Welcome to Vandatta!

Hey there! Vandatta is a fun card game from Sweden that’s a lot like Crazy Eights. Want to learn how to play? Let me show you the ropes!

Getting Started

First things first, you’ll need a standard deck of 52 playing cards. Once you have your cards ready, shuffle the deck and deal 7 cards to each player. The rest of the cards go face down to create a draw pile.

Now, flip over the top card of the draw pile to start the discard pile. If you happen to reveal an 8, shuffle it back into the draw pile. But if it’s an Ace, watch out! Everyone else has to draw a card right away.

The Game

Alright, let’s dive into the gameplay. In Vandatta, 8’s are wild, which means they can be played on any card. And don’t forget about the Aces! When someone plays an Ace, every player needs to draw a card.

But wait, there’s more! Vandatta has a special rule that allows you to play multiple cards of the same rank. For example, if you have two 5’s in your hand, you can play them both at once.

Winning the Game

The goal is to get rid of all your cards. To go out, you need to either play your last card or play multiple cards of the same rank as your last card. If you can’t make a move, you’ll have to draw cards from the draw pile until you can continue playing.

Remember, the first player to get rid of all their cards is the winner! So, stay alert, plan your moves wisely, and aim to be the fastest player to clear your hand.

Let me tell you about Aces and Eights, these are some pretty special cards. When you play an Ace, everybody else has to draw a card and it becomes your turn again. Talk about a powerful move! And then we’ve got Eights, they’re wild! The player who plays an Eight gets to decide what suit has to be played next. Now that’s what I call control.

Now, let’s talk about how the game plays out. When it comes to dealing, you pass the deck to the left after each round. And you play one round per person in the game, simple as that.

THE PLAY

FIRST TURN

Alright, here’s how it starts. The player on the left of the dealer kicks things off by playing a card that matches either the rank or the suit of the top card in the center. So, for example, if the top card is a 7 of hearts, you can play any card in the heart suit or any 7. But here’s the cool part – if you’ve got an Ace in the same suit, you can play it too! That’s right, you’ve gotta love those Aces. And if you’ve got an Eight, well, you can play it whenever you want, it’s wild!

When I can’t play a card or I choose not to, I have to draw from the top of the draw pile. The card I draw can be either played to the discard pile or added to my hand. If I don’t play the card, I have to draw again. But I can only draw up to three cards. If I still don’t play a card after the third draw, my turn ends.

CONTINUING PLAY & SPECIAL RULES

Play goes on as mentioned earlier, with every player getting rid of cards from their hand.

If the top card is an Ace, I can either play another Ace or a regular card of the same suit. But I can’t play an 8 on an Ace.

If the top card is an Eight, the next card must be a regular card of the suit that was called.

STACKING

When I have multiple cards of the same rank, I can play all of them in my turn. Let’s say the top card is a 3 of Clubs, and I play a 5 of Clubs. Guess what? I can also play the other 5s in my hand.

LAST TURN

When I play my second to last card, I have to declare last turn. It’s super important! If I forget to declare, I end up drawing three cards. Even if I have more cards of the same rank left, I still have to declare last turn.

GOING OUT

To end the round, I need to play my last card. But wait, I can’t go out by playing an Ace or an Eight. If my last card happens to be an Ace or an Eight, I have to draw one card before I can go out.

Remember, we have to play one round for each player at the table.

SCORING

Did you know that, in this game, points are awarded to players for the cards they have left in their hand?

When it comes to scoring, 8’s are worth 10 points each, Aces are worth 5 points each, and all other cards are worth 1 point each.

ACHIEVING VICTORY

Here’s the catch: the player with the smallest score at the end of the game is declared the winner.

So, the goal is to try and keep your score as low as possible.