LOCKUP

Welcome to Lockup, a thrilling card game designed specifically for cardgames.io. In this game, I’ll be trying to collect as many tricks as possible while avoiding the capture of Clubs. If I happen to capture Club cards in a trick, they will be placed in lockup, and I won’t be able to play for a few tricks. Although Lockup was made for online play, it can also be enjoyed in person.

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

In Lockup, we use a standard deck of 52 cards, where 2’s are low and Aces are high. Let’s shuffle the cards and deal 13 cards to each player. The player sitting on the left of the dealer goes first.

THE PLAY

When it’s my turn to play in a trick, I can choose any card I want, except for a Club card. And it’s the same for everyone else – each player must play a card of the same suit as the lead if they have one, with just one exception. That exception is if there are any face cards (Jack, Queen, or King) in the trick when it’s my turn. In that case, I have the option to play a Club card instead of following suit. But if I don’t have a card of the lead suit and there are no face cards in the trick, I can play any card, even a Club.

The player who plays the highest card of the lead suit wins the trick. If there are no Clubs in the trick, that person gets to lead the next one. But if there are Clubs in the trick, the winner of that trick will be put into lockdown.

What happens in lockdown?

When I win a trick and grab some Club cards, those cards are put in lockdown right away. This means I can’t use them in the next few tricks – specifically the same number of tricks as the Clubs I captured. For example, if I grab two Clubs, I have to sit out the next two tricks. It’s like being benched for a short time!

Not only that, but something interesting happens to the player on my left. They have to randomly draw cards from their hand, and the number of cards they draw is equal to the number of Clubs I captured. So, if I snag two Clubs, they have to draw two cards randomly from their hand. They don’t even get to look at what they drew! It could be a good idea to keep track of the number of tricks a player has missed using these random cards.

Once you’ve finished your lockdown, you can jump back into the game. Keep playing until all thirteen tricks have been taken. Play multiple rounds until one player reaches 20 points or more. The deal passes to the left in each round.

SCORING

After each round, you earn one point for every trick you capture.

WINNING

The game is won by the player who reaches 20 points or more. If there is a tie, keep playing until there is a winner.

The game is won by the player who reaches 20 points or more. If there is a tie, keep playing until there is a winner.