Poker is really hot, and I'm a big fan of Vegas, so card games are a great way to pass cold winter days. There's the standard fare, Hearts, Spades, and Gin, but we're young, agile college students; how about something with a little more skill? Plus, by the time you're ready for retirement, Bridge will be a piece of cake.
General Card Playing Rules (Courtesy of the U.S. Playing Card Company)
The Draw: To determine partners, the right to deal, and seats, all players must draw a single card from a freshly shuffled deck with the cards spread facedown. If two players draw cards of the same numerical rank, the rank of suits usually breaks the tie (spades, hearts, diamonds, then clubs).
The Shuffle: Any player has the right to shuffle the deck, the dealer does so last.
The Cut: After the shuffle, the dealer presents the deck to his right hand neighbor who lifts a packet from the top and sets it to the side of the bottom packet. The dealer then places the bottom packet on top of the other. Generally, each packet of the cut must contain at least 4 or 5 cards. Always clockwise (that's to your left).
The Deal: The first card dealt goes to the first player and continues clockwise. Each game dictates how many cards are dealt at a time, however, all players must be dealt the same number of cards regardless.
Euchre
Type of Game: trick taking
Players: 4 (teams of 2), partners sit across from each other
Deck: 24 cards: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9 of each of the four standard suits
Goal: Score 10 points
Play: 1. Five cards are dealt to each player, with the remaining four cards, "the kitty," placed facedown in the center of the table. The top card of the kitty is turned faceup. 2. Beginning to the dealer's left, each player has the opportunity to accept or pass on the faceup card as "trump." If a player wishes to accept it, he tells the dealer to "pick it up," after which the dealer must take the faceup card into his hand and discard another facedown. If everyone passes, the current faceup card is turned facedown and each player in turn may name a different suit as trump, or pass. If everyone passes, the deal is thrown in and the game is re-dealt. 3. The player who chooses the trump suit is the "maker." The player to the left of the dealer leads, placing any card faceup on the table. Each player in turn must play a card of the same suit, but if unable, may play any card. 4. When all four players have laid cards, the "trick" is complete. 5. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, with a trump outplaying all.
Scoring: The jack of the trump suit, the "right bower," is the highest ranking trump, followed by the jack of the same color suit, the "left bower," or the second highest ranking trump. The trump suit then ranks from highest to lowest, A, K, Q, 10, 9 and other suits follow highest to lowest. The maker's partnership scores 1 point for making three or four tricks and 2 if they take all five. If they take fewer than three, though, they are "euchred" and score 0, and the opposing team earns 2 points. If they go without a partner by calling "alone" when its their turn to bid, they get 1 point for three or four tricks and four points for five tricks.
Cribbage (my personal favorite)
Type of Game: counting
Players: 2
Deck: Standard
Goal: To score 121 points (if one reaches 121 before the other player reaches 91, the winner has "skunked" the loser)
Play: 1. Dealer deals six cards to each player. The remaining cards are stacked and the top card is turned over as the "starter." If the starter is a jack, the dealer earns 2 points. 2. Each player looks at his cards and discards two, which will make up the "crib." 3. Both players play one card in front of him (as opposed to the center). A running count is called with each card played, (i.e. first player plays a five, calls "five," second player plays a three, calls "eight," etc.) until the cards played total 31. Aces are 1 point, face cards are 10, and all others are face value. 4. The player to play the card that makes the total exactly 31 earns 2 points; if a player cannot play without exceeding 31, he is said to "go." If the other player cannot make 31, the last player to play a card earns 1 point for "last card."
Scoring: A standard board has four parallel rows of 30 holes each and two pegs for each player, with the movement done by the back peg. Players advance one hole for each point scored. Aside from ending a hand, there are three ways to earn points: 1. During play, making the running total equal 15 points scores 2 points, which is pegged after announcing "fifteen two." Playing a card of the same rank as the previous card, making a pair, scores 2 points, is pegged after announcing "(the running score), pair." Three and four of a kind score 6 and 12 points, respectively, and are pegged and announced as "(the running score), (6 or 12)." Runs of three or more, which need not be in rank order, score the number of cards in the run, and are pegged after announcing "(the running score), run of (number of cards in the run)" and also may be added on to. 2. Points are also pegged at the end of each round for the cards in hand with the addition of the faceup card. These are for the same point totals as those pegged during play, plus that for a "nob," which is the jack of the same suit as the faceup card and earns 1 point. Players must announce their points as they count them. Thus if your opponent misses any points, you can call them out and peg them yourself! 3. After the non-dealer pegs his hand, the dealer turns over the crib and scores it as another hand.
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