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Looking for a card game that’s as much about strategy as it is about luck? Meet Racehorse, a trick-taking card game that’s perfect for five or more players. The stakes? Real money. The goal? Rack up as many points as you can. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started.
Setup
Before the fun begins, here’s what you need to do:
- Pick a dealer at random. After the first round, the deal moves to the left.
- Shuffle the deck and deal 6 cards to each player. Simple, right?
- And just like that, you’re ready to play.
Card Rankings and Point Values
Racehorse follows classic card rankings. Here’s how it goes:
High to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
Points per card in tricks:
- Aces: 4 points each.
- Kings: 3 points each.
- Queens: 2 points each.
- Jacks: 1 point each.
- Tens: 10 points each.
What about scoring? There are four points up for grabs each round:
- High: The team holding the highest trump.
- Low: The team winning the lowest trump in a trick.
- Game: The team with the most points (from card values).
- Jack: The team that takes the jack of trumps.
Total points to win? Four. Every round.
Bidding
Time to start bidding. Here’s how it works:
- Players take turns bidding, starting with the one to the dealer’s left.
- Each bid must be higher than the last. Not feeling confident? Pass.
- The minimum bid? 2. The max? Smudge (or 5). Smudge means you must win all 4 points and all 6 tricks.
- Did everyone else pass? The dealer automatically bids 2 but can match the highest bid to steal it.
The bidding ends when all but one player passes. The winner becomes the pitcher. The other players? They’ll team up to stop the pitcher from hitting their bid. Think of it as a temporary alliance.
Gameplay
Time to play. Here’s how it goes down:
- The pitcher leads the first trick. The suit of their card becomes the trump.
- Follow suit if you can. Can’t? Play a trump or any other card.
- The highest trump (or highest card of the led suit if no trumps were played) wins the trick.
- The trick winner collects the cards and leads the next one.
- The round ends after all 6 tricks are played.
Payouts
- Here’s where things get interesting—money changes hands.
- If the pitcher makes their bid, each player pays them $1 for every point bid.
- If the pitcher misses their bid, they pay each opponent $1 per point.
- Opponents don’t earn extra money for their points.
A failed pitcher is considered “upped” in the next round. In this case, the player to their right deals. A successful pitcher? They deal next.
Why Play Racehorse?
Racehorse isn’t just a card game. It’s a mind game. Think poker meets strategy. The stakes? Real enough to keep things exciting but simple enough to avoid drama. Perfect for your next game night.
So, shuffle up. Deal the cards. And let the race begin!
Also Read: What Is Fan Tan Game? How To Play And Winning Big
