Las Vegas: The Card Game
Las Vegas: The Card Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Summary
Players place their bets turn after turn, round after round, trying to make as much money as possible. The player with the most money after four rounds is the winner.
Game Contents
- 5 x 30 dice cards (one set per player)
- 2 x 5 "cocktail glass" and "safe" cards (1 each per player)
- 6 casinos (showing dice numbered 1-6)
- 48 money notes ($30,000 through $100,000)
- 25 chip cards + 1 "game rules" card (for the game variation or with the LAS VEGAS dice game)
Game Set-up
Place all 6 casinos side by side in the middle of the table in numerical order from 1 to 6.
The 48 money notes are shuffled and placed face down in a pile next to the casinos. Drawing from this pile, place two money notes next to each casino. The two notes should be put one on top of the other, slightly offset.
Each player receives:
- 30 dice cards of one color; shuffled and placed as a draw pile face down on the table to the player's left. Each player picks the top five cards to form their hand.
- 1 "cocktail glass" card and 1 "safe" card. The cocktail glass is placed in front of the player; unused dice cards are put here after each turn. The safe is placed in front and to the right of the player; at the end of each round, any money won is hidden under the safe card.
Game Play
The game is played over four rounds. Each round consists of a maximum of six turns, all played in the same way:
- First, at the same time all players select one or more cards from the five cards in their hand according to the "selection criteria" (see below). Then, they hide the selected cards under their palm.
- Once all players have finished selecting cards, they place the cards face up next to the corresponding casinos. Place cards of the same color on top of each other, slightly offset; place cards of different colors next to each other. If you already have cards at a casino, place the new cards with the others, slightly offset.
- Each player places unused cards under their cocktail glass; these cards are no longer available for the current round.
- Begin the next turn: Each player takes five new dice cards from their draw pile, chooses at least one (see selection criteria), hides the chosen card(s) under their palm, and once all players have made selections, places the card(s) at the corresponding casino(s). Continue in this way for a maximum of six turns per round.
Selection Criteria
Each turn, players must choose from their five card hand at a minimum one card and at maximum two cards (= 1-2 cards/turn). But there is an important exception: A player may choose more than two cards only if all the selected cards show the same number (= 1-5 cards/turn)!
Example: Leo has selected three 5's; Henry two 6's, Rebecca a 1 and a 4, and Emily a 5. No one is allowed to select two 4's and a 2 for instance.
Attention!
As soon as a player has eight or more cards placed at the casinos at the end of a turn, that player is finished for the current round, and must move all remaining dice cards from their draw pile to the pile under their cocktail glass. Thus, it is possible for there to be only one player left playing the final turn(s) of a particular round.
Example: Rebecca has 7 cards at the casinos after the 3rd turn. In the 4th turn she places four 2's. She has now placed a total of 11 cards, and thus no longer participates in the 5th and 6th turn of the current round.
After all players have placed at least 8 cards at the casinos, or after a maximum of six turns, the round ends. Now is pay out time!
Casino Payout
Check for ties: First, each casino is checked to see if two or more players have the same number of dice beside it.
Note: A tie refers to the number of dice totaled on the cards, not to the number of cards. When there is a tie, all tied cards must be removed, and placed under the corresponding players' cocktail glass.
Example: Next to Casino 5:
- Leo has three cards with a total of 4 dice;
- Henry has four cards, also totaling 4 dice;
- Rebecca has one card with 2 dice;
- Emily has two cards with a total of 2 dice.
Leo and Henry as well as Rebecca and Emily must remove their cards and put them under their cocktail glasses. Thus, Casino 5 no longer has dice cards next to it ...
Distribute money from the casinos: the player who has the most dice at Casino 1 takes the money note with the higher value and puts it "in" their safe (i.e. below their safe card). The player with the second most dice at Casino 1 takes the other note and puts it in their safe. Any other players who have dice cards at Casino 1 receive nothing.
In the same way, distribute payouts for all casinos, one at a time. If there are still notes beside the casinos after the payout, return them to the box.
Each player takes all 30 dice cards and shuffles them for the next round, which is played in the exact same way: two money notes per casino, 30 cards per player, with the top 5 drawn for their first turn, and so on ...
Game End
The game ends after the fourth round (i.e. when all money notes have been used). Players count the money in their safes, and whoever has the most money wins!
In case of a tie, the player among the tied players with more notes wins. If this number is also equal, there is more than one winner.
Variation
All rules remain the same, with the following change: Dice cards are not selected simultaneously but sequentially.
The oldest player begins and chooses one or more cards from the five cards in their hand according to the "selection criteria", and places the card(s) next to the respective casino(s). The remaining cards in the player's hand are discarded under their cocktail glass. The start player then draws five cards from the top of the draw pile, ending their turn.
In clockwise order, the next player chooses one or more cards, places them at the corresponding casino(s), and draws 5 new cards. This continues until up to six turns have been completed. Remember: players must stop playing the current round after they have placed 8 (or more) cards next to the casinos, as in the basic game.
Distribute money from the casinos and prepare for the new round as in the original game. The player to the left of the current start player begins the next round, etc.
Chip Cards
Chip Cards can be used in the original LAS VEGAS dice game as well as in this variation. The rules for both versions are the same:
At the beginning of each round, place one chip card from the face down draw pile next to each casino, beside the money notes. It does not matter if a casino already has chip cards from previous rounds.
If a player places at least two dice (which could be a double card) next to a casino, the player can immediately take from the respective casino any one of the chip cards, and place it face up in front of them so other players can see it.
At the end of the game, chip cards earn players extra money: one chip card of a color = $10,000; two chip cards of a color = $30,000; three of a color = $60,000; four = $100,000, five = $150,000.
Example: Leo has 2 pink and 4 golden chips; he earns another $30,000 + $100,000 = $130,000.