This is a trick-taking game unique in that it can any number of players. I find that 3-5 is ideal.
Using a standard 52-card pack (no jokers), the dealer gives each player a concealed hand of the size listed below. Then the remaining cards are set aside. Flip one of the cards set aside faceup on the table. Aces are high.
| # of players | Size of first hand |
|---|---|
| 2-5 | 10 |
| 6 | 8 |
| 7 | 7 |
| 8 | 6 |
| 9 | 5 |
The flipped-up card determines the suit of the trump for the hand. Starting to the left of the dealer, each player announces a bid of the number of tricks they aim to take. Players can bid zero. The dealer's bid must not make the total of all bids equal to the size of the hand. For example, in a ten-card hand for four players, with the first three bids as 4,2,3, the dealer cannot bid 1. The scorekeeper should record these bids.
Play consists of a series of tricks. Beginning with the player to the left of the dealer, each player plays one card faceup in the center of the table. The first person to play in the trick sets the trick's suit, and all players must play a card in that suit if they have one. If they cannot follow suit, they may play any card, including a trump. The winner of the trick is whoever played the highest trump card, or if there are no trumps then the highest card of the leading suit. The winner of the trick sets the cards aside in front of them, then leads the next trick with whatever card they wish.
Each player's score for the round is the number of tricks that they took, plus 5 points if they met their bid exactly.
The cards are reshuffled and dealt by the player to the left of the previous dealer, and a new round begins. The size of the hands in this round is one card less than the previous round. Therefore, by the last round of the game, hand size is one. In the last round of the game, all players (including the dealer) can bid whatever value they choose.
The winner of the game is the person with the most points after all the hands.