Play 3-Card Loo and Win Big!

3-Card Loo is a super fun card game called Rams. The aim is to win as many tricks as you can, so you can walk away with a ton of loot.

Before we jump into the game, let’s decide how much each stake is going to be worth. It’s important to set this value before we start playing.

Let’s Get Started – Setup

We need a dealer to kick things off. It doesn’t matter who goes first, so let’s pick someone randomly. And for each new game, the dealer position will pass to the left.

In 3-Card Loo, the dealer puts three stakes into the pot and deals three cards to each player. But here’s the kicker – the dealer also deals an extra three-card hand to the side. We call this the “Miss.”

Now, there’s a stack of cards left face-down near the dealer. To determine the trump suit for this round, the dealer flips over the top card and reveals it to everyone.

Learn the Card Rankings

Here’s how the cards rank in 3-Card Loo: Ace is the highest, followed by King, Queen, Jack, and so on. The order goes all the way down to the lowly 2. But there’s a twist – the trump suits have even higher rankings than the regular suits.

Time to Play – Gameplay

When it’s time to play 3-card Loo, we all gather around and make our choices. First things first, we’ve got to decide if we’re in or out. Starting with the player on the left of the dealer, each of us gets to say whether we’re folding or playing. Those who choose to play might even have a chance to swap out one card for the mysterious miss card. But there’s a catch – if you decide to make the switch, you gotta commit. Once you sneak a peek at that miss card, there’s no turning back – you’re locked in for the whole round.

If I’m the dealer and all the other players fold before me, I automatically win all the chips in the pot. But if one of the players decides to play and all the others fold, then that player becomes the winner. Now, if someone plays before me but doesn’t exchange any cards, I have two choices. I can either play without exchanging cards or I can choose to defend against that player. If I go with the latter option, I play the round like normal, but I won’t win or lose anything – that’s all on the other player. And if none of these situations happen, then we just play a regular game of poker.

When playing the game, the first trick is led by the player closest to the dealer’s left. This person has a few options depending on the cards they have. Ideally, they should start with the ace of trumps, but if they don’t have it, they can play the king if it was revealed during setup. And if they don’t have either, they should play the highest trump card they have if there’s only one opponent. If there are no trumps at all, then any card can be led.

The following players in the game have some restrictions to follow. First, they must try to win the trick within the given requirements. If they have a card of the same suit that was played, they must play it. And if they don’t have a card of the same suit, they must play a trump if they have one. If they can’t follow these rules, they are free to play any card they want.

To determine the winner of each trick, we look at the highest trump card in play. If there are no trumps, then the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner of the trick then leads the next one and must lead a trump if they have one.

This gameplay continues until all tricks are won.

WINNING STAKES

Hey there! Let’s talk about 3-card Loo. This card game is super cool because in each trick, the winner gets a third of the pot. But here’s the twist: if you don’t win any tricks, you have to pay three stakes into the current pot after everyone gets their winnings. It’s a way to keep things interesting.

Here’s How the Game Ends

So, the game goes on for as long as you and the other players want to keep playing. There’s no specific number of rounds or anything like that. But hey, here’s a tip: if you want to be fair to everyone, it’s a good idea for each player to be the dealer an equal number of times.

Oh, by the way, let me introduce myself. I’m Amber, and I’m a huge fan of games. I absolutely love 3-card Loo and many other games. I also have a soft spot for dogs, plants, and playing D&D. So, if you’re into all that stuff too, then we’re going to have a blast together!

3-card loo – learn to play with