MILITAIRE

Militaire is a game that was originally created by the British military for its soldiers. It’s a type of rummy game, but instead of using the traditional deck of cards, it uses a special deck that is based on military rankings. However, you can also play the game with a standard deck of French cards.

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

In Militaire, you use a standard deck of 52 French cards. Make sure to include one Joker as well.

To decide who will be the dealer and keep track of the scores, each player selects a card from the deck. The player with the lowest card becomes the dealer and will keep score during the game.

The dealer then shuffles the deck thoroughly and deals seven cards to each player. The remaining cards are placed face-down in the center of the table to create the draw pile. The top card of the draw pile is turned over and placed next to it, forming the discard pile.

The player to the left of the dealer starts the game.

THE GAME

Let me walk you through the three steps of each turn in the game: draw, meld, and discard.

DRAW

In this phase, you have two options: you can either take the top card from the draw pile or choose one from the discard pile. Whichever card you choose, it will become a part of your hand.

MELD

After drawing a card, you can now play any melds onto the table. Remember, you cannot add cards to melds that are already placed on the table.

DISCARD

Now it’s time to wrap up your turn. Select one card from your hand and put it on the discard pile.

ENDING A ROUND

When a player fulfills the contract requirement, the round ends. However, be careful! If you have a seventh card that you haven’t used, it will count against you as a penalty during scoring.

MELDS

In Militaire, there are two main types of melds: sets and runs. A set is made up of three or four cards of the same rank, like having four 4’s in different suits. A run, on the other hand, is made up of three or more cards of the same suit that are in sequential order. For example, having the cards 4♠-5♠-6♠-7♠ would be a run.

THE CONTRACT

In order to win a round of Militaire, you must meet one of three specific contracts. The first contract is to meld two sets, meaning you have to create two sets of three or four cards of the same rank. The second contract is to meld a run and a set, so you have to create a run of three or more cards of the same suit in sequential order, as well as a set. The third contract is to meld a run of six or seven cards, meaning you have to create a run of six or seven cards of the same suit in sequential order. The first player to meet one of these contracts is the winner of the round.

SCORING

After a round of Militaire is completed, each player earns points based on the melds they played to the table. The scoring is as follows:

Jokers do not earn any points.

Aces are worth 1 point each.

2’s to 9’s are worth 5 points each.

10’s to Kings are worth 10 points each.

When I meet the contract and finish the round, I also earn bonus points for achieving the following:

A set of three cards is worth 30 points.

A set of four cards is worth 40 points.

A run of three consecutive cards is worth 10 points.

A run of four consecutive cards is worth 20 points.

A run of six consecutive cards is worth 50 points.

A run of seven consecutive cards is worth 100 points.

If I met the contract but did not use the seventh card, I deduct points from my score equal to the value of that card.

WINNING

The game is won by the first player to reach 500 points or more.

The game is won by the first player to reach 500 points or more.