B*****d
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
One of the more unusual card games out there, and also, in this researcher's humble opinion, one of the more entertaining.
To play B*****d you need three to five players--four is probably best. Each player gets nine cards dealt to them in the following manner: three cards laid in a row face down in front of them (nobody gets to see them, and they stay face down throughout the game), three cards laid face up on top of those, and then three in their hand. The rest of the deck then goes face down in the middle, and the top card is turned over to start the pile.
Going in turn, each player then has to meet or beat the card on top of the pile. Twos are low, aces high; suit doesn't matter; and if you have more than one card of the same rank, you can put them all down at once. If you can't meet or beat the top card, you eat it--that is, you pick up the entire stack, and then turn over the next card in the deck to start things up again. (In case it isn't apparent by now, this is one of those games where the object is to get rid of your cards; thus picking up the stack is a baaaaaad thing.)
Now for the fun part. There are three wild cards: twos, tens and jacks. If a two is played, the pile is "set" back down to two--i.e. the next person can play a three, and so on. If a ten is played, the next player ignores the ten and has to meet or beat the card that was played just before it. For example, if Player 1 plays a queen and Player 2 plays a ten, Player 3 then has to beat the queen. And finally, if a jack is played, the order of play is reversed (from clockwise to counterclockwise or vice-versa), which means that the player who played the last card now has to beat it (the last card, that is, not the jack).
So what about those cards on the table? Ah yes...this is the _really_ fun part. If it's your turn and your hand is empty, you get to use one of the face-up cards in front of you--provided, of course, that one of them is high enough. (If not, poor you; the penalty is the same as always.) And if it's your turn and your hand is empty _and_ you're out of face-up cards, you get to use one of your face-down cards. Oh, one thing: you don't get to look at them first. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, pick one and cross your fingers.
And there you have it. First one to get rid of all their cards is the winner. Now grab a few friends and try it. It's easier to pick up than it sounds--although I'd suggest playing it with _good_ friends. After two or three experiences along the lines of having your last ace topped with a jack by a grinning opponent, you'll quickly come to understand where the game got its name--and at that point any friendships previously on rocky ground may be seriously at risk.
To play B*****d you need three to five players--four is probably best. Each player gets nine cards dealt to them in the following manner: three cards laid in a row face down in front of them (nobody gets to see them, and they stay face down throughout the game), three cards laid face up on top of those, and then three in their hand. The rest of the deck then goes face down in the middle, and the top card is turned over to start the pile.
Going in turn, each player then has to meet or beat the card on top of the pile. Twos are low, aces high; suit doesn't matter; and if you have more than one card of the same rank, you can put them all down at once. If you can't meet or beat the top card, you eat it--that is, you pick up the entire stack, and then turn over the next card in the deck to start things up again. (In case it isn't apparent by now, this is one of those games where the object is to get rid of your cards; thus picking up the stack is a baaaaaad thing.)
Now for the fun part. There are three wild cards: twos, tens and jacks. If a two is played, the pile is "set" back down to two--i.e. the next person can play a three, and so on. If a ten is played, the next player ignores the ten and has to meet or beat the card that was played just before it. For example, if Player 1 plays a queen and Player 2 plays a ten, Player 3 then has to beat the queen. And finally, if a jack is played, the order of play is reversed (from clockwise to counterclockwise or vice-versa), which means that the player who played the last card now has to beat it (the last card, that is, not the jack).
So what about those cards on the table? Ah yes...this is the _really_ fun part. If it's your turn and your hand is empty, you get to use one of the face-up cards in front of you--provided, of course, that one of them is high enough. (If not, poor you; the penalty is the same as always.) And if it's your turn and your hand is empty _and_ you're out of face-up cards, you get to use one of your face-down cards. Oh, one thing: you don't get to look at them first. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, pick one and cross your fingers.
And there you have it. First one to get rid of all their cards is the winner. Now grab a few friends and try it. It's easier to pick up than it sounds--although I'd suggest playing it with _good_ friends. After two or three experiences along the lines of having your last ace topped with a jack by a grinning opponent, you'll quickly come to understand where the game got its name--and at that point any friendships previously on rocky ground may be seriously at risk.
