Casino Pirate
Casino Pirate Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
44 cards: 7 x 4 "gem" cards, 12 "gold coin" cards (including one skeleton), 4 "pebble" cards. 50 treasures for betting.
Object
To collect cards worth in total as close as possible to 7½ points, or to make the other players believe you are close.
Card Values
- Gem cards: values from 1 to 7 points.
- Gold coin cards: ½ point.
- Pebble cards: 0 points.
- Skeleton card: a joker. Choose its value - any whole number between 1 and 7.
Preparing to Play
Each player receives 10 treasures for betting. The other treasures are removed from the game. The players take it in turn to be the dealer, who plays against all of the other players. The oldest player deals first and shuffles the cards then holds them in a pile, face down. The dealer deals one card to each of the other players who look at their card without showing it to the others and, depending on their hand, bet one or two treasures which they place in front of them on the table.
- The player sitting to the left of the dealer begins. When it is your turn:
- If you do not want another card (because your first card was very close to 7½ points or because you have decided to bluff), lay your card face down on the table in front of you and say "served".
- If you would like one or more extra cards to approach closer to 7½ points, say "card". You can continue to ask for cards one at a time until you declare that you have been "served".
While you are receiving cards you can only keep one card face down at a time. Consequently, every time you receive a new card you have to choose between two options:
- Ask for the card to be dealt to you face up.
- Ask for the card to be dealt to you face down, in which case you have to turn over the card which was previously face down.
The dealer proceeds likewise with all of the other players, moving in a clockwise direction.
- When all of the players have been "served", it is the dealer's turn to try to obtain 7½ points. The dealer lays cards on the table, one by one. All of the dealer's cards are dealt face up. The dealer chooses when to stop.
- If the dealer's hand exceeds 7½ points, the dealer pays treasure to the other players to the value of their initial bet (e.g. for a stake of two treasures, a player collects four treasures: the initial two, plus two given by the dealer). The players do not show their cards.
- If the dealer's hand contains 7½ points or fewer, the dealer asks the players one by one to show their hand, starting with the player to his or her left. Before asking each of the other players to show their hand, the dealer may choose to deal him- or herself one or more extra cards, in an attempt to approach closer to a total of 7½ points. In that case the dealer runs the risk of exceeding 7½ points and having to pay treasure to the remaining players.
It is up to the dealer to assess the risks before turning to each player, depending on his or her hand, and the apparent strength of the other players' hands.
- If when you show your hand you have fewer points than the dealer, you have to give your initial bet to the dealer.
- If you have a better hand than the dealer, you recover your bet, and the dealer pays you the equivalent of your initial stake (as previously).
- If your hand amounts to exactly 7½ points, the dealer doubles your stake (if you bet two treasures, you recover those two treasures and receive four more from the dealer).
NB1: If you know that you have lost against the dealer, you may decide to hand over your initial stake without showing your hand, so as not to reveal your strategy.
NB2: In the case of a draw, the dealer is considered the winner and you hand over your stake.
When all of the players have shown their hands and the treasures have been distributed, the next player becomes the dealer. All of the cards are given to the new dealer who shuffles them, and a new round begins.
Winning
The game finishes as soon as one player runs out of treasure. The winner is the player with the most treasure at this point.