GING



OBJECT OF GING: The object of Ging is to have the best hand to win stakes. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4 players

MATERIALS: One modified 52-card deck, chips or other markers, and a flat surface.

TYPE OF GAME: Showdown Card Game

AUDIENCE: Adult


OVERVIEW OF GING

Ging is a 4-player showdown card game. It is played with a modified 28 card deck and requires players to place stakes onto a layout. The goal of the game is to be dealt a hand and determine the best hand possible with your cards to win stakes from the layout. 

SETUP 

The first dealer is chosen at random and for future rounds, the dealer passes to the left for each new deal. The deck will need to be modified as well as handing each player an equal number of stakes to use for the game. 

The deck will have all the aces, as well as all cards 6 and below, removed from the deck. This should leave Kings, Queens, Jacks, 10s, 9s, 8s, and 7s. 

Before the cards are dealt each player will place two of their stakes in the center of the table in a layout. Each player will place one stake in the center forming a square with the other three players stakes and into one of the 4 unoccupied corners of the layout. 

The dealer will shuffle the deck and deal each player a hand of 7 cards each in clockwise order. 

Card Rank and Value

The cards do not have a rank. It is not used in this game. Cards do however have a value associated with them. For kings, queens, and jacks they are each worth 10 points each. For other cards, they hold a value equal to their numeric marking. 

GAMEPLAY

After the cards are received by each player, they will look at their hand and determine whether to claim most of a suit or claim a combination.  There is no turn order for calling a claim just call your highest ranked hand when you determine it. 

After all players have determined and claimed their hands, the hands are compared. If a combination if called it wins over any most of a suit. If multiple combinations are called the highest-ranked one score. If no combinations are called the highest most of a suit scores and so does the second highest. I will now describe in more detail about most of a suit and combinations.  

Most of a suit are claims to have the most point values in a single suit. The suits do not matter. When claiming just announce the number of points you have in a single suit. An example would be “most points 30”. If there are multiple people with the highest value, then they rank highest starting with the player left of the dealer and so forth. For example, if Player B, Player C, and Player D all claimed 30 points then they would rank starting with the player left of the dealer. We will say player D is the dealer. Player A has a lesser score so they do not count, so the highest-ranked player would be player B and the second-highest Player C. 

It is also possible for a player to have the highest and second highest values if they have two suits with high value. They may claim and score them both. 

For combinations, they are ranked differently. There are 5 possible combinations. They include seven cards (highest), four sevens, Ging, gentleman, and bare shoulders (lowest). When a player declares a combination, they are the sole winner of the hand. This means when multiple combinations are claimed only the highest-ranked one counts in the scoring. 

Seven cards requires you to have all 7 cards be of the same suit.

Four sevens requires you to have all 7 fours in your hand. The other 4 of a kinds do not matter, only 7s. 

Ging is when a player has 37 points in a single suit. It must be exactly 37, no more or no less. 

Gentlemen requires a hand composed of only face cards. This means only kings, queens, and jacks. 

Bare shoulders requires you to have a hand without any face cards. 

SCORING AND NEXT ROUND

Once all players have declared the showdown begins. If applicable the player with the highest combination, scores and takes all the stakes from the layout. If there are no combinations the player with the highest most of suit claims a single corner stake and the second-highest player claims another corner stake. If the same player has the highest and second-highest, then they score 3 corner stakes. 

For the start of the next round if the layout was cleared by a combination then all players once again place 2 stakes onto the layout as above in setup. If only corner pieces were taken the players who did not score will replace the missing stakes with one of their own. 

END OF GAME

The game can end after a set number of rounds or when a player runs out of stakes to place. The player with the most stakes wins. 

Amber Crook
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