ULTI
Have you ever heard of a game called Ulti? It’s a super cool Hungarian game that not many people know about. In fact, it’s so rare that it’s often referred to as Robber Ulti, because there’s a lot of stealing going on during the game. The goal is to win the final trick with the lowest trump card. It’s like a tricky twisted game for three players!
SETUP
Getting started is super easy. Each player just needs to draw a card from the shuffled deck. The person who draws the lowest card gets the special honor of being the dealer. As the game progresses, the deal and the gameplay will go around the group in a counterclockwise direction.
When we play a card game called “Declarer” with a deck of cards, there are a few steps we need to follow. First, the dealer shuffles the cards. Then, the player on the left cuts the cards. After that, the dealer and the player on their left receive 10 cards each, while the player on the right gets 12 cards. Sometimes, two players decide to team up and play together, while one player chooses to be the declarer. Finally, we are all set to start the game!
How to Play
Each hand in the game begins with a player winning the previous hand. This player gets to choose the trump suit and becomes the declarer. The declarer and their team will then try to outbid the other players and take tricks, just like in any other trick-taking game.
So, here’s how it works: I start with 12 cards, and I have to choose two of them to place on the table as the talon. No one gets to see these cards. Then, everyone else gets a chance to decide if they want to pick up the talon and make a bid.
If someone decides to pick up the talon, they have to make a higher bid than the previous player and put two cards on the table to replenish the talon. This keeps going until everyone passes and no one wants to make a bid.
When all the bidding is done, the player who made the highest bid gets to lead the first trick. And after that, each winner of a trick gets to lead the next one. The goal is to play a card that has a higher value than the previous one. Whoever plays the highest card wins the trick.
Every time I win a game, I get a set amount of points from each of my opponents. It’s pretty standard for each player to give up one point. The game can be won if I manage to take the last trick with a seven card. But if I can’t do that, my team wins instead!
END OF GAME
The game ends once we’ve played the predetermined number of tricks. The whole point of the game is for me, as the declarer, to win the last trick with a seven card. If I can pull that off, I win the game. But if I can’t, then the other players win instead.
The game ends once we’ve played the predetermined number of tricks. The whole point of the game is for me, as the declarer, to win the last trick with a seven card. If I can pull that off, I win the game. But if I can’t, then the other players win instead.