Lucky Pirate Rules
The goal of the game is to get rid of all of your cards (first the hand, then the ups, then the downs)
Play begins when the person left of the dealer plays their first card(s) into the middle to form a discard pile. You may discard more than one of any card if you have pairs or 3 of a kind. The person to the left of that player can play a card of equal or greater value.
If you have the ability to play, you must play (you can’t pick up a pile because there are good cards available).
3 of any number played consecutively either by one player or by multiple players (without being interrupted by a Porthole), clears the pile. 1 or 2 numbers followed by a Porthole (copy) then 1 or 2 more of the same number will NOT clear the pile because 3 of the same number are not played consecutively.
If a player doesn’t have a card that can either match or have a higher value of the card on top of the discard pile when it is their turn to play, that player must pick up the “pile” to add to the cards in their hand.
As “up” cards are played, and “down” cards are revealed, one can choose to play a “down” card, but they are chosen blind. Once you look at a “down” card, you are committed to that card, so if it doesn’t beat the card in play, the player must pick up the pile and the “down” card into their hand.
The game is won when a player discards all of their cards (first hand, then “ups,” then “downs”)
First to 5 wins = a tournament victory
Specialty Cards
The Captain - 9
The Captain (9) can be played on any card except the Kraken (10), but no other card can be played on the Captain (9) except the First Mate (which turns it into a normal card with a value of 9) or the Porthole (which copies the Captain).
The Mermaid - WILD
The Mermaid can play on anything except the Captain, but maintains its value of 7.
The Parrot - WILD
The Parrot can play on anything except the Captain, and allows the player to play any other card on top of it.
Walk the Plank - CLEAR
Walk the Plank can be played on anything except the Captain, and clears the pile.
REVERSE/SKIPS
If multiple skips are played, multiple players are skipped.
If multiple reverses are played, they cancel each other out and play continues in the same direction.
Lucky Pirate Set up
All cards are dealt to all players starting with the player to the left of the dealer
Dealer is determined by each player cutting a random card from the deck – lowest card value deals. Once the first game is won, the dealer for subsequent games is the winner of the previous game.
Depending on the number of players, each player, without looking at their cards, places some cards face down with an equal number of cards on top of them, face up (the up/downs). The rest of their cards are held in hand viewed only by that player
2 players: deal 3 hands - discard one pile – setup like 3 players
3 players: 4 cards facing down and up (a total of 8 cards used) the rest are in the hand
4 players: 3 cards facing down and up (a total of 6 cards used) the rest are in the hand
5-6 players: 2 cards facing down and up (a total of 4 cards used) the rest are in the hand