Welcome to Two-Ten-Jack

Hey there! Have you ever played Two-Ten-Jack? It’s a fun trick-taking game from Japan, made specifically for two players. The goal is to collect cards that earn you points while avoiding those pesky cards that deduct points. Oh, and did I mention that Hearts are always the trump suit? Plus, there’s a special card, the Ace of Spades, that can be played as either a Spade or the highest trump card. Exciting, right?

Let’s Talk About the Cards and the Deal

To start playing Two-Ten-Jack, you’ll need a deck of 52 cards. Just remember, in this game, 2’s are low and Aces are high. And don’t forget, Hearts are always the trump suit. But here’s the kicker – the Ace of Spades is the granddaddy of all the trump cards. It’s the highest ranking trump suited card, and it comes with some special rules attached.

To get the game going, shuffle up those cards and deal out six to each player. The remaining cards go in a face-down pile between the two players – that’s called the stock. And for the next round, the deal switches hands. Easy peasy, right?

Let’s Play!

When we start a game, I get to go first. I can pick any card from my hand to play. The person after me has to match the suit of the card I played, if they can. But if they don’t have a matching card, they have to play a trump card instead. And if they don’t have either, they can play any card they want.

After someone wins a trick, they collect the cards and draw a new one from the deck. The person who lost the trick then draws the next card. The winner of the previous trick gets to lead the next one. We keep playing like this until we’ve gone through all the cards in the deck.

Now here’s something special:

The Ace of Spades is a really important card. It can be used as a trump card, just like the others. But even if it’s played as a Spade, it’s still the highest-ranking trump card of them all.

If I have a trump card (hearts) led, I can follow with the Ace of Spades (or any other trump card). If the Ace of Spades is the only trump card I have, I must play it to the trick.

If a Spade is led, and I only have the Ace and no other Spades, I have to play the Ace. But if I have other Spade cards, I can play one of them instead.

If I can’t match the suit that was led and I have the Ace of Spades with no other trump card, I have no choice but to play it to the trick.

Lastly, when I lead the trick with the Ace of Spades, I must declare it as a trump card or a Spade. This declaration determines how the following player must play.

Once all of the cards have been played, it’s time to tally up the score for the round.

SCORING

Hey there! Let’s dive into the world of cards and see how scoring works, shall we?

CARD VALUES

Some cards are worth points, and others can actually deduct points from your score. Let me break it down for you:

• The 2, 10, and Jack of Hearts have a value of 5 points each.
• The 2, 10, and Jack of Clubs will deduct 5 points from your score.
• The 2, 10, Jack, and Ace of Spades are each worth 1 point.
• The 6 of Diamonds is also worth 1 point.

WINNING

The goal is simple: be the first player to earn 31 points! Once you reach that magic number, the game is yours.