How to play
The deck has eight each of the numbers 1 to 6, and eight Ducks. Everyone gets six cards, and one card starts the pile.
On your turn, do one of these:
- Play a card that matches the top of the pile or is one higher. After 6 comes the Duck, and after the Duck comes 1 again.
- Draw a card. You can’t when the deck is empty, or when everyone else has ducked out.
- Duck out of the round. You keep your hand and sit out until the next round.
Scoring
The round ends as soon as someone plays their last card, or when everyone has ducked out. Everyone adds up what’s left in their hand, but each number counts only once: three 5s cost 5 points, and a Duck costs 10. If you played your last card, you give back 10 points (or 1, if you have fewer than 10).
When someone reaches 40 points, the game ends and the lowest score wins.
Tips
Pairs and triples are cheap to hold, so a big hand of the same few numbers isn’t as bad as it looks. Ducks are expensive: play them when you can. And when the others are nearly out, ducking out with a small hand often beats drawing.