GURKA

Hey there! Let me tell you about Gurka, an exciting trick-taking game that can be played by 3 to 8 players. It’s closely related to the game Cucumber, but with its own unique twist!

SETUP

First things first, we all need to contribute an equal amount of money to the pot. This will make things more interesting!

Now, to get started, we need to choose a dealer for this round. The dealer will shuffle the deck and hand out 6 cards to each player. The remaining cards are then placed face-down in a pile within everyone’s reach. Remember, the cards are ranked from highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Suit doesn’t matter in this game, so don’t worry about it!

Penalty Points

Here’s something you need to know: every card comes with penalty points. Aces carry the highest penalty of 14 points, while Kings are worth 13, Queens are worth 12, and Jacks are worth 11. The value of the 10 through 2 cards corresponds to their numeric value in penalty points.

GAMEPLAY

Let’s talk about how Gurka is played. The game is divided into rounds, and in each round, you’ll participate in 6 tricks. The first card of the trick is played by the player to the left of the dealer. After that, the winner of each trick starts the next one.

Now, when it’s your turn to play a trick in Gurka, you have the freedom to choose any card you want. But here’s where things get interesting. The other players have to follow a rule: they have to play a card of equal or higher rank than the card played before, or if they don’t have any such cards, they must play their lowest-ranked card. This rule encourages strategic thinking and careful planning.

At the end of each trick, the player who played the highest-ranked card, or the player who played the highest-ranked card last, wins the trick. The player or players with the highest-ranked card of the trick will then receive penalty points based on the card they played. So, it’s not just about winning tricks, but also about avoiding the cards that can cost you points.

Once a player accumulates 30 penalty points, they’re out of the game. But, if there are still at least three players left, they can buy back in anytime by paying another stake into the pot. They’ll be dealt in again and receive a penalty score equal to the player with the highest penalty score at the table.

GAME OVER

The game continues until there’s only one player left standing.

VARIATIONS

There are a few different ways you can play this game.

The most common variation is where a player only needs to match or beat the rank of the previous card played. So, if you’re using this rule, you only have to match or beat the last card played in the trick, not necessarily the highest card in the trick.

When it comes to playing card games, there are many different variations to choose from. One interesting variation is a game where the objective is to beat or equal the previous player’s card with your own. If you can’t, then you have to play your lowest ranked card. Some people even say that aces can’t be outranked or matched, not even by another ace. In this version, players are forced to play their lowest ranked card. Another variation states that the leading player must always start with their lowest ranked card. And if you really want to switch things up, there’s even a variation where the target score to be eliminated is 20 instead of 30. Lastly, there’s a claim that in this game, each player has a free rebuy. So no matter which variation you choose, there’s always a fun and unique twist to keep you entertained!