SHOOTER

If you want to teach a trick taking game to your friends, but games like Hearts, Spades, and Euchre seem too hard to explain, then Shooter is the perfect game for you. It has a smaller deck, simpler rules, and a trump suit, making it ideal for beginners.

In Shooter, the goal is to earn points by winning tricks. It’s a wild and competitive game, and the first player to score 32 points or more is the winner.

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

Shooter is played with a special deck of 24 cards. You’ll need the cards from 9 to Ace in all four suits. In this game, 9’s are the lowest, and Aces are the highest. There is also a trump suit in Shooter, which always beats non-trump cards.

To start the game, we need to determine who will be the dealer. In a four-player game, each player will receive six cards, while in a three-player game, each player will receive eight cards. The cards should be dealt one at a time.

It’s helpful for players to organize their hands by suit, which means grouping cards of the same suit together.

Now, let’s talk about the bidding process.

After all the cards have been dealt, it’s time to start bidding. When you bid, you’re basically making a prediction about how many tricks you think you can win. It’s important to note that you must bid at least three tricks. The maximum bid allowed is six tricks. If you can’t bid at least three tricks, you simply pass.

So, bidding begins with the player to the left of the dealer. They have the option to make a bid or pass. If the player bids three tricks, the next player must bid four or more. If they can’t bid four or more, they say pass. If they bid four tricks, then the next player must bid five or more, and so on.

When it comes to bidding in the game, players do things a little differently. If I think I can win all the tricks, I say, “I am shooting the moon.” If I manage to do this, I earn extra points.

The player with the highest bid gets to choose the trump suit. For example, if someone bids four and chooses diamonds as the trump suit, it means they think they can win at least four tricks with diamonds being the highest suit.

It’s important to remember that if you are the highest bidder, you must win at least as many tricks as you bid. There’s a penalty for failing to do so.

THE PLAY

When it’s time to start playing, the person who made the biggest bid gets to decide which suit is trump. They pick a card from their hand and place it down in the middle. The other players have to follow suit if they have a card of that suit. But if they don’t, they can play any card they want. The person who plays the highest card in the suit that was led or the highest trump card gets to take the trick.

For example, let’s say someone plays an Ace of Spades. Everyone else has to play a spade if they have one. But if they don’t, they’re free to play any card – even a trump card.

The person who wins the trick gets to lead the next one. This keeps going until all the tricks have been won.

When you’re playing a card game, sometimes you might make a mistake. For instance, you might have a card that matches the suit but accidentally play a card that doesn’t match. This is called reneging, and it’s against the rules. If you get caught reneging, you’ll lose two points from your score. And let me tell you, getting caught can result in some serious scolding and maybe even being shunned. Keep an eye out! Some sneaky players do this on purpose, hoping no one will notice.

KEEPING SCORE

Once every card has been played, it’s time to add up the scores.

For every trick you take, you earn one point. But here’s the twist: if you bid to take a certain number of tricks and you don’t meet your goal, you’ll actually lose points. For example, if you bid four tricks and only take two, you’ll subtract four points from your score. So it’s important to think carefully about how many tricks you can actually win before placing your bid.

When you shoot the moon in this game, it’s a big deal. If you manage to take all six tricks (or eight in a three-player game), you earn a whopping twelve points. But be careful! If you try to shoot the moon and fail to take all of the tricks, you actually lose twelve points.

What’s really interesting is that your score can end up in the negatives. Yep, that’s right. You can go below zero.

The goal of the game is to be the first player to score thirty-two points or more. It’s not easy to reach that number, but when you do, you win the game. Now, here’s the thing: if there’s a tie between two players, you don’t give up. Keep playing until someone breaks the tie. And guess what? Even if you weren’t part of the tie, you still have a chance to win. It’s all part of the game, and it makes for an incredible comeback story to share.