David Parlett'S

Index
nav

ORIGINAL CARD GAMES

New ways with ordinary playing-cards for adventurous players

"You can teach an old dog new tricks!"

"Parlett's creativity is as ordered and precise as a Swiss watch. His games mesh so well with the structure of playing-cards as to give the impression that the pack was created specifically for his inventions."

(See more unsolicited testimonials.)

Inventing card games is one of my favourite recreations. It's a relaxing hobby: it means I can think up the basic ideas without having to get out of bed - or even, if I'm very lucky, without having to wake up - which is more than you can say for actually playing cards.

My idea of a good game is one that uses an ordinary 52-card pack and has very simple rules, but gives you plenty to think about. If you find that idea appealing, have a look through the following. I've arranged them in order of number of players, that being the natural primary selection factor, then by type of game. So start by choosing your number and then click, as appropriate, on 2   3   4Solo   4Partners   5   or 6 as the case may be.

• plain tricks = all tricks are of equal value
• point tricks = tricks have point-values based on the cards they contain
• wild tricks = play to a trick simultaneously instead of in turn
• rummy-tricks = the aim is to win card-combinations (melds) in tricks
• trick-avoid = avoid winning tricks and/or penalty cards (Hearts family)
• rummy = draw and discard until you have a scoring combination
• layout = cards are laid out in a grid, making a quasi-board game
• shedding = get rid of all the cards from your hand (a going-out game)
• arithmetical = play cards out to make particular totals
• matching = play cards that match their immediate predecessors

game	type	description
GAMES FOR 2 PLAYERS 3   4S   4P   5   6
Colour-blind	plain tricks	Choose whether to win red cards or black (better for 3 players)
Cross Purposes	plain tricks	One of you chooses a trump suit, the other a top rank
Duck Soup	plain tricks	This one's likely to drive you both quackers
Ninety-Nine	plain tricks	Bid to win an exact number of tricks (better for three)
Parity	plain tricks	Odd or even? A skill-demanding game of perfect information
Umbridge	plain tricks	A perversion of Bridge for two
Addenda	point tricks	Aim to win tricks counting 17 points each
Cato	point tricks	A card-point adaptation of Ecarté
Counterpoint	point tricks	Predict how many card-points you'll win in tricks
Hindsight	tricks+melds	In which you might have done better with a bit of foresight
Galapagos	hybrid	Three games in one: win tricks, make melds, get rid of your cards
Stucco	matching	A match-and-go-out game of perfect information
Bravado	shedding	A rather silly going-out game for 2-6 players
Caterpillar	arithmetical	A fairly simple adding-up game
Centurion	arithmetical	Adding-up game for a couple of centenarians
Dracula	arithmetical	An arithmetical game with a bloodthirsty count
Fosco	arithmetical	A game of perfect information with another villainous count
Give or Take	arithmetical	aka More or Less - another way of playing with numbers
Key of the door	arithmetical	In which you construct "keys" counting exactlty 21
Limbo	arithmetical	Get as low under the bar as you can by deducting and dividing
One Up	arithmetical	Game for a number of totalitarians
Prime Time	arithmetical	Make primes from three-card combinations (better for three)
Abstrac	nim-type	Pick up cards to make combinations (perfect information)
Brummy	rummy	Two-dimensional Rummy
Ganderpoke	layout	A five-by-five square game with Poker hands
Garbo	layout	A four-by-four square game where each card "vants to be alone"
Get Stuck	layout	A quasi board game on a grid of seven by seven cards
Romeo & Juliet	layout	A romantic card-board game on a grid of seven by seven cards
Spec	layout	A silly guessing game - or is it?
Snail Space	layout	Spiral Cribbage, or Cribbage for Snails
Counterbluff	bluffing	Bluff with constantly-evolving Poker hands
Sneak	bluffing	If you've got it, flaunt it; if not, bluff it
GAMES FOR 3 PLAYERS 2   4S   4P   5   6
Colour-blind	plain tricks	Choose whether to win red cards or black
Farrago	plain tricks	An experiment with using a different trumping rule at every deal
Flunk	plain tricks	Any relation to three-handed Bridge is purely fortuitous
Gooseberry Fool	plain tricks	Divide and rule by winning the middling number of tricks
Hamlet	plain tricks	With supporting roles for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Hoodwink	plain tricks	With at least two ways of hoodwinking your opponents
Ninety-Nine	plain tricks	Bid to win a precise number of tricks
Naughty Nun	plain tricks	Like Ninety-Nine, but with silly additions and variations
Tracktrick	plain tricks	A three-in-a-row quasi-board game requiring accurate trick-play
Trebleduck	plain tricks	Three-player version of Duck Soup
Triathlon	plain tricks	In which you aim to perform three trick-taking feats
Who's Who	plain tricks	Which of the other two players is your secret partner?
Counterpoint	point tricks	Predict how many card-points you'll win in tricks
Tantony	point tricks	In which you win tricks and give them away. (Better for four)
Welsh Whist	point tricks	A fun game with Jokers and bluffing, but no cheating (by order)
Anarchy	wild tricks	Play as you please and score how you like (best for five)
Snark	wild tricks	A wilder version of Anarchy (best for 5 Boojums)
Throps	wild tricks	A three-player variant of Gops ("Game Of Perfect Strategy")
Bouncers	trick-avoid	A sort of cross between Gops and Hearts
Minimisère	trick-avoid	If you can't lose every trick, win as many as possible
Trigami	trick-avoid	Choose which suit not to win cards of in tricks
Cloud Nine	tricks/melds	Build two nine-card hands scoring highest for combinations
Bravado	shedding	A rather silly going-out game for 2-6 players
Brummy	rummy	Two-dimensional Rummy
Crummy	rummy	Rummy with a trick-type method of play (better for four)
Dracula	arithmetical	An arithmetical game with a bloodthirsty count (better for two)
Key of the door	arithmetical	In which you construct "keys" counting exactlty 21
One Up	arithmetical	Game for a number of totalitarians
Prime Time	arithmetical	Make prime numbers from three-card combinations
Nimbly	layout	Pick up nine cards that make scoring combinations
Spec	layout	A silly guessing game - or is it?
Sneak	bluffing	If you've got it, flaunt it; if not, bluff it
GAMES FOR 4 PLAYING SOLO 2   3   4P   5   6
Collusion	plain tricks	Hilarious game of (mis)alliances and double-crossings
Chwech	plain tricks	You needn't play to a trick if you don't want to (best for six)
Farrago	plain tricks	An experiment with using a different trumping rule at every deal
Good Cop, Bad Cop	plain tricks	Two Jokers, a trump suit, a penalty suit, and who's your partner?
Ninety-Nine	plain tricks	Bid to win a precise number of tricks
Seconds	plain tricks	in which only the second-best card wins the trick
Tracktrick	plain tricks	A three-in-a-row quasi-board game requiring accurate trick-play
Twyst	plain tricks	Twist a card to find your partner. (See also Squint for five)
Tantony	point tricks	In which you win tricks and give them away.
Welsh Whist	point tricks	A fun game Jokers and bluffing, but no cheating (by order)
Anarchy	wild tricks	Play as you please and score how you like (best for 5)
Snark	wild tricks	A wilder version of Anarchy (best for 5 Boojums)
Agony Aunt	trick-avoid	Avoid taking penalty cards; requires also counters and a board
Bugami	trick-avoid	Choose which suit not to win cards of in tricks (cf. Trigami for 3)
Minimisère	trick-avoid	If you can't lose every trick, win as many as possible. (5 best)
Mismatch	trick-avoid	The antidote to Rummy: avoid winning card-combinations
Brummy	rummy	Two-dimensional Rummy
Crummy	trick-rummy	Rummy with a trick-type method of play (better for four)
Rummage	trick-rummy	Another Rummy with a trick-type method of play (better for 5)
Bravado	shedding	A rather silly going-out game for 2-6 players
Key of the door	arithmetical	In which you construct "keys" counting exactlty 21
One Up	arithmetical	Game for a number of totalitarians
Nimbly	layout	Pick up nine cards that make scoring combinations
Spec	layout	A silly guessing game - or is it?
Memoranda	memory	Can you remember Which cards were you originally dealt?
GAMES FOR 4 IN FIXED PARTNERSHIPS 2   3   4S   5   6
Colourblind	plain tricks	Choose whether to win red cards or black (better for 3 players)
Cross Purposes	plain tricks	One side chooses a trump suit, the other a top rank. (Also for two)
Doubleduck	plain tricks	Partnership version of Duck Soup
Addenda	point tricks	Aim to win tricks counting 17 points each
Plonk	point tricks	Win tricks containing cards of different suits. Not so easy...
Tantony	point tricks	In which you win tricks and give them away.
Flashpoint	trick-rummy	Play tricks to win card combinations
Dracula	arithmetical	An arithmetical game with a bloodthirsty count
Fosco	arithmetical	Another arithmetical game with a different villainous count
Key of the door	arithmetical	In which you construct "keys" counting exactlty 21
Get Stuck	layout	A quasi board game on a grid of 7x7 cards. (Also for two)
Concerto	poker hands	Coöperatively construct poker hands
GAMES FOR 5 PLAYERS 2   3   4S   4P   6
Chwech	plain tricks	You needn't play to a trick if you don't want to (best for six)
Farrago	plain tricks	An experiment with using a different trumping rule at every deal
Squint	plain tricks	Twist a card to find your partner. (See also Twyst for four)
Welsh Whist	point tricks	A fun game with Jokers and bluffing, but no cheating (by order)
Anarchy	wild tricks	Play as you please and score how you like
Snark	wild tricks	A wilder version of Anarchy.
Minimisère	trick-avoid	If you can't lose every trick, win as many as possible
Bugami	trick-avoid	Choose which suit not to win cards of in tricks
Crummy	trick-rummy	Rummy with a trick-type method of play (better for four)
Brummy	rummy	Two-dimensional Rummy
Bravado	shedding	A rather silly going-out game for 2-6 players
Key of the door	arithmetical	In which you construct "keys" counting exactlty 21
One Up	arithmetical	Game for a number of totalitarians
Sneak	bluffing	If you've got it, flaunt it; if not, bluff it
Memoranda	memory	Can you remember Which cards were you originally dealt?
Nimbly	layout	Pick up nine cards that make scoring combinations
GAMES FOR 6 PLAYERS 2   3   4S   4P   5
Chwech	plain tricks	You needn't play to a trick if you don't want to. (Designed for six)
Snark	wild tricks	Keep recycing your cards till you softly and silently vanish away
Bugami	trick-avoid	Choose which suit not to win cards of in tricks
Crummy	trick-rummy	Rummy with a trick-type method of play (better for four)
Rummage	trick-rummy	Another Rummy with a trick-type method of play (better for 5)
Bravado	shedding	A rather silly going-out game for 2-6 players
Memoranda	memory	Can you remember Which cards were you originally dealt?

 
topnav