Button
Button Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Material
- 1 deck of 48 cards (4 suits, values from 1 to 12)
- 10 betting buttons
- 4 player aid
Setup
- Choose a first dealer (randomly or by agreement).
- Deal 9 cards to each player.
- Place 4 cards face up in the center of the table; these start the tricks.
- Place the remaining 8 cards face down as the draw pile.
Betting Phase
- The player to the left of the dealer starts, then play proceeds clockwise.
- In turn, each player may take as many bet tokens as they wish, or pass.
- Once a player passes, they cannot take any more tokens.
- A player who takes no tokens is aiming to win no tricks.
- Bet tokens remain visible in front of each player.
- Betting rounds continue until there are no more tokens or all players have passed.
Trick Phase
- The player to the left of the dealer starts.
- On their turn, a player plays a card into an open trick. The card is oriented to point toward the player who played it.
- A player may play up to 2 times in the same trick.
- A maximum of 4 tricks can be open at the same time.
- A trick is immediately resolved as soon as it contains 5 cards.
Trick Resolution
As soon as a trick contains 5 cards, it is resolved immediately.
One suit has a clear majority
- The highest card of that suit wins the trick.
Example: If Stripes is the majority suit (3 cards), the highest card (12) in that suit wins the trick.
Two suits are tied for majority
- Three-suit composition (2-2-1): The lowest card among those in the tied suits wins the trick.
Example: If Leopard and Stripes are tied (2-2), the lowest card (3) among those two suits wins.
Tied suits (continued)
Example: Leopard and Stripes are tied, each has a card with a value of 3. The Leopard 7 is smaller than the Stripes 9. Therefore, the Leopard 3 wins the trick.
- In case of a tie, compare the second card of the tied suits — the lowest card serves as the tie breaker.
- If there's still a tie, the trick is discarded.
Trick Winner
- The winner takes the cards from the trick and places them face down in front of them.
- The number of tricks won remains visible to all players.
- If the starting card (one of the randomly revealed center cards) wins the trick, the trick is discarded.
Next
- Reveal a card from the draw pile to open a new trick.
- The trick phase resumes with the next player.
End of the Round
- When all players have played 8 cards (with 1 card remaining in hand), the round ends.
- Each player keeps their remaining card for the next round.
- All open tricks are then resolved using the same rules. These tricks count toward the bets and can cause a bet to succeed or fail.
Scoring
- Each card won is worth 1 point.
- A successful bet scores 5 points per token taken.
- If a player bet 0 and won no tricks, they score 30 points.
- A failed bet scores no bonus points — the player only scores points from the cards.
- Scores are written down and added up from round to round.
Example:
- Player 1 bet 3 and won 10 cards in 2 tricks — 10 pts
- Player 2 bet 3 and won 13 cards in 3 tricks — 28 pts
- Player 3 bet 0 and won 3 cards in 1 trick — 3 pts
- Player 4 bet 0 and won 0 cards in 0 tricks — 30 pts
New Round
- The player to the left of the previous dealer becomes the new dealer.
- All cards played during the round, as well as those in the discard pile, are shuffled together (total of 40 cards).
- Each player receives 8 new cards, forming a hand of 9 cards with the one kept from the previous round.
- Place 4 cards face up in the center of the table — these are the open tricks.
- Place the 8 remaining cards face down — this is the draw pile.
- Then begin a new betting phase, followed by the trick phase, and so on.
End of Game & Victory
After 4 rounds, the player with the highest total score wins the game!
2-Player Version
- Deck: 28 cards (4 suits, values from 1 to 7)
- Setup: 2 face-up cards open the tricks — there are always only 2 open tricks
- Draw Pile: Consists of 8 face-down cards
- Betting Phase: 7 bet tokens are available
- Trick Phase: A player may play up to 3 times in the same trick
- Number of Rounds: The game is played over 4 rounds
The printed two-player section also contains a French line ("Nombre de manches : la partie se joue en 4 manches") that repeats the English "Number of Rounds" line above; it is omitted here as a translation duplicate.
3-Player Version
- Deck: 36 cards (4 suits, values from 1 to 9)
- Setup: 3 face-up cards open the tricks — there are always only 3 open tricks
- Draw Pile: Consists of 6 face-down cards
- Betting Phase: 9 bet tokens are available
- Trick Phase: A player may play up to 2 times in the same trick
- Number of Rounds: The game is played over 3 rounds
Team Version
- Components & Setup: Same as in the 4-player game. The two players sitting opposite each other are on the same team.
- Card Exchange: Before the betting phase, teammates exchange one card face down.
- Betting Phase: The team's bet equals the total number of tokens taken by both players. The team must collectively win that exact number of tricks.
- Trick Phase: A player may play up to 2 times in the same trick.
- Scoring: A successful 0-trick bet results in instant victory.
- Number of Rounds: The game is played over 4 rounds.
Note: the rulebook names only two of the four suits in its text (Leopard and Stripes); the other two suits are shown by pattern on the example cards and are not named in the printed text.