OBJECTIVE OF GUDETAMA: Be the player with the lowest score at the end of the game
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 – 7 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: 63 cards
RANK OF CARDS: (low) 1 – 14 (high)
TYPE OF GAME: Trick taking
AUDIENCE: Adults
INTRODUCTION OF GUDETAMA
Gudetama is a last trick card game inspired by the game Cucumber. Much like Cucumber, players score points when they capture the last trick of the round. Gudetama shakes things up a bit by incorporating a 63 card deck with variable card counts per rank, giving the 1’s and 14’s a special ability, and removing cards from the game as scoring tokens for the players.
THE CARDS & THE DEAL
Gudetama uses a 63 card deck that is numbered 1 – 14. In this game, 1’s are low and 14’s are high. Each card has a frequency count in the corner to illustrate how many copies of that card are in the deck.
When played to the last trick, a 1 causes every player to earn points for the round. Any other time, the 1 is just a normal card.
When a 14 is used to capture a trick, the trick-winner decides who leads next. If this is played on the final trick, the trick-winner decides who leads first for the next round.
THE DEAL
Cut to determine the dealer and trick leader. Whoever cuts the highest cards deals and leads the first trick. Deal seven cards to each player at the table. The remaining cards are placed aside.
THE PLAY
THE FIRST TRICK
The dealer leads the first trick with any card from their hand. Following players have two options. They can play a card that is equal to or higher than the highest ranked card in the trick. Their second option is to play the lowest card in their hand. Whoever plays the highest ranked card is the trick-winner and leads the next trick. If there is more than one card of the highest rank, whoever plays the highest ranking card last wins the trick.
EXAMPLE TRICK
Player 1 leads the trick with a 7. Player 2 chooses to play a 9. Player 3 follows with a 10. Player 4 does not have any cards that are 10 or higher, so they must play their lowest card. They play a 1. Player 3 captures the trick with a 10 and leads the next trick.
THE FINAL TRICK
Continue play as described above until the final trick. The last trick of the game is the only time points can be scored. Whoever captures the final trick will earn points based on the card they play unless someone plays a 1. The player who captures the final trick deals the next round and leads the first trick unless a 14 was used. If a 14 is used to capture the final trick, that player chooses who leads for the next round.
ENDING THE GAME
Continue playing rounds until one player reaches 21 points.
SCORING
At the end of the final trick, whoever captures the trick keeps the card they played. Do not mix it back in with the deck. They add that card to their score pile. A player’s point total equals the total value of their score value. For example, if the player has an 8, 5, and 6 in their pile, they have accumulated 19 points. The rest of the cards are collected and used for the next round. If a 1 is played to the final trick, every player keeps their card and scores that many points.
WINNING
Once a player’s score reaches 21 points, the person who has the lowest score is the winner.
BREAKING TIES
If there is a tie for lowest score, the game continues for the players involved in the tie. Continue playing rounds until all but one player has reached 21 points or more. The final player remaining wins the game.
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021