Duck Soup Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Cards
• Deal
• Object
• Play
• Quack!
• Score
• Game
• Comment

Cards

Use a standard 52-card deck. The cards rank in their normal order, except that the Ace counts low in the first course (KQJ1098765432A) and high in the second course (AKQJ1098765432).

Deal

Each player deals in turn. Deal 13 cards each, one at a time, stack the rest face down to form a stock, and turn the top card of the stock face up.

Object

To win tricks, especially tricks containing cards of different suits. The game is played in two courses. In the first course (Duck), both players, after playing to a trick, draw the top card of the stock to restore their hands to thirteen cards. In the second course (Soup), which begins when the stock runs out, you play your hands out to a finish.

Tip: You'll find it more profitable to win a middling number of tricks in both courses than many in one course and few in the other.

Play

Non-dealer leads to the first trick and the winner of each trick leads to the next. The follower may play any card. There is no need to follow suit and there are no trumps.

• In the first course (duck), the trick is taken by the lowest card of the suit led, and Ace counts low.
• In the second course (soup), the trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led, and Ace counts high.

If you win a trick containing two cards of the same suit, you store it face down. One containing different suits counts double, and you store it face up to mark this fact. The winner of the trick draws first from stock (so long as any cards remain), waits for the other to draw, then turns the top card of the stock face up before leading to the next.

Quack!

There is no trump suit, but you can 'trump' a card led by playing a second card of the same rank as the one led (that is, an Ace to an Ace, a Two to a Two, and so on). Whenever you do this, you are advised to say 'Quack!'. (Otherwise your opponent automatically wins the trick, which counts double.)

If you do quack, the leader must say 'Duck' if they cannot (or will not) play a third card of the same rank. You then win the trick and store it face up to show it's worth double.

However, if they do play a third matching card they must say 'Quack-quack', leaving you to play a fourth card. If your fourth card matches rank again you say 'Duck soup!' and win both tricks, storing them face up to show they count double. If it doesn't, the original leader wins both tricks, storing the second trick face down if the fourth card follows suit to the preceding card, or face up if not.

Let's illustrate the procedure:

1. Second player quacks.
2. First player double-quacks.
3. Second player says 'Duck soup', wins 2+2 for tricks

or

4. First player wins tricks worth 2+1.
5. First player wins tricks worth 2+2.

Note: Following a quack-quack, you each draw two replacement cards from stock instead of one. (Provided enough remain. If not, only twelve tricks will be played in the second course.)

Score

At the end of the Duck course, as soon as the last card has been drawn from stock and before the next trick is led, you both note the scores you have made so far, counting one for each face-down trick and two for each face-up trick. These tricks are then piled up to one side and must be kept separate from tricks won in the second course.

Tricks won at the end of the Soup course are scored the same way. You each then calculate your final score for the whole deal by multiplying together your two scores for the individual courses. For example, if in the Duck course you took 6 tricks for 7 points, and in the Soup course you took 5 tricks for 8 points, your final score will be 7 x 8 = 56.

Game

Play up to 250 points over as many deals as it takes. (Usually two.) The deal alternates.

• If you lose, and fail to reach 125 points in all, you are 'in the soup' and lose a double game.
• If you score 125 or more in a single deal, you are 'in the pond' and win a double game without further play.

Comment

Playing with the top card of the stock face up follows a suggestion made by 'fanboy', in a message on BoardGameGeek, who wrote: 'I've been playing duck soup, and it's great. We started playing it with the top draw card face up, like in German Whist. This accomplishes two things: first, no one forgets to draw cards anymore. And two, it adds some tension to the duck phase. I'm curious if you've ever considered playing it this way, and if so, if we're missing a good reason not to.'

To which the answer is, no, there's no good reason not to, and it does improve the game.