Let’s Play Mätäpesä!

Mätäpesä is a game that can be played by 3 to 8 players. It’s similar to the game Cucumber but simpler, making it a great choice for teaching younger kids how to play card games.

Getting Started

To start the game, one player becomes the dealer. They shuffle the cards and distribute them evenly to all players. The remaining cards are placed face up for everyone to see.

In Mätäpesä, the cards are ranked from highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The suit of the cards doesn’t matter in this game.

How to Play

Playing Mätäpesä involves a single round with no conventional end. To start, I’ll play the first card, and after each trick, the winner will begin the next one.

When playing a trick, I have the freedom to choose any card I want. The other players, on the other hand, must play a card of the same or higher rank, or they can choose to play their lowest-ranking card. The player who plays the highest-ranked card or the last card in the trick wins.

Throughout the game, each player keeps the cards they have played in front of them. You can take a look at other players’ cards whenever it’s your turn to help you decide which card to play.

The player who wins the last trick is actually the one who loses the game.

Scoring in Mätäpesä isn’t officially recorded, so there are no specific rules for it.

As for when the game ends, there isn’t a defined endpoint. It continues until players decide to stop playing.

When the game is over, there is only one round. If you lose, it’s your turn to deal for the next game.

Hey, I’m Amber (They/Them), a writer from Austin who knows a thing or two about gaming. I consider myself a gaming master, and I’m also really into dogs, plants, and D&D.

Hi there! I’m Amber (They/Them), a writer and gaming connoisseur from Austin. I’m proud to say that I’m a gaming expert, and I can’t get enough of dogs, plants, and D&D.