RASSI
Rassi is a game that you can play with 2 to 9 people. It’s similar to the game Kurkku.
STARTING THE GAME
Before we start playing, we need to get everything ready. One person will be the dealer for this round. They will shuffle the deck of cards and give each player 6 cards. The cards are dealt face down. The cards that are left over are put in a pile face down in the middle of all the players.
Once the cards have been dealt, you’ll hear the dealer ask a question: “Is it free?” This is an invitation for anyone who doesn’t have any face cards (kings, queens, or jacks) to throw in their hand and get a new one for free. It’s like a second chance. Next, the dealer asks, “Doubles?” This is an opportunity for all the other players to trade in their hands for a new set of six cards. But be careful, because if you accept doubles and end up with the highest card from the last trick, your penalty score will be doubled. Finally, the dealer asks, “Redouble?” This is your chance to trade in your hand once again and get another set of six cards. But be warned, if you get the highest-ranked card in the final trick, your penalty score will be quadrupled. So, think twice before making that trade!
Card Ranking
The cards in this game are ranked from highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2. The suit of the cards doesn’t matter for this game.
However, there’s a twist. In the last trick, aces are actually the lowest-ranked cards, instead of the highest.
How to Play
Rassi is a game played in rounds, with each round consisting of 6 tricks. To begin, the player sitting to the left of the dealer will play the first card of the trick. After that, the winner of each trick will start the next one.
When it’s my turn to start a trick in Rassi, I can play any card I want. Then, the other players have to play a card of equal or higher rank. If they don’t have a card that matches, they have to play their lowest ranking card. The player who plays the highest-ranked card or the last card played wins the trick.
The cards that players play during the trick stay in front of them. I can take a look at other players’ cards to help me decide which card to play next.
SCORING
At the end of the round, when the last trick is won, the player who won the trick gets penalized. They receive a score equal to the rank of the card they won the trick with. Aces and Jokers are worth 1 point, kings are worth 13, queens are worth 12, jacks are worth 11, and the rest of the cards are worth their face value.
When you reach or surpass 50 points, you’re out of the game.
GAME OVER
The game doesn’t end until there’s only one player left standing. The last player standing wins.
The game doesn’t end until there’s only one player left standing. The last player standing wins.