Games - Cassino

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	Games - Cassino

Cassino (also known as Casino) is a card game for two, three, or four (usually two) players, played with a standard deck of playing cards. The object is to score 21 points by taking cards.

The deal

The dealer deals four cards to each player, two at a time, and, in the first deal, four cards face up to the table. In subsequent deals, the dealer replenishes the players' hands, but not the table. The deal rotates only at the end of a complete round, when the deck has been exhausted.

The play

Beginning with the player to the dealer's left, each player plays one card at a time, performing one of the following actions:

Any card may be discarded face up to the table
Any card may be used to take another card of the same denomination that is face up on the table
A number card may be used to take two or more cards whose pips total the number on the card being used to take them. For example, a player may take a 3 and a 6 with a 9, or may take a 2, 4, and 4 with a 10.
Number cards may be "built" upon, as follows: a player may place one number card on another already on the table, announcing their sum by saying "building tens", "building sixes", or whatever the sum is. The two "built" cards are thereafter treated as if they were a single card of the total value. They may then be taken by the player who built them, or by any other player with a card of the correct denomination. A later player may also build the stack still higher. For example, one player places a deuce onto a three already on the table, and says "building fives"; the deuce and the three are now a unit, as if they were a five. The next player may place another deuce on the pile and say "building sevens".

A player may not make a build of a number unless their hand contains the correct number card to take the build later.

Face cards do not have a denomination in Cassino and are not available for building. Ace counts as 1.

When a player takes the last card on the table, it counts as a "sweep". To keep track of sweeps, one of the captured cards is placed face up.

It often occurs that some cards are left over on the table at the end of the last deal. These cards are taken by the player who took the last trick, but this doesn't count as a sweep.

Scoring

The round is over when the stock has been exhausted and the last deal played. Players count their tricks and score points as follows:

Higher number of cards: 3
Higher number of spades: 1
Each ace: 1
10 of diamonds ("big cassino"): 2
2 of spades: ("little cassino"): 1

Thus there are 11 points to be won in each round, unless a player has 11 points to himself, some rules state that this player be awarded an extra point, for 12. Typically, the winner is the first player to score 21 or more points total.

If "most cards" or "most spades" are held by two or more players, no points are awarded in that category.

Variants

In some localities, taking sweeps is worth an additional point for each sweep.

In royal cassino, face cards may be built too: jacks count as 11, queens as 12, kings as 13, so a player could take a jack plus a two with a king, since 11+2=13.

In California cassino, players are able to take multiples of one denomination of card. For example, if a player holds a jack in their hand while two jacks sit in the playing field, that player has the ability to take both jacks. Also, in the case of numeral cards, players can take multiples as well as any other combination of built cards or appropriate sums. Therefore, if a player holds a 10 in their hand while two 10s sit on the playing field along with a 6, a built-6, two 4s, and a built-10, the player with the 10 in hand can take all of these cards. This play, while unlikely, is possible under California cassino rules. It is advised that California cassino be played without use of other variants, such as royal cassino or receiving points for sweeps, in order to keep fair the number of builds or sums possible at any given time as well as to keep scores at or below 11 points a round, respectively.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Cassino (game) ]

Games - Cassino

The deal

The play

Scoring

Variants

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