Kalooki 51 offers a clever blend of both simplicity and excitement and can be learned in minutes.
The game involves between 2 and 4 players and is played with two decks of cards and 2 jokers (106 cards in total) the aim of the game is to get rid of all of your cards before your opponents.
To start the game, each player is dealt 13 cards and players take in turns to draw a new card from one of two piles;
• The Stock Pile – the remaining cards from the deck, placed face down on the table
• The Discard Pile – a pile face up on the table, which is a collection of cards that other players have discarded
After taking your card, you must lay Melds down on the table (if possible) then place a single card that don’t need face up onto the discard pile. When you have discarded your unwanted card, play will move to the next player.
Melds that can be laid down come in two types, Sets – A set of 3 or more cards of the same value but of different suits, ie 3 x jacks or 4 x Sixes and Runs – A run of cards in the same suit, Ie, 6, 7 and 8 of Spades.
The winner is the person to discard all of their cards first.
Important rules for Kalooki 51;
• Values are allocated (based on the value of the card) for each card laid down, you must have a value totalling a minimum of 51 on your first lay down (hence Kalooki 51)
• When the game is complete, all the players with remaining cards in their hands will be deducted points based on the value of the cards, this time all aces will be counted as 10 and all jokers as 25.