BAMBoozal – How to Play

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Note: the following instructions are available to download here if you wish to print and add them to a standard deck of playing cards.

Number of players: 3 – 6

Object of the game: To win more rounds in a Hand than any other player OR to avoid being BAMBoozalled.

Terminology

ROUND When each player has placed one card in the middle of the playing area.

1 card = 1 Round.
HAND When each player has placed all his / her playing cards in the middle of the playing surface and there are no cards left to play.

A hand will consist of either three, four, five or six rounds.
HAND AMOUNT A predetermined amount of paid by every player for each Hand (unless ‘BamBoozalled’ – see below).
POT (AMOUNT) Total of each player’s Hand Amount, including any player BamBoozals.
BAMBOOZAL / BAMBOOZALS / BAMBOOZALLED Outcome achieved by any player who does not win any rounds in a single Hand.

When ‘BamBoozalled’, instead of contributing the hand amount for the next hand, the player must contribute the same amount of the pot from the hand in which they were BamBoozalled.

Note: A BamBoozalled player does not contribute the hand amount. The player must contribute either the BamBoozalled amount or the hand amount; not both.
DEAL Distribute individual cards face down to each player in a clock-wise direction.
SUIT Diamonds / Clubs / Hearts / Spades.
ROUND SUIT Suit determined by the first card that is played in a Round.

Each of these is of equal value except for the Trump Suit
TRUMP SUIT A suit that is elevated above the other suits.
The trump is chosen by the dealer at the beginning of a hand by turning over one of their cards.
A trump card will always beat a non-trump card.

Pre-Gameplay

  1. Select a playing area.
  2. Select a Dealer (randomly).
  3. Determine a Hand Amount.

Gameplay

  1. Each player places the Hand Amount into the playing area centre.
    This is the Pot Amount.
  2. The dealer deals four cards to each player in a clockwise manner.
  3. The dealer turns over one of their cards.
    The displayed suit is Trumps for the round.
    Note: The dealer can choose to keep or discard.

  4. Each player looks at their cards.
  5. Players in a clockwise manner declare if they’ll Play or Fold.
  6. Players opting to play examine their cards and determine cards to keep or discard.
  7. Players opting to fold discard their cards and are removed from the hand.
  8. The dealer replaces the discarded cards with new cards to each ‘playing’ player.

Round 1

  1. The first clockwise player places a card ‘face up’ in the playing area. This is the Round Suit.
    Note: The Round Suit may also be a Trump Suit.

  2. All other players must play a card of the same suit if they have one and place in the playing area.
    Players that don’t have the Round Suit can play any other card they choose, including a Trump card.
  3. Other players then present a card to play (in a clockwise order).
    The highest Round Suit card is the winner (unless a Trump card has been played).
    The highest Trump card played during a round wins.

Round 2 – 4

  1. The player who won the previous round plays first in the next round.
  2. All actions from Round 1 are repeated with the round winner playing first in the next round.
  3. The Hand completes when players have played all their cards.

Post Gameplay

The winner (if any) is determined by the player with the highest number of Rounds won for the Hand.
At the start of any new Hand, the next corresponding clockwise player is considered the new dealer.

Hand Outcomes

There are four possible hand outcomes.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, the following scenarios assume the Pot amount is 150, the Hand amount is 50 and there are three players.

Winner with no BAMBoozals

A player is considered the winner of the Hand when he/she wins more rounds than any other player (e.g. with three players, one player wins two rounds and the other players one round each). The Pot amount is 150 for the next hand.

Winner with at least one BAMBoozal

A player is considered the winner of the hand when he/she wins more rounds than any other player, whilst BAMBoozalling the other player (e.g. with four players, one player wins 3 rounds, another player one and the final player none). The Pot amount is 350 credits for the next hand.

Split Pot with no winners or losers

A hand is considered a draw when there is no clear winner and no player ‘BAMBoozalled’ (e.g. with four players, each player wins one round each). The Pot amount is 400 credits for the next hand.

Split Pot with at least one BAMBoozal

The hand is considered a draw when there is no clear winner and at least one player ‘BAMBoozalled’ (e.g. with three players, two players win two rounds each and the third played wins none). The Pot amount is 400 credits for the next hand.