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Makao

Match the pile, fight back with function cards and empty your hand first.

Game instructions

How to play

  • 2–4 players
  • ranked

Goal and ordinary play

Two to four players take part. Everyone starts with five cards and tries to empty their hand. Select a card matching the top discard's suit or rank and play it. You may play several cards of one rank together: the first must fit and the last determines the resulting suit and effect. Runs such as 5–6–7 are not played as a group.

Goal and ordinary play

Drawing and queens

Instead of playing, you may draw. After an ordinary draw, only that newly drawn card may be played, if legal, or you may end the turn. A queen can go on any card and any card on a queen, except that active penalties and requests take precedence. Thus an ordinary queen can be played on a nine of another suit.

Drawing and queens

Twos, threes and fours

A two demands two cards and a three three. Reply with a two or three matching the top card's rank or suit to add to the penalty. Otherwise draw the whole penalty and end your turn. A four demands a skipped turn. Another four passes on and increases that penalty; accepting it skips the indicated number of your turns.

Twos, threes and fours

Attacking kings

The king of hearts attacks the next player and the king of spades the previous player for five cards. Another king cannot counter this attack. Defend with the queen of the attacking king's exact suit: queen of hearts against king of hearts or queen of spades against king of spades. Other kings are ordinary cards.

Attacking kings

Aces and jacks

An ace lets you choose the active suit. A jack can request one of the ranks offered in the selection window or a specified ordinary king. A request restricts subsequent plays to its card or rank and does not disappear merely because someone draws. It expires when play circles back to its author. Confirm your choice in the selection window.

Aces and jacks

MAKAO and finish

When a play leaves one card, use Play and say MAKAO. Playing without that declaration immediately draws a five-card penalty. A special-action card may be your final card. Players place in the order they empty their hands. In a multi-round match, finishing places are added: first is 1, second 2, and so on. The lowest total wins.

MAKAO and finish

You know the rules — time for a game.

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