NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Two to four

AGE APPROPRIATE: 9 to adult

THE DECK: Universal Card Deck – 54 cards – no Galaxy (wild) cards used

RANK OF CARDS: Sun (high), Moon, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

VALUE OF CARDS: Sun and Moon cards are valued at 10 points each. The other cards have the same value as their number; e.g., a number 7 card is worth seven points.

RANK OF SUITS: The suits are not ranked in this game. Each suit is equal.

THE SHUFFLE AND CUT: Draw or cut for deal; high suit deals – E (high), J, M, N, S, V. If any players draw or cut the same highest suit, the card rankings go into effect. Dealer shuffles. The player at dealer’s right cuts the deck. Deal rotates left each hand.

THE DEAL: The dealer gives one card at a time, face down, to each player in rotation to the left, until each player has nine cards. The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table, forming the stock. The top card of the stock is turned face up and placed beside the stock to form the discard pile.When two play, the winner of each hand deals the next. When more than two play, the turn to deal passes from player to player to the left.

OBJECT OF PLAY: To form two separate matched sets consisting of four or five of a kind, and/or of sequences of four or five cards in consecutive rank order (e.g., Moon, 7, 6, 5, 4), either all of the same suit (suited run) or all of different suits (rainbow run).

THE PLAY: Each player in turn, starting with the person left of the dealer, must draw either the upcard (top card of the discard pile) or the top card of the stock, and add it to his/her hand. The player must then discard one card, face up, on the discard pile. If the stock gets depleted before one of the players goes out, the discard pile gets shuffled and then turned face down to become the stock.Variation: After the deal and before the top card of the stock is turned face up, each player passes two cards to opponent(s).Rotation of passing per hand for three players – left, right, and one each wayRotation of passing per hand for four players – left, right, across, and no passGoing out: When one player acquires the necessary matched sets, he/she announces the victory by placing his/her discard face down on the discard pile and then lays down the two matched sets (one set of four and one set of five) separately face up to show the opponent(s).

SCORING: Each victory counts as one point. A running total can be kept to a finishing amount determined by all the players.Variation: All players lay down their matched sets face up. Player(s) may then play any unmatched cards on either of the two matched sets of the player who went out; e.g., any of the remaining fours can be played on a set of fours, and suited and rainbow runs can be continued on either end. With three and four players the playing of cards on the “going out” hand starts with the player left of the one who went out and then rotates clockwise. Any unplayed cards count against the player. The game is over when one player gets 100 points or more. The player with the least amount of points wins the game.

© Copyright 2001 by John Frampton & Craig Richter