HOW TO DEAL Casino uses a standard fifty-two-card deck. Cards are played according to their index value; face cards have no value, aces are worth 1.Few two-player games are as interesting—or challenging—as Casino. The rules are simple enough. Yet Casino handsomely rewards long-term planning, strategic play, and careful observation. Luck plays little role in Casino.
Like Gin Rummy and other games that use a board, Casino players try to pair, combine, and build cards in their hands with communal cards on the table. Casino moves quickly, and gives players little room for error. That’s half the fun of it.
Many modern card games originated in France, Italy, and Spain in the sixteenth century. Casino is an exception to the rule; it is originally from China. It’s part of the Chinese family of “fishing” games, with a pool of cards that players attempt to capture by pairing them with cards from their own hand.
HOW TO DEAL Casino uses a standard fifty-two-card deck. Cards are played according to their index value; face cards have no value, aces are worth 1.
On the first round, deal each player two cards, face down, and two cards to the table, face up. Repeat so that each player holds four cards and there are four face-up cards on the table.
Each time players empty their hands of cards, deal them four additional cards, two at a time. No additional cards are dealt to the table.
A single hand of Casino lasts six rounds (twelve cards in the first round, eight in each of the five subsequent rounds). Before the sixth and final round, the dealer must declare “last round,” as it affects how the final few cards are played.
SCORING Casino is a trick-taking game. The primary objective is to earn points by winning the most cards, the most spades, and by capturing high-value point cards such as 10 of diamonds (the “Big Casino”) or 2 of spades (the “Little Casino”).
No points are scored until all cards are played after the sixth and final round. At this point, players review the cards they have captured during the rounds, and tally scores based on the following:
| CARD | POINTS |
| Most cards (27 or more) | 3 |
| Most spades (7 or more) | 1 |
| Big Casino (10 of diamonds) | 2 |
| Little Casino (2 of spades) | 1 |
| Aces (1 point for each) | 4 |
So there are always 11 points to be won in a hand of Casino. Games are typically played to 21 points.
There is one further way to earn points. It’s called a sweep, and it happens whenever a player captures all the cards on the table in a single round. This is worth 1 point each time it occurs.
HOW TO PLAY The non-dealer always leads first. In each round, you must always play one card from your hand. What makes the game so interesting is that there are many ways to play a card. Here are your options:
TRAIL A CARD This is Casino lingo for playing a single card to the table, face up. This is the most basic play, and it usually signals that you have no other options.
PAIR A CARD The simplest way to capture cards is by pairing them. Use a card from your hand to take a card of matching rank from the table. For example, assume you’re holding 7 of diamonds, and 7 of clubs is face up on the table. Use your 7 of diamonds to capture 7 of clubs, then take both cards and place them face down in a pile in front of you. There’s no limit to the number of cards you may capture this way (your 7 of diamonds could capture both 7 of clubs and 7 of hearts on the table, for example). This holds true for aces (it’s possible to capture three aces with a single ace), but not for face cards.
PAIR A FACE CARD Face cards may be paired, but only one card at a time. In other words, you may capture a jack with a jack, a queen with a queen, or a king with a king. You may not capture two kings, for example, with a single king.
COMBINING CARDS One of Casino’s best features is the ability to capture cards in combinations. For example, 3 of diamonds and 4 of clubs on the table may be captured by your 7 of clubs, as 3 + 4 = 7; 9 of hearts and A of spades on the table may be captured by your 10 of diamonds; or 3 of clubs, 5 of hearts, A of diamonds, A of spades on the table may be captured by your 10 of spades, etc. You may even combine multiple sets of cards on the table: For example, your 9 of hearts may capture 5 of hearts and 4 of diamonds as well as 6 of clubs and 3 of spades on the same turn.
PAIRING & COMBINING CARDS Yes friends, it is also possible to capture a pair and a combination (or multiple combinations) in a single turn. Your 8 of hearts, for example, may capture 8 of spades and 5 of diamonds-3 of clubs in the same turn.
BUILDING COMBINATIONS Another brilliant feature of Casino is the ability to build combinations over multiple turns. For example, assume 3 of clubs is on the table and you hold 5 of hearts, 8 of spades in your hand. You play 5 of hearts on top of 3 of clubs and announce that you are “building eights.” On the next turn, you may capture the 5 of hearts-3 of clubs build with your 8 of spades. Keep in mind that when building combinations, you may not trail a card on the subsequent turn; instead, you must capture the build, increase the build, or capture a different card. In other words, in the previous example, you may not leave the 5 of hearts-3 of clubs build on the table on your following turn and then simply trail another card. However, you may leave the 5 of hearts-3 of clubs on the table if you instead pair a different card (say, 10 of diamonds from your hand with 10 of hearts from the table) or increase the existing 5 of hearts-3 of clubs build.
INCREASING BUILDS You are allowed to increase an existing build (or an opponent’s build) by adding a card from your hand. You may not use a card from the table. So in the previous example, you may add A of hearts to the existing build of 5 of hearts-3 of clubs on the table, announce you’re “building nines,” and then capture the build on the following turn with any 9 from your hand. The risk, of course, is that your opponent may swoop in and change the value of your build and capture it for herself on the following turn.
CAPTURING BUILDS There’s nothing worse than watching your opponent capture one of your builds. Yet it’s all part of the game—there’s nothing to stop either player from doing so.
BUILDING & PAIRING COMBINATIONS Perhaps the ultimate play in Casino is building and pairing a combination. Assume you’re holding 9 of hearts, 5 of clubs, 2 of diamonds, while 9 of spades, 4 of diamonds are on the table. You could simply pair the 9s, or you might try this: play your 5 of hearts on the 4 of diamonds (announce “building nines”), and add the 9 of spades from the table onto the build, thereby “pairing” both builds. On your next turn, you could capture the 5 of hearts, 4 of diamonds, 9 of spades from the table with your 9 of hearts. Or even better, if your opponent trails 7 of diamonds, play your 2 of diamonds on 7 of diamonds, move these cards onto the build of nines, and on the following turn capture the 5 of hearts, 4 of diamonds, 9 of spades, 2 of diamonds, 7 of diamonds all with your 9 of hearts. Note that neither player may increase the build of nines once that build is paired. In other words, you may not add A of hearts to the 5 of hearts-4 of diamonds-9 of spades build and announce “building to tens.” Once a build has been paired, its value is fixed and cannot be altered. Similarly, you may not unbundle or divide an existing build (for example, you may not split the 5 of hearts-4 of diamonds-9 of spades build into its components).
Remember that any player who captures all the table cards in a single turn earns 1 point for the sweep.
If any cards are left on the table after the final card in the last round is played, the remaining table cards are awarded to the player who most recently captured a card. And no, very sorry, this does not count as a sweep.
Once the hand is complete, each player counts the cards he has won and tallies his score based on the scoring table. In close games you are allowed to count out early if you think your score is greater, or equal to 21 points (or to whatever point total you’re playing). When a player announces “count out,” the game ends immediately and all cards taken to that point are tallied. If the player correctly claimed victory, well done; congratulations are in order. Otherwise the player scores -11 points and forfeits his next deal.
HOW TO WIN Casino is considered a top-tier strategy game by professional card players. The challenge for newbies is to plan two or three moves ahead, because often the obvious play is not the most rewarding. Good Casino players know all about the “mind game” and are usually skilled bluffers.
Since one point is awarded to the player who captures the majority of spades, take every opportunity to capture (or to build and capture) spades, at least until a majority are won. Unless you are supremely confident, do not build with high-value cards such as aces or the Big and Little Casinos. Capture these cards straight away, or risk your opponent swooping in and robbing you of your build.
Similarly, avoid complex build-and-pairing combinations early in the game, unless you are certain your opponent does not possess the cards necessary to capture them. Since face cards may be played and captured only in sets of two, it’s a good defensive maneuver to hold a face card late in the game. Use it either to capture the last trick (thereby winning any unclaimed table cards) or to throw yourself an easy win and the right to lead the subsequent trick (owning the lead late in the game is often very handy).
IRREGULARITIES & DISPUTES If the dealer exposes a card when dealing to himself or to an opponent, the non-dealer has the right to instantly end the hand and score the offending dealer -1 point. The non-dealer will also automatically deal the next hand. If the non-dealer decides to continue play, the misdealt card (or cards) is put back into the deck and the entire deck is reshuffled. No other penalties apply.
If the misdeal results in one player having too few cards or in the stock having too few cards at the end of the hand, the offending dealer scores -1 point and the affected player plays on with a short hand. If the misdeal leaves a player with too many cards, the offending dealer scores -1 point, the excess cards are added face up to the table, and the game continues. On the very next deal, the dealer must also short his hand by the number of cards dealt in excess.
If a player uses a card to incorrectly capture another card (for example, incorrectly pairing 9 of diamonds on the table with 6 of diamonds from the hand), the offending card must be trailed immediately. If a player makes a build that on her next turn she cannot win, the opponent scores 1 point. The build remains on the table and may still be won by either player.
VARIATION 1: DRAW CASINO
This straightforward variation of the standard two-player game is more of a novelty. That said, in China it is the most popular version of the game played today. There is only one round of dealing: four cards to each player and four cards to the table. The remaining stock cards are placed on the table. In all subsequent rounds, players draw one card from the stock after their turn, so they always maintain a four-card hand. In all other respects, the game is identical to the standard version.
VARIATION 2: ROYAL CASINO
Once you’ve mastered the basic game, give Royal Casino a try. It plays exactly like standard Casino, except that face cards now have point values, which greatly expands your building and pairing opportunities.
Face cards have the following values when combining and building them: kings are 13, queens 12, jacks 11. Aces are now worth either 1 (as in the standard game) or 14, determined at the discretion of the players. Set aside the rules against using face cards in builds and multi-card pairing. In Royal Casino, you may use a queen in your hand to capture two or more queens on the table. You also may use a queen (with a face value of 12) in your hand to combine with 10 of diamonds, 2 of clubs on the table, or to combine with 9 of hearts, 2 of diamonds, A of spades (playing A of spades as 1 point). Alternatively, you may combine A of spades in your hand with Q of clubs, 2 of hearts on the table (playing A of spades as 14 points).
VARIATION 3: SPADE CASINO
Here’s another good way to add zing to a standard Casino game. The idea is to make spades more valuable, which increases the risks for players who use spades in builds and combinations.
All spades are worth 1 point when tallying scores, except for J of spades (worth 2 points), and the Little Casino (2 of spades, worth 2 points). The Big Casino (10 of diamonds) is now worth 3 points. Players still earn 1 point for capturing a majority of spades. In each hand there are 26 total points at stake (not counting points for sweeps). Games of Spade Casino are typically played to 61 points.
VARIATION 4: THREE-HAND CASINO
Compelling three-player games are hard to come by, and it’s a shame that Three-Hand Casino is not more widely played. The game has plenty to recommend it, especially if your threesome is looking for a game that balances skill, strategy, and cutthroat play. Who knows, maybe Three-Hand Casino is due for a comeback.
There are no partnerships. Instead, each player vies against the other two to score the greatest number of points. The rules are exactly like the standard two-player game, the only difference being that a hand ends after four rounds instead of the standard six, due to the greater number of cards in play (sixteen in the first round, twelve in each of the three subsequent rounds).
The player to the left of the dealer always plays first, and the deal rotates clockwise after each hand. Games of Three-Hand Casino are typically played to 15 points (short game) or 21 points (standard game).
Four-Hand Casino is usually played when four die-hard Casino players gather and nobody is willing to sit out for a game. Skip ahead to Contract Bridge, Four-Hand Bezique, or Partnership Klaberjass if you crave more action.
Choose teams by dealing out the cards; the first two players to draw aces are partners, and they sit opposite each other. The game is played exactly like the standard two-player game, the only difference being that a hand ends after three rounds instead of the standard six, due to the number of cards in play (twenty in the first round, sixteen in each of the two subsequent rounds).
The first player to capture a card collects all the cards for that team. At the end of each hand, the cards and points of each partnership are pooled, and scores are awarded accordingly. There’s not much intrateam strategy in the game. Players can try to create builds for their partner to capture, but since table talk is not allowed, this is not an easy thing to pull off.
Naysayers may argue that Scopa is not a variation of Casino but a stand-alone game in its own right. Scopa and Casino are very similar, the main differences being the deck (forty cards instead of fifty-two), scoring values, and the fact that some elements of Casino (primarily building) are not allowed.
Scopa may be played by two or three players. Start with a standard fifty- two-card deck, and remove all 8s, 9s and 10s, for a total of 40 cards. When combining cards, the following values are used: numbered cards are worth their face value, aces are worth 1, kings 10, queens 9, jacks 8.
All players start with three cards (not the usual four), with four cards on the table. When players empty their hands of cards, three additional cards are dealt to each player until the stock is exhausted.
SCORING The goal of Scopa is the same as in Casino, namely to capture cards from the table and thereby earn points:
| CARD | POINTS |
| Most cards (21 or more); no points for a tie | 1 |
| Most diamonds (6 or more); no points for a tie | 1 |
| Sette Bello (7 of diamonds) | 1 |
| Primiera | 1 |
As in standard Casino, 1 point is awarded for a sweep (capturing all the cards on the table in a single turn).
Scopa also has a unique scoring feature called Primiera, earned by the player who has the most points after adding up their highest-value cards in each of the four suits. Primiera scores are calculated at the end of each hand on the following basis: 10 points for face cards, 12 points for 2s, 13 points for 3s, 14 points for 4s, 15 points for 5s, 16 points for aces, 18 points for 6s, 21 points for 7s. To determine who wins the Primiera point, each player adds together the scores of their single highest card in each suit. For example, player one’s highest-value cards in each suit are 7 of diamonds, A of hearts, 5 of clubs, J of spades; player two holds 6 of diamonds, J of hearts, 4 of spades, 6 of clubs; player three has 7 of hearts, 7 of clubs, Q of diamonds. Player three is immediately disqualified because only three suits are represented (this example assumes player three has won no spades). Player two scores 60. And player one scores 62, thereby winning the 1 Primiera point. No Primiera point is scored if there is a tie.
Scopa is won by the first player to score 11 game points. As in Casino, it is allowed to “call out” early, with identical penalties for making a false claim.
HOW TO PLAY Scopa is played identically to Casino, with the following exceptions. You may capture only a single combination per turn, not multiple combinations. So if the table cards are 5 of hearts, 5 of diamonds, 6 of clubs, 4 of spades, a king captures either the 5 of hearts-5 of diamonds combination or the 6 of clubs-4 of spades combination, but not both.
Similarly, your 7 of hearts may capture either 4 of hearts-3 of diamonds or pair with the 7 of diamonds, but you may not do both in the same turn. In fact, in this example you are forced to capture the pair rather than the combination—in Scopa, if you have both a pair and a combination available, you must always choose the pair.