The Fascinating Game of Pope Joan

Welcome to the world of Pope Joan, a thrilling card game that has been enjoyed since the 1700s. All you need to join in on the fun is a standard deck of 52 French playing cards and a stack of chips or tokens. Are you ready for an exhilarating experience?

When it comes to Pope Joan, luck plays a key role in determining the winner. But don’t let that discourage you! The element of chance only adds to the excitement of the game.

Before we dive in, let me explain how the game works. Each player will have their turn, and for every player in the game, there will be a round. So, if there are six players, get ready for six rounds of thrilling gameplay. And remember, the deal passes to the left with every round.

The Game Board

Pope Joan is played on a game board. Don’t worry, creating one is a piece of cake! Simply grab a piece of paper and follow the example below:

If you want to create your own Pope Joan board, here’s what you need to do:

Start by taking a sheet of paper and dividing it into eight rectangles with straight lines. Each rectangle should represent a different section of the board, and you can label them as follows: Game, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Marriage, Intrigue, and Pope. Alternatively, you can use eight separate paper plates or plastic cups for each section.

Once your board is ready, it’s time to start playing!

The banker, who is in charge of the game, will place one chip in the Game, Ace, King, Queen, and Jack sections of the board. They will then put two chips in the Marriage and Intrigue sections. As for the Pope section, six chips should be placed there. The banker will repeat this process at the beginning of each round. If there are any chips left over from the previous round, they will be added to the new chips in that section.

The Cards & The Deal

Let’s decide who’ll be the dealer and the banker. Each of us can take a card from the deck. Whoever gets the shortest card will be our first dealer. And guess what? They’ll also be the banker!

Now, let’s get the deck ready. We need to take out the 8 of diamonds. After that, the dealer should mix up the cards really well and start dealing them. Each one of us will get the same number of cards. Oh, and there will be an extra hand called the dummy hand. If there are any cards left, they go into the dummy hand.

But wait, there’s more! The dealer will place the last card they deal face up on the table. This card’s suit will be the trump suit for this round. Once we’ve all seen the trump card, the dealer can pick it up and add it to their own hand. However, if the trump card happens to be the Pope or any of the high-ranking cards like the Ace, King, Queen, or Jack, the dealer wins the chips right away from that part of the board!

LET’S PLAY

Hey there! When it’s my turn, I can pick any card from my hand and place it face up in the middle of the table. The player with the next highest card of the same suit does the same. It’s like a friendly competition! For example, if I play the 10 of hearts, you can play the Jack of hearts, and then someone else can play the Queen of hearts. This goes on until someone stops the run.

A run stops if someone plays a King or if the next card needed isn’t available. Simple as that! Once a run stops, the person who played the last card gets to start a new run by choosing any card from their hand.

We keep playing like this until someone gets rid of all the cards in their hand. It’s like a race to the finish line! When someone lays down their final card, the round is over.

EARNING CHIPS

When I win a round, I get all the chips from the Game section of the board. But here’s the twist: everyone else has to give me one chip for each card they still have in their hand. However, if someone has the Pope card in their hand, they don’t have to pay up.

Now, during the round, if I play the Ace, King, Queen, or Jack in the trump suit, I get to take all the chips from that section of the board. It’s like a mini jackpot!

But wait, there’s more! If I manage to play both the Queen and King of the trump suit, I get to snatch the chips from the Marriage section of the board. And if I’m really lucky and play both the Jack and Queen of the Trump suit, I can grab all the chips from the Intrigue section. Lastly, if I’m the one who plays the Pope card, I win all the chips from that section of the board.

If any cards on the board aren’t used, their chips stay on the board for the next round.

VICTORY

Once you’ve played as many rounds as there are players, the player with the most chips is the winner.