Nepali Marriage – A Fascinating Card Game with Countless Variations

Let me introduce you to a captivating card game known as Nepali Marriage. Originating in Nepal, this game offers an abundance of melds and fascinating strategic possibilities. Get ready to dive into a thrilling gaming experience!

The Cards & The Deal – Creating Magic

In Nepali Marriage, the action revolves around three complete French decks of cards, adding up to a whopping 156 cards. As the game progresses, different cards will become wild, bringing an element of surprise to each round. Keep in mind that while Aces can be high or low, they cannot be used to go around the corner. This means sequences like A-2-3 and Q-K-A are valid, but Q-K-A-2-3 will not earn you any points.

To determine who will be the first dealer and scorekeeper in the game, we each take a card from the deck. The person with the lowest card becomes the first dealer and will keep score throughout the game. After that, the dealer position will move to the left for each round.

When it’s time to start the game, the dealer gathers all the cards, mixes them up really well, and then deals 21 cards to every player.

Now let’s talk about how the game is played. Each player takes their turn, which has three phases: draw, meld, and discard.

During the draw phase, at the start of your turn, you have the option to draw a card from the top of the draw pile or from the top of the discard pile. But remember, you can only draw the top card from the discard pile, and it cannot be the same card that you will discard later in your turn.

If all the cards in the draw pile run out, you simply gather up all the cards from the discard pile (except for the top card) and mix them up really well. These mixed-up cards will become the new draw pile for you to use.

MELD

There are a bunch of different types of melds you can create in this game:

Tunnela – This is when you have three cards of the same kind, like three 7 of hearts cards. If you get these cards during the initial deal, you can play them right away. And hey, you get some extra points for it too!

Triplet – This is when you have three cards of the same rank, but they have different suits. For example, you could have an 8 of hearts, an 8 of spades, and an 8 of diamonds.

Dirty Triplet – This is a bit trickier. It’s when you have three cards, and two of them are the same rank but have different suits. And just to mix things up, there’s also a wild card in there. So, for example, you could have a W (wild card), a 3 of hearts, and a 3 of spades. Another way to make a dirty triplet is by having two wild cards and any other card that isn’t a wild card. For instance, you could have two wild cards and a 6 of clubs.

Pure Sequence – A pure sequence is made up of three cards of the same suit that follow one another in order. For example, it could be something like 5 of spades, 6 of spades, and 7 of spades.

Dirty Sequence – On the other hand, a dirty sequence includes three cards where two of them are the same suit and the third card is a wild card. So, it could be something like Jack of spades, Queen of spades, and a wild card. Alternatively, a dirty sequence can be formed if two wild cards are paired with a non-wild card.

Marriage – A marriage consists of three wild cards forming a perfect sequence. For instance, it could be 9 of clubs, 10 of clubs, and Jack of clubs (with the 10 of clubs being the wild card). You can get more information about wild cards in the section below.

Once a player has drawn some cards, they can then start creating melds in their hand. However, keep in mind that a player isn’t allowed to place melds on the table until they fulfill specific requirements.

When you’re playing tunnela, it’s not just about getting the highest score or winning the game. Along the way, there are certain requirements you need to meet to stay in the running. One of the most important tasks is meeting the Opening Contract.

The Opening Contract is all about building melds. To meet this contract, you need to create three melds that include tunnelas, pure sequences, or a combination of the two. Once you’ve built these melds, you can play them to the table. But here’s the catch – you have to play all three melds at once. It’s a bit of a challenge, but it’s worth it because meeting the Opening Contract makes you eligible for the Closing Contract.

The Closing Contract is where the real excitement happens. If you’ve met the Opening Contract, you have the chance to win the round. But before you can do that, you need to know the wild cards. And here’s the interesting part – the first player to meet the Opening Contract gets to decide what the wild cards are. They choose a card at random from the middle of the draw pile, take a peek at it, and then place it face down at the bottom of the pile. They’re the only player who knows what the wild cards are at the start. The suspense builds as other players try to figure out the wild cards as the game progresses.

When I’ve met the Opening Contract, I become eligible to meet the Closing Contract so I can win the round. To meet the closing contract, I need to build four more valid three-card melds from the list.

DISCARD

To end my turn, I simply discard one card from my hand. The discard pile keeps growing, showing all the cards that have been previously discarded. This way, everyone can see which cards are no longer in play.

ENDING THE ROUND

After I draw a card, if I have met the Closing Contract, I can play the melds to the table and discard my final card.

WILD CARDS

Did you know that there are special rules in this game that determine which cards become wild? It’s true! Once the first player meets the Opening Contract and chooses a wild card, all the other cards of that same rank become wild too. For example, if the 7♣ is chosen as the wild card, then the 6♣ and 8♣ also become wild. It’s important to note that the chosen wild card is called the main wild, while the other two wild cards are known as secondary wilds.

SCORING

Now, let me tell you about scoring in this game. When a round ends, the player who ended it earns 10 points for each player in the game. So if there are 4 players, that player gets 30 points for ending the round.

But that’s not all! Every player can earn points based on the wild cards in their melds and hand, regardless of whether they met the contracts or not. The number of points earned for the wild cards depends on whether they are part of a meld or not.

Let’s talk about the points you can earn in a game of tunnela. There are different types of wild cards, and each one has a specific point value. Let me break it down for you:

The main wild cards, which are not part of a meld, have the following point values:

An individual wild card is worth 3 points.

If you have two wild cards, they are worth a total of 7 points.

Now, let’s move on to the secondary wild cards. Like the main wild cards, these are also not part of a meld. Here are their point values:

An individual secondary wild card is worth 2 points.

If you have two secondary wild cards, they are worth a total of 5 points.

If you have three secondary wild cards, they are worth a total of 10 points.

In addition to the wild cards, you can also earn points for playing tunnelas immediately after the deal. Here’s how the points work:

If you play one tunnela, you earn 5 points.

If you play two tunnelas, you earn a total of 15 points.

If you play three tunnelas, you earn a total of 25 points.

Now, let’s talk about the points you can earn if you play tunnelas at the start of the game, and they include wild cards:

If you play one tunnela composed of three secondary wild cards, you earn 15 points.

If you play two tunnelas composed of three secondary wild cards, you earn a total of 35 points.

Finally, if you play three tunnelas at the start of the game, the third tunnela just counts as 5 points.

So, as you can see, there are different ways to earn points in tunnela, and it’s important to keep these values in mind as you play. Good luck!

When you have a marriage still in your hand, you score 10 points if you have one marriage or 30 points if you have two marriages.

If you have already played a marriage to the table, you score 15 points for one marriage or 35 points for two marriages.

The Thrill of Victory

Each player takes turns dealing in the game. Play one round for each player, giving everyone a chance to be the dealer. The player with the highest score at the end of the final round is declared the champion.

Each player takes turns dealing in the game. Play one round for each player, giving everyone a chance to be the dealer. The player with the highest score at the end of the final round is declared the champion.