CRAMPS

Hey there, let me tell you all about the fascinating game called Cramps, created by Pete Caldwell. It’s unlike any other game because each trick you take has its own special value. You see, sometimes a trick will earn you points, but other times it can actually take points away. So, it’s important to be cautious, especially when it comes to those Queens. If you capture one, you’ll lose a precious point.

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

Now, let’s talk about what cards we’ll be playing with. In Cramps, we use a standard 52-card deck, where the 2’s are considered low and the Aces are high. So, shuffle up and deal 13 cards to each of the four players. To keep things interesting, deal out the cards in packets of 3’s and 2’s. And remember, when it’s time to deal the next round, pass the dealing duty to the player on your left.

THE PLAY

THE FIRST TRICK

Now, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of gameplay. The player sitting to the left of the dealer gets to lead the first trick. They can choose any card from their hand to start things off. After that, the other players have a choice. They must follow suit if they can, meaning they have to play a card of the same suit as the one that was led. But hey, if they don’t have a card in that suit, they can play any card from their hand. Here’s the kicker though – the trick is captured by the highest card in the suit that was led. And the player who captures the trick? They get to be in charge of leading the next one.

CONTINUING PLAY

Keep playing until you finish all thirteen tricks.

KEEPING SCORE DURING THE ROUND

To make it easier to keep score, create a separate deck with one Ace, three 3’s, 5’s, 7’s, and 10’s from another deck. Use a red Ace, 3, 5, and 7, and the rest of the cards should be black. 10’s are worth zero points. Arrange the scorekeeping deck in a specific order, as shown in the scoring table below. The player who takes the trick gets the top card from the scorekeeping pile. At the end of the round, add up your score. Don’t forget to deduct points for capturing Queens. If you do the math right, the total score for all players should equal 10.

Record the score for the round and keep playing.

SCORING

The scoring depends on the trick you’ve played.

Scoring and Victory

Let’s talk about how you win at this game. To come out on top, you’ll need to score points by pulling off various tricks and capturing queens – the more points, the better. The ultimate goal is to be the first player to reach 31 points or more. Got it? Great!

Trick 1	0 points
Trick 2	-1 point
Trick 3	+3 points
Trick 4	+3 points
Trick 5	-3 points
Trick 6	0 points
Trick 7	+5 points
Trick 8	+5 points
Trick 9	-5 points
Trick 10	0 points
Trick 11	+7 points
Trick 12	+7 points
Trick 13	-7 points
Captured Queens	-1 point per Queen

Remember, the player who gets to 31 points or more first is the winner. So, get out there and start racking up those points!

Source: Cramps