Quick game summary:
Players are dealt nine cards each.
They lay one three card set to any score point card. Two face up, top one face down.
They replenish hands and keep laying sets until all score point cards are filled.
Players may then swap hands sideways and directly opposite, some point penalties may occur.
Players reveal and resolve hands one at a time.
First player to nine points wins the round.
Play up to best of five rounds.
Contents: Fifty six cards.
Game object: Win the most points in any round. Play the best of up to five rounds.
Card set rankings in descending order.
1. Run of same colour, 789 is top hand.
2. Three of a kind, three 9’s is top hand.
3. Flush, any three of same colour. Highest card countdown of first, second, and third card if tied.
4. Run of mixed colours, 789 is top hand.
5. Pair, 9’s is top hand.
6. Any different cards, highest card countdown.
7. Setup: Players pick a pet card titled Top Cat or Top Dog. Put the eight red back score cards aside. Refer to the set card for ranking order during the game.
8. Agree a set number of rounds up to five.
9. Designated dealer shuffles the eight red back score cards and deals them face up in a horizontal row between the two players. Discard the second three-point card as it appears. Include it in the next round.
10. Deal three cards aside face down, these take no further part in the round. Deal nine cards to each player. Place the remaining deck between the two players. This becomes the draw pile. Each round consists of four phases.
11. Phase one: Each player lays a three-card set to any score point card. Two face up, top one face down.
12. They then alternately draw another three cards one at a time. Play repeats until sets have been played in front of all the score cards.
13. Phase two: Each player can swap around any of their sets for another one of their own. The first swap is free.
14. Any subsequent swaps result in a removal of any one set from their score card points row for each occurring swap, usually starting with either of the one point cards, but not confined to.
15. Where a set is removed from a score point card, those points are conceded to the other player. If both sets are removed from the same score point card, then no points are awarded to either player.
16. Phase three: Starting with the dealer, both players can swap one set for their opponents directly opposite set. One swap each only. There is no penalty for an opposite swap.
17. The same set can be swapped back by the second player. No player is obliged to swap, but once they decide to decline, it cannot be reversed.
18. Phase four: Starting from the dealer’s left, players reveal their sets to each other, resolving them one at a time. Pet card holders always take preference in tied hands if their pet is shown on the score point card.
19. Each winning score point card is moved to that set winner. After all sets have been resolved, the points won for each player are added up and a round winner declared.
20. Sometimes a round ends in a draw. Sometimes a match can end in a draw if one or more rounds are drawn.
21. Depending on how many rounds are agreed, the other player now shuffles all the cards as in 9. and 10. Play resumes from 11.
Strategies and player dilemmas:
a) Play a weak set now to build a better one later.
b) Which initial score points to play sets to.
c) Identifying key score point cards.
d) Which opposite swap to make.
e) How many sideway swaps incurring penalties.
f) Whether to make a losing set to use in an opposite swap.
We hope you enjoy the game as much as we do.
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Registered address: Savvy Games Ltd, 8 Myddleton Rd, London N22 8NS.
https://SavvyGames.co.uk.