Hand is a popular card game played by 2-5 players (without partnerships). Two decks of cards, including two jokers (106 cards in total), are used in this game. The direction of play is counterclockwise, and each player's objective is to get rid of their cards by laying down sets on the table or adding cards to sets played by other players.
Cards and Distribution
At the beginning of the game, 14 cards are dealt to each player, with an additional card given to the player to the right of the dealer. The remaining cards are placed face-down in the middle of the table, forming the "stockpile."
How to Play
１. The player holding 15 cards starts by discarding one card into the center of the table, known as the "fire pile". The turn then passes to the next player, who has the option to draw a card from the stockpile or pick up the last card discarded in the fire pile. Each player must discard a card into the fire pile before ending their turn.
２. If a player draws a card from the fire pile, they must lay down a set of cards on the table before ending their turn.
３. The round ends when one player runs out of cards. The game concludes after 5 rounds.
Laying Down Sets and Placement
· Players can lay down sets consisting of sequentially numbered cards of the same suit or the same numbered card of different suits, with a minimum of 3 cards in a set. Jokers can be used as substitutes for any card not in a player's hand.
· In the first round a player lays down cards, the total must be 51 or more. Afterwards, players can lay down sets without restrictions.
· After laying down the initial sets, players can add their cards to sets played by other players if they match.
· If a joker is part of a set on the table, and a player has the card it represents, they can replace the joker with the actual card. If the joker is used in a set of two different suits, it can only be replaced when placing the two missing cards from the set.
· When calculating set values, the joker is worth the value of the card it replaces, and an Ace is worth 11 points.
Scoring
- When a player runs out of cards, they receive -30 points. The points of the remaining cards in the hands of other players who laid down sets are added to their score (11 points for each Ace and 15 points for each joker). An additional 100 points are added to the score of any player who did not lay down any sets.
- If a player lays down all their cards in a single turn without adding to sets played by others ("Hand"), all mentioned points are doubled before being added to the players' scores. The player who laid down a Hand receives -60 points instead of -30.
- The game concludes, and the player with the fewest points wins.
Hand Partnership
In Hand Partnership, each pair of players sitting opposite each other forms a team. When one player from a team finishes laying down their cards, the team receives -30 or -60 points based on the previous rules. Points for the losing team members are calculated using standard rules, and the team's points are then combined.