Trick Stakes Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Components
• Setup
• How to Play (4-Player Game)
• 1. Paddock Phase
• 2. Betting Ticket Purchase Phase
• 3. Race Phase
  • Flow of a Trick
• "Whip" Rule
• End of the Race
• 4. Payout Phase
• 5. Next Race Preparation Phase (except after the final race)
• Game End and Determining the Winner
• Changes for 3-Player Games
  • Changes to Setup
  • Changes to How to Play

Objective

In reality it could never happen, but in this game each player becomes a jockey and a gambler at the same time. You control the horse you are riding while also predicting the outcome of the race. Earn prize money based on finishing position, and payouts from betting tickets that hit — the player who earns the most money wins. Following the "trick-taking" game format, players play one card at a time, and the result determines how far the horses advance. Read the characteristics of the horses and head for victory.

Components

Note: the large card icon marks the large-format cards; the small card icon marks the small-format cards.

• 48 Race Cards — 4 colors, 12 cards each: red (horse), blue (helmet), yellow (saddle), green (horseshoe). Each color has one card for each number 1–12. The number of advance marks (arrow icons) printed on a card depends on its number:

  • 1, 2, 3 → 4 advance marks
  • 4, 5, 6 → 3 advance marks
  • 7, 8, 9 → 2 advance marks
  • 10, 11, 12 → 1 advance mark

  The back of each Race Card shows the color of its face.

• 8 Course Cards — 1 Gate card, 6 Middle cards, 1 Finish Line card.

• 8 Whip Cards — showing "Crack!" on one face and "Resting..." on the other.

• 4 Assigned Horse Cards — the horses appearing in the game are Vanilla Beans, Foret Noire, Silver Arrasan, and Gateau Opera.

• 4 Racehorse Cards.

• 20 Betting Ticket Cards — 5 types, 4 of each.

• 1 Dummy Player Card.

• Score Sheets — record the race results, the odds, and each player's earned points. Bring your own writing implement.

The instructions below describe the rules for playing with 4 players. For the changes when playing with 3 players, see the section near the end of the rules.

Setup

1. Arrange the 8 Course Cards as shown in the diagram below to build the course.

2. Place the 4 Racehorse Cards together near the Gate of the course.

3. Gather all 4 Assigned Horse Cards and shuffle them well. With the cards face down, each player draws one and turns it face up in front of themselves. This is each player's assigned horse for Race 1. The player assigned "Vanilla Beans" becomes the "start player" for round 1.

4. Gather all 48 Race Cards and shuffle them well. With the cards face down, deal 12 cards to each player. The dealt cards become each player's "hand," held so that only that player can see their faces.

   While playing, keep the backs of the Race Cards in your hand angled so the other players can see them clearly.

   Important: the 12 Race Cards drawn here become each horse's "fixed hand" for the rest of the game, until the game ends completely. During the game you will play Race Cards out of this hand, but keep them separate from your other cards so that they can be returned to this fixed hand later.

5. Each player takes the following cards and places them in front of themselves:

   • All 5 types of Betting Ticket Cards, one of each, 5 cards total (face down).
   • 2 Whip Cards (face up).

6. Take one Score Sheet and write each player's name in the player-name column. Place the Score Sheet somewhere all players can see easily, since important information will be recorded on it throughout the game.

Once steps 1–6 are complete, begin the game with Race 1.

How to Play (4-Player Game)

This game consists of one race per player (4 races for 4 players), and the winner is decided by the total points earned by the end of the game. Each race proceeds through five phases in order:

1. Paddock Phase
2. Betting Ticket Purchase Phase
3. Race Phase
4. Payout Phase
5. Next Race Preparation Phase

1. Paddock Phase

• Shuffle the 4 Racehorse Cards well face down, then turn them face up and stack them on the Gate of the Course Card, offsetting them slightly so each one is visible.
• Each player shuffles their 12-card hand of Race Cards well, face down, and stacks them together in front of themselves.
• The start player takes the top Race Card from their stack and turns it face up for everyone to see. The number shown on the face of this Race Card becomes the "discard number" for this race.
• Each player counts down from the top of their own stacked Race Cards to the card in the position matching the "discard number," takes that card, and turns it face up for everyone to see. (Example: if the discard number is "9," turn the 9th card from the top face up.)
• Now each player has exactly one Race Card turned face up. These face-up Race Cards will not be used in this race, so each player slides it underneath their Assigned Horse Card, keeping the number visible.
• Each player takes the remaining 11 Race Cards as their hand and checks all of their faces privately. Then each player decides on 1 card from their hand that they will not use in this race.
• Once everyone has decided, all players simultaneously take that card into their hand. This Race Card is placed face down together with the Race Card already tucked under the Assigned Horse Card, without showing its face to the other players. These cards are called "discards."
• After this process, each player's hand is 10 cards.
• Each player who has a face-down Whip Card in front of them turns 1 of those Whip Cards face up.

2. Betting Ticket Purchase Phase

• Starting with the player to the left of the start player, proceed clockwise to "purchase betting tickets."

• Each player holds all 5 of their Betting Ticket Cards as their hand. When it is their turn to purchase, they choose 1 card from their Betting Ticket hand and place it face up in front of themselves.

  At this point, a player may not place a Betting Ticket Card that is identical to one another player has already placed face up.

• Once everyone has placed 1 Betting Ticket Card face up in front of themselves, each player then chooses 1 more card from their remaining hand — without showing its face to the other players — and places it face down in front of themselves. A player may choose a face-down card that matches a Betting Ticket Card another player has placed face up; this is allowed.

• Through this process, each player ends up with 1 face-up Betting Ticket Card and 1 face-down Betting Ticket Card in front of them. The combination of these two Betting Ticket Cards determines the type of bet:

  If one card is a "Win" card and the other card shows a horse → this is a Win bet. If the specified horse finishes 1st, the prediction is a hit.

  If both cards show a horse → this is a Quinella bet. If the two specified horses finish 1st and 2nd, the prediction is a hit, regardless of which of the two horses finished 1st and which finished 2nd.

  Because of how the cards are placed, it is possible for two players to end up predicting the exact same Quinella bet.

  When placing the first Betting Ticket Card face up, a player may choose "Win." However, if another player has already placed a face-up "Win" card, that option is no longer available.

3. Race Phase

• In the Race Phase, the start player becomes the first "leader." The process by which all players play one card each and the winner is determined is called a "trick." The Race Phase repeats tricks until either 2 horses reach the finish line or every player's hand is empty.

Flow of a Trick

• Starting with the "leader" and proceeding clockwise, each player plays 1 Race Card from their hand face up in front of themselves.

• When doing so, if you have a Race Card in your hand of the same color as the Race Card the leader played, you must play a card of that color. If you do not have a Race Card of that color in your hand, you may freely play a Race Card of any color you like.

• Once everyone has played 1 Race Card, determine who won the trick. Among the Race Cards of the same color as the one the leader played, the player who played the highest number wins the trick.

• The player who won the trick advances the horse they are assigned. Advance that player's Racehorse Card on the course by 1 space for each advance mark shown on the Race Card they played, toward the finish line.

  The Course Cards form a track of 7 spaces (1 card = 1 space) from the starting Gate to the Finish Line card. Reaching the 7th space means the horse has reached the finish line.

  If the player assigned a Racehorse Card that has already reached the finish line wins a trick, that Racehorse Card advances no further.

• If another Racehorse Card is already on the space being moved to, place the newly arriving card on top.

• Each player takes the Race Card they played in this trick and stacks it face down in front of themselves.

• Once this processing is complete, the player who just won becomes the new "leader," and the next trick is played.

Example: Player A is the leader. Player A may play any Race Card. Here, A plays red 5. Since the leader played red (horse), everyone who has a red card in hand must play red for this trick. Player B plays red 2. Player C plays blue 10. Although this is a high number, it is not the same color as the card the leader played, so Player C cannot win this trick. Player D plays red 8. Among the red cards the leader's color required, red 8 is the highest, so Player D wins this trick. Since the card has 2 advance marks, Player D advances the "Silver Arrasan" Racehorse Card, which they are assigned, by 2 spaces on the course.

"Whip" Rule

• When you play a Race Card, you may declare "I whip!"
• To make this declaration, turn 1 of your face-up Whip Cards face down. If both of your Whip Cards are already face down, you cannot declare "I whip!"
• If any player declares "I whip!", the way that trick alone is judged changes. For that trick, among the Race Cards of the same color as the card played by the player who declared "I whip!", the player who played the highest number wins the trick.
• Only one player may declare "I whip!" during a single trick.
• The leader may also declare "I whip!"

Example: Player A is the leader and plays yellow 11. Since the leader played yellow (saddle), everyone who has a yellow card in hand must play yellow for this trick. Player B plays green 7. Player C plays yellow 4. Player D wants Foret Noire, which Player B is assigned, to advance, so Player D plays green 2 while declaring "I whip!" Because of this, instead of Player A — who would normally win with the highest yellow card — the winner becomes the player who played the highest card of the same color as the card played by the player who declared "I whip!" That is green 7, so Player B wins. A "I whip!" declaration can be thought of mainly as a way to win for yourself, but as shown here, it can also be used to make another player win instead.

End of the Race

The Race Phase ends when either of the following occurs:

1. 2 Racehorse Cards have reached the finish line, or
2. every player's hand is empty.

Unused hand cards are stacked face down together with the other Race Cards used this round in front of yourself. Take care not to mix them with the Race Cards belonging to another player's hand.

4. Payout Phase

• Each player turns both of their Betting Ticket Cards face up.

• Finishing order is determined by the order in which Racehorse Cards reached the finish line.

  • If fewer than 2 Racehorse Cards reached the finish line, the Racehorse Card that is further along the course counts as the higher finishing position.
  • Among Racehorse Cards on the same space, the one placed on top (i.e., the one that entered that Course Card space later) counts as the higher finishing position.

  Because cards were stacked during the Paddock Phase, use this same standard to judge finishing position even for Racehorse Cards that did not advance a single space.

• To make this race's result easier to follow and for reference in later races, record the number of spaces each horse advanced this race in the "Race Result" column.

• Based on the finishing order, players receive "prize money for the player assigned the 1st- and 2nd-place horses" and "payouts for hit Betting Tickets." Add the points earned to your previous total and record it in your points column.

Prize Money

• The player assigned the horse that finished 1st receives "5 points" in prize money.
• The player assigned the horse that finished 2nd receives "3 points" in prize money.

Payouts

Check the payout amount for each horse in this race on the Score Sheet. The payout amounts change as the game progresses, but in Race 1 every horse's odds are "2."

• Players betting "Win" (one card is "Win," the other card shows a horse): if the horse specified on the horse card finished 1st, the prediction is a hit. Earn points equal to the number written in the "odds" column for the 1st-place horse this race, on the Score Sheet.
• Players betting "Quinella" (both cards show a horse): if the two specified horses finished 1st and 2nd, the prediction is a hit, regardless of which horse finished 1st and which finished 2nd. Earn points equal to the sum of the numbers written in the "odds" column for the 1st-place horse and the 2nd-place horse this race, on the Score Sheet.

Example (Race 2): The race ends and finishing order is determined. 1st place, having reached the finish line, is "Gateau Opera." 2nd place, having advanced 5 spaces and being stacked above the others, is "Silver Arrasan." Player C, assigned the 1st-place horse, earns 5 points. Player D, assigned the 2nd-place horse, earns 3 points. The payout for the 1st-place horse was 2, and the payout for the 2nd-place horse was 4. Player A hit their Win bet, so they earn 2 points, the odds for the 1st-place horse. Players B and C both hit Quinella bets, so they each earn 6 points, the combined odds for the 1st- and 2nd-place horses.

5. Next Race Preparation Phase (except after the final race)

If there is a next race, change the assigned horses and update the payouts.

Changing Assigned Horses

• Each player passes their Assigned Horse Card, together with the 12 total cards made up of the discards not used this race, their remaining hand, and the used Race Cards, to the player on their left. Using the 12-card hand received, play the next race with your new assigned horse.

  Note: throughout the game, the makeup of the 12 Race Cards assigned to a given horse never changes.

Changing Payouts

• Based on this race's result, change the odds as follows:
  • 1st-place horse → +0
  • 2nd-place horse → +1
  • 3rd-place horse → +2
  • 4th-place horse → +3
• Add the above numbers to the previous odds, and record the result in the odds column for the next race.

Once the preparations above are complete, pass the start player token to the left and begin the next race.

Game End and Determining the Winner

In a 4-player game, the game ends when the 4th race is finished. Check the total points earned by each player on the Score Sheet. The player who earned the most points is the winner. In case of a tie, the player whose assigned horse in the 4th race finished in a higher position is the winner.

Changes for 3-Player Games

This game has 4 horses, one assigned to each of 4 players, so a 3-player game includes 1 Dummy Player. The Dummy Player plays Race Cards according to fixed rules and competes for tricks under the normal rules just like any other player. Naturally, if the Dummy Player wins a trick, the Racehorse Card the Dummy Player is assigned advances. The rules below list only the points that change for a 3-player game; any rule not listed here is the same as in the 4-player game.

Changes to Setup

• ③ When drawing Assigned Horse Cards, place the "Dummy Player Card" to the right of the player who drew "Vanilla Beans," and treat it as though a 4th player is present there.

  If no human player draws "Vanilla Beans," reshuffle the Assigned Horse Cards and redraw until a human player draws "Vanilla Beans."

  Also place 1 Assigned Horse Card face up next to the Dummy Player Card.

• ④ Deal the Dummy Player 12 Race Cards as well, face down.

• ⑤ The Dummy Player receives 2 Whip Cards (face up). The Dummy Player does not use Betting Ticket Cards.

• ⑥ Do not write the Dummy Player's name on the Score Sheet.

Changes to How to Play

3-player games are played over 3 races.

1. Paddock Phase

• The Race Cards dealt to the Dummy Player are shuffled well face down, then turned face up and stacked as shown in the diagram, offset slightly so the number of each card is visible. When doing this, do not change the order the cards ended up in after shuffling.

  In the example diagram, green 2 ends up on top and blue 8 ends up on the bottom.

• For the Dummy Player, the card at the position given by the "discard number," and the card 1 position below it, become the discards. If the discard number is 12, the 12th card and the 1st card become the discards.

• The Dummy Player turns both of their Whip Cards face up.

2. Betting Ticket Purchase Phase

• The Dummy Player does not purchase betting tickets.

3. Race Phase

• The Dummy Player also becomes the "leader" if they win a trick.
  • When the Dummy Player is the leader, they play the first Race Card of that trick.
  • When the Dummy Player is not the leader, they play the last Race Card of that trick.
• The Dummy Player automatically plays 1 Race Card according to the following rules:
  • If the Dummy Player's hand contains a Race Card of the same color as the one the leader played, they play the highest-numbered card of that color.
  • If the Dummy Player's hand does not contain a Race Card of the same color as the one the leader played, they play the topmost card. In this case, if the Dummy Player has a face-up Whip Card, it is treated as though they declared "I whip!" — turn 1 Whip Card face down. If the Dummy Player has no face-up Whip Card, and another player has already declared "I whip!" during that trick, the Dummy Player does not declare "I whip!"
  • When the Dummy Player is the leader, they play their topmost card.

5. Next Race Preparation Phase (except after the final race)

Changing Assigned Horses

• Move the Dummy Player's Assigned Horse Card and 12 Race Cards to the player on their left.
• The player to the Dummy Player's right places their Assigned Horse Card and 12 Race Cards next to the Dummy Player.