The Queen of Spades

OBJECTIVE

This game is for four or six players. For four players use two decks of cards, for six players, use three decks of cards. The players team up, two to a team. Partners on a team shall not sit together but alternate around the table.

The object of the game is to discard all of the cards in your hand by discarding sets of three or playing matching cards on sets of three that you or your partner set up. During the play you will accumulate cards by either drawing two from the stack or retrieving the entire pile.

The round terminates when one player has discarded all of the cards in his hand.

VALUE of CARDS

Queen of Spades = 100 points

Joker (wild) = 50 points

Deuce (wild) = 20 points

Ace = 20 points

Kings, Jacks & Tens = 10 points

Nine to Three = 5 points

The DEAL

Deal 15 cards to each player. The remainder, called the stack, is placed in the center of the table with the top card turned over to start the pile.

The PLAY

The player to the left of the dealer starts the play. He may draw two cards from the stack or pick up the entire pile. However, in order to pick up the pile he or his partner must have opened and have two cards in his hand that matches the top card on the pile. To open one must have two sets of three, two natural sets or one natural set and one with a wild card. (Deuces and Jokers are wild). These sets are placed face up in front of either partner. A player, during his turn, may add matching cards to any of his own sets. You may not play on the other player’s sets. After a player draws his cards, either two from the stack or the entire pile and lays out all possible matching sets of three or adds to a existing set of three, he shall then discard one card to the top of the pile. The play continues around the table till one player has played the last card in his hand.

The CONCLUSION

After one player has played all of his cards the round is terminated and the card count is started. The player who is partnered with the winner of the round discards any remaining cards in his hand without counting them and using the value of the cards listed above determines the total value of cards he and his partner accumulated during this round.

The remaining players, the ones who did not go out, count the value of the cards remaining in their hands at the termination of the round and subtract that amount from the total value of the sets that they accumulated during the round.

The game continues until either team reaches a score of 5000.