the books, are added up at the card point value (Seven Aces will count as the Red Book value as well as 140 points).

This applies to all players, not just the person going out. If you did not go out, and are caught with cards in your Hand and/or your Foot, those points count against you. If you did not go out and you have books and or
cards on the board, those points count for you.

The person with the most points at the end of the rounds,
is declared the winner.

The Play:

• Draw two cards from the deck. (HFO gives you these automatically)

• Meld your cards. To meld, your board points must match or exceed the points required for that round.

• Discard one card (any card).

• As the play comes back to you, continue to draw two cards, play on your books as you draw cards that play, then discard one card, until you get rid of your Hand.

• Picking up your Foot can be done two ways:

1. Going straight to your Foot, means all the cards in your Hand play without a discard. You may pick up your Foot and play out of it immediately.

2. You play all the cards in your Hand except one, then discard. You will be able to play out of your Foot on your next turn.

• Play continues until a player goes out. You can not go out until you have at least one Red Book and one Black Book.

When going out, you do not have to discard.

Questions, Comments or Suggestions?  Let us hear from you.

 

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