Introducing Dixie Rook

Hey there! I’m excited to tell you all about Dixie Rook, a fantastic trick-taking game that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. It was created back in 1912 by the brilliant George Parker. Similar to the classic game of Rook, Dixie Rook adds its own unique twist to the mix. Let me break it down for you.

Unlike the traditional Rook game, Dixie Rook includes all 14 ranks. Yeah, you heard that right! Every single rank makes an appearance here. But hold on, that’s not all. In Dixie Rook, the 14’s don’t count; instead, the 13’s become the coveted 10-pointers. So, 13’s are the real MVPs in this game. Make sure to keep that in mind when you’re placing your bids.

Oh, and here’s something important! The team that snags the most tricks earns a whopping 20 points. It’s a game of strategy and skill, my friend.

Now, if you’re looking for the rules for a 6-player game, don’t you worry. I’ve got you covered. Just scroll on down to the “6 PLAYER RULES” section at the bottom of the page, and you’ll find all you need.

Let’s Talk About the Cards and the Deal

Alright, let’s dive right into the heart of the game – the cards and how they’re dealt. In Dixie Rook, we use a special deck of 56 cards specifically designed for this game. Unfortunately, the 20 point Rook card doesn’t make an appearance here. Don’t sweat it, though, because we’ve got plenty of other excitement in store for you.

So, here’s how it goes. Get ready to shuffle that deck! Each player gets dealt thirteen cards one at a time, working their way around the table. The remaining four cards are placed facedown to create what we call “the nest.” It’s kinda like a secret stash of cards waiting to be uncovered. Exciting, right?

Just a heads up before we move on – the dealing process switches things up every round by passing the responsibility from one player to the next. Keeps things interesting, don’t you think?

Time to Show Your Skills – Let’s Play!

BIDDING

Hey there! Let’s talk about bidding in this awesome game. When we bid, we’re trying to figure out how many points we think our team can score. Points can be earned by collecting count cards and capturing tricks. In each round, there’s a total of 120 points up for grabs – 100 points from count cards and 20 points for being the trick-taking team. Normally, players bid up to 95 points, which is the maximum.

Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of bidding. It all starts with the player on the left of the dealer. They have the first chance to bid or pass. Once a player passes, they can’t join in later with a bid. So, you’ve got to make your move count! The first bid has to be at least 70 points. And each subsequent bid must be higher and divisible by 5. For example, if the first bid is 70, the next one could be 75, 80, and so on. This bidding frenzy keeps going until only one player remains.

So, here’s how it goes: I pick up the nest and put it in my hand. Then, I get to choose four cards from my hand and discard them face down to make a new nest. Now comes the fun part – I get to decide what the trump color will be for this round.

Okay, now let’s talk about the first trick. The player who is sitting to the left of the dealer gets to start by leading with any card they want. Then, everyone else has to play a card of the same color if they have one. But, if they don’t have a card of the same color, they can play any card they want. The trick is won by playing the highest ranking card of the same color that was led, or if someone plays a trump card and it’s the highest, that wins. The winner of the trick then gets to lead the next one. We keep playing tricks like this until we’ve all played all of our cards.

Now, let’s move on to the last trick. The player who wins the final trick also gets to keep the nest. And guess what? The team that wins the final trick gets even more points because they also earn points for any count cards in the nest. Oh, and here’s another cool thing – the nest counts as a trick too, so it adds to the team’s trick total. So, it’s a pretty important trick to win!

I’ll keep playing rounds until I win. Simple as that.

SCORING

Forget about those 14’s, they don’t count in this game. They may be the highest cards for each color, but they don’t get you any extra points. Instead, it’s the 13’s that matter, and they’re worth a solid 10 points each. The 10’s are also worth 10 points each, while the 5’s will give you 5 points each.

If my team manages to capture the most tricks, we get a cool 20 points. But here’s the twist: if both teams end up with the same 7 tricks at the end of the round, we’re gonna shuffle the deck again. Each team adds up the value of their cut cards, and whoever gets the highest total takes home the points for having the most tricks.

But hold on, there’s one more thing. If the team that won the bid fails to meet their own bid, they have to subtract the value of their bid from their score. Yeah, it can go into the negatives. Ouch.

WINNING

Here’s the goal: the first team to get a whopping 300 points or more wins the whole game. Let’s get ’em!

The 6 Player Rules

Alright, here’s what you need to know – there are three players on each team. Keep in mind that the seating arrangement will alternate between Team 1 and Team 2. It goes like this: Team 1, Team 2, Team 1, Team 2, and so on.

Now, when it comes to dealing the cards, give each player 9 cards. Don’t forget to leave a 2 card nest behind. And that’s it – you’re ready to play! Just follow the instructions above and have a blast.