Saudi Hand can be played by 2-5 players without partnerships and uses two decks of playing cards with two jokers (106 cards in total). The gameplay proceeds counterclockwise, and the goal for each player is to get rid of the cards they hold by laying down sets on the table or by adding cards to sets played by other players.
Cards and Distribution
At the start of the game, each player is dealt 14 cards, and an additional card is given to the player on the right of the dealer. The remaining cards are placed face-down in the middle to form the draw pile, known as the “stockpile”.
How to Play
１. The player holding 15 cards starts by discarding one into the center of the table, forming the "fire pile". The turn then passes, and each player has the option to draw a card either from the stockpile or the last card discarded into the fire pile. Each player must discard a card into the fire pile at the end of 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 concludes when a player runs out of cards, and the game finishes after 5 rounds.
Laying Down Sets and Placement
- Players can lay down sets consisting of sequentially numbered cards of the same suit or cards of the same rank from different suits, with a minimum of 3 cards per set. Jokers can be used as substitutes for any card not held by the player.
- The first time a player lays down cards on the table, the total value of the cards must be 51 or more. Afterward, players can lay down sets without any restrictions, with the minimum allowed total being the sum of the cards laid down by the last player +1.
- After the initial sets are laid down, players can add their cards to other players' sets if they are suitable.
- If a joker is part of a set on the table, and the player has the card it replaces, they can exchange the joker with their card. However, if the joker is part of a set with two different-colored cards of the same rank, it can only be taken by completing the missing two cards of the set.
- When calculating the value of sets, the joker's value is equal to the card it replaces. The value of an Ace is 11 points, except when used in a sequential set with 2 and 3, in which case it is worth 1 point.
Scoring
- When a player runs out of cards, they receive -30 points. The points are calculated for all players who laid down sets on the table, adding 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 on the table.
- If a player lays down all their cards at once without adding to other players' sets ("hand"), all the mentioned points are doubled before being added to the players' scores.
- At the end of the game, the player with the lowest total points wins.