OBJECTIVE OF ROOK FOR THREE: Be the first player to earn 200 points
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: 44 Rook playing cards
RANK OF CARDS: (low) 4 – 14 (high)
TYPE OF GAME: Trick taking
AUDIENCE: Adults
INTRODUCTION OF ROOK FOR THREE
Rook for Three is a trick taking card game that uses a stripped Rook deck. Published in 1914 by George S. Parker of the Parker Brothers, this game incorporates bidding, a trump color, and count cards. The modern rules for three player Rook published by Hasbro are different. The rules below hold true to George Parker’s original publication.
THE CARDS & THE DEAL
Rook for Three uses a modified 57 card Rook deck. From the deck, remove the 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and Rook card leaving a 44 card deck.
Shuffle and deal 13 cards to each player one at a time. The remaining five cards form the nest and are placed face down.
Deal passes left each round.
THE PLAY
BIDDING
Players bid on how many points they think they can capture. There are a total of 126 points possible per round. A high bid does not typically go above 80 points. Points are earned for each trick captured and any captured count cards.
Dealer begins the bidding with an automatic bid of 50 points. Bidding continues around the table and must increase by 5 point increments. If a player does not want to raise the bid, they simply pass. The highest bidder after two players pass wins the bid.
The bid-winner determines the trump color for the round. After doing so, they pick up the nest and exchange up to five cards. Count cards cannot be placed in the nest, nor can they be left there. After the exchange, the nest is removed from play and placed face down.
LEADING THE FIRST TRICK
The player seated on the highest bidder’s left leads the first trick. They play any card. Following players must match the color if able. If the color cannot be matched, they play any card they want. The highest card in the lead color or the highest trump takes the trick. The player that captures the trick leads the next one. Continue play until all tricks are captured.
Play rounds until one player wins.
SCORING
Players earn 2 points for each trick captured. Points are also earned for capturing count cards. 14’s and 10’s are worth 10 points each. 5’s are worth 5 points each.
If the bid-winner does not meet their bid, deduct the value of the bid from their score.
WINNING
The first player to earn 200 points wins the game.
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021