Cassino

House variant mostly taken from Swazi Casino using Italian Cards. Playable with 2-4 players. Four players play with 2 vs 2 partnership.

The Cards

Card Value
A 11 or 1
King 10
Knight 9
Knave 8
2-7 Face Value

The Deal

Shuffle the cards and lay 4 down face-up. Deal the rest to the players’ hands evenly

Re-shuffle if:

  • Scoring cards are in the layout (2 coins or 7 swords)
  • 3+ face cards

The Play

There are 5 possible actions:

  1. Capture cards or build from the table
  2. Create build
  3. Steal build
  4. Augment build
  5. Trail a card

Capturing, stealing, and trailing involve playing a card from the hand, so only one of those actions can be performed by a player per turn. Creating and augmenting builds may be done with a card from the hand or from cards already in play, so may done done as many times as the player wishes, before or after playing a card from the hand.

Capture Cards

Play a card from player’s hand to capture cards that match the played card’s value, or the table cards sum up to the played card’s value.

  • Only done by playing card from hand
  • Can capture multiple cards and builds
  • Cannot capture directly from opponent’s capture pile (though it is possible indirectly by augmenting first)
  • Cannot add builds to other builds or cards to capture. The build must match the capturing card
    • example: cannot use an Ace to capture a build 7 and a 4 or build 6 and build 5
  • If capturing player does not capture all cards they are legally allowed to take, the opponents may insist that the rest are captured as well. This is a good move to make if they think that leaving cards would be advantageous.
  • If capturing player forgets to take cards, the opponents may make the play stand as-is.
  • Drifting is allowed (Play a card that can capture for creating, stealing, or augmenting instead)

Create Build

Combine cards from the layout with or without a card from the hand. The player who creates the build becomes the owner.

  • Can only form a build if the player contains a card in their hand that can later capture it
  • Cannot use cards from any capture piles
  • Cannot combine multiple builds or break up builds
  • Two builds of same value cannot exist at same time

Steal Build

Change the value of an opponent’s build with a card from the hand.

  • Must have another card in hand that can later capture the build

It is not possible to steal and capture a build in the same turn since they both require playing a card from the hand.

Augment Build

Add further cards to a build that equal the value of the build belonging to own team or single card in layout.

  • Can use card from hand, layout, and top of opponent’s capture pile
  • Can augment opponent’s build only if captured in same turn
  • Value of augmented build can never be changed
  • Can only use top of opponenet’s capture pile one at a time
  • May increase value of partner’s build to later augment own build

Opponents can insist other cards are augmented to build

Special Rules for Partnership Play

If partner owned a build that is later stolen, then partner is allowed to create build of same value on behalf of that player. Does not apply if partner already played out known capturing card.

May ask partner not to capture build belonging to team.

Scoring

Accomplishment Points
Most Cards 2
Most Coins 2
2 of Coins 1
7 of Swords 2
Aces 1 each

Total of 11 points per hand.

Ties are split evenly.

Trail Card

Can add a card to layout that does not capture anything. There is no obligation to capture when the player owns a build.

  • Cannot abandon a build by discarding all the cards able to capture owned build

References