How to Play Kings

Rules at a Glance

What You Need

• 2 to 6 players.
• One deck of cards.
• Two jokers.
• A way to track scores, like the Kings app.

The Goal

Try to get rid of your cards before the other players do. When one player goes out, the hand ends. That player gets 0 points. Everyone else counts the points left in their hand.

After 13 hands, the player with the lowest total score wins.

Wild Cards by Hand

Each hand has a new wild card. Jokers are always wild.

1. Hand 1: Aces are wild.
2. Hand 2: 2s are wild.
3. Hand 3: 3s are wild.
4. Hand 4: 4s are wild.
5. Hand 5: 5s are wild.
6. Hand 6: 6s are wild.
7. Hand 7: 7s are wild.
8. Hand 8: 8s are wild.
9. Hand 9: 9s are wild.
10. Hand 10: 10s are wild.
11. Hand 11: Jacks are wild.
12. Hand 12: Queens are wild.
13. Hand 13: Kings are wild.

Deal

Deal 7 cards to each player. The dealer gets 1 extra card, for 8 cards total.

The dealer takes the first turn. There is no discard pile at the start. The dealer starts the discard pile at the end of the first turn.

The dealer moves to the next player for the next hand.

Your Turn

On most turns, do these steps:

1. Draw 1 card from the deck or take the top card from the discard pile.
2. Play cards if you can.
3. Discard 1 card to end your turn.

The first dealer turn is different. The dealer already has 8 cards, so the dealer does not draw first.

Playing Cards

You play cards by making groups called melds. A meld must have at least 3 cards.

Sets

A set has cards with the same rank, like 8-8-8. Wild cards can help make a set, but the set must have more real cards than wild cards.

Runs

A run has cards in order and in the same suit, like 4-5-6 of hearts. Aces are low, so A-2-3 is allowed. Q-K-A is not allowed.

Wild cards can help make a run. A run must have at least as many real cards as wild cards. Wild cards cannot sit next to each other in a run.

Card Examples

Opening

Before you can add cards to another player's meld, you must open. To open, put down your own set or run.

After you open, you may add cards to your own melds or to other players' melds. You may open and add to other melds on the same turn.

Wild Replacement

If you have the real card that a wild card stands for, you may replace that wild card. Then you take the wild card into your hand.

For runs, you may also cover a wild with the exact real card. The wild stays under that card.

Going Out

You go out when you have no cards left. You do not need a final discard.

If you can go out, you must go out. The hand ends right away.

Scoring

The player who goes out gets 0 points. All other players count the cards left in their hands.

• Aces are 1 point, unless Aces are wild that hand.
• 2 through 10 are worth their number.
• Jacks, Queens, and Kings are 10 points.
• The wild rank for that hand is 20 points.
• Jokers are 20 points.

Add each hand score to the game total. The lowest total wins after hand 13.

Sample Hand

It is hand 4, so 4s are wild. Alex goes out. Alex gets 0 points.

Sam has Q, 7, and a joker left. Sam scores 10 + 7 + 20 = 37.

The app adds each score to the game total and moves to the next hand.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting which card is wild this hand.
• Scoring Jacks, Queens, and Kings as more than 10.
• Thinking you need a final discard. You do not.
• Adding to another player's meld before you open.
• Putting wild cards next to each other in a run.

If a Hand Gets Stuck

If no one can finish and the hand gets stuck, count the cards left in each hand and move to the next hand.

Using the Kings App

1. Start a game and choose the players.
2. Play the hand with real cards at the table.
3. When the hand ends, enter each player's score.
4. Use Score Hand to move from the scoreboard to the next score entry.
5. After hand 13, review the final summary and saved history.

The app does not play the cards for you. It helps keep score while you play.

Optional Variations

House rules are common. Pick your rules before the first deal so everyone is playing the same game.

First Game Checklist

• Pick 2 to 6 players.
• Choose the first dealer.
• Deal 7 cards to each player and 8 to the dealer.
• Open Kings and start a new game.
• Check the wild card before each hand starts.
• Enter scores when a player goes out.
• Review the final summary after hand 13.

What Score Do I Enter?

Glossary