A Little Pub Card Game



Here's a simple pub game you can play with a standard deck of cards. Like all good pub games, it has a bit of risk-taking and bluffing, plays fast for big groups, and doesn't take much space. I don't have a name for this, so feel free to make suggestions. You can play with 3-8 players.

Goal
Get the lowest score by collecting low-number cards and collecting majority of a suit.


Ranks
This game uses card ranks and suits. The ranks, lowest to highest, A 2-10  J Q K.


Set Up
  • Shuffle a standard deck of cards (without jokers).
  • Remove 10 cards from the deck face-down, they will not be used in play.
  • Deal 3 cards to each player's hand, keeping them secret.
    • Deal 2 cards for groups of 5-6 players.
    • Deal 1 card for groups of 7-8 players.
  • Place the deck in the middle of the table.
  • Reveal the top card.

Turns
Start with the player to the left of the dealer take the first turn. Turns continue clockwise around the table.


Your Turn
On your turn, you can do one of two things:
  • Take the face-up card and add it to your collection in front of you, visible to everyone.
  • Draw another card from the top of the deck.
If you drew a card, two things might occur:
  • If the card is of a lower rank and a different suit than the face-up card, you may take the newly drawn card instead and add it to your collection.
  • If the card is of an equal or higher rank, or the same suit of any rank, you must take both cards and add them to your collection.
In future turns, if there is not a face-up card on the table, draw a new card first and repeat the steps of a turn noted above.

This player was faced with an 8 of hearts. He decides to risk a draw.
He draws a Jack! So he must now take both cards into his collection.

This player is faced with a Jack of Spades.
She figures odds are good that she won't draw a Queen or King, so she risks it.
She draws an ace of spades! Because the suits are the same, she must take both cards.

Now it's your turn. Faced with a 4 of Hearts, you decide to just take it.


Endgame, Scoring, and Victory
The game ends when the deck runs out. Discard the last card in the deck or the face-up card remaining on the table, whichever is the case after the last turn.

All players reveal the cards in their hand and add them to their collection.

If you have the most cards of a suit, turn those cards face down. If tied, all tied players turn over their cards.

Then add up all the numerical ranks in your collection. Whoever has the lowest total is the winner!

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