The games · Coolhand Cards

Mighty

A Korean game of the secret friend. Bid for the card points, take the spare cards, name a card, and play beside whoever turns out to hold it.

Players: 5
Family: Bidding Games
App: Coolhand Cards · iOS and Android, soon

How it goes

A joker joins the deck. Ten cards each, and three face down: the spare cards. Aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens are a point each, twenty in all. Starting left of whoever dealt, bid the points your side will take, thirteen to twenty, naming trumps or no trumps. A higher number wins. At the same number no trumps beats a suit, and suits are equal. A pass is final. The winner, the President, takes the spare cards, buries three (their points still count) and calls a Friend: the holder of a named card, secret until it falls; the winner of the first trick; or nobody. The President leads, and may not lead a trump to the first trick unless holding only trumps. Follow suit if you can. The highest trump wins, else the highest card of the suit led. Made, the score is twice the bid over thirteen, plus the points over the bid. Failed, it is the bid less the points taken. The President wins or pays that score twice, and each other player once: the Friend with the President, the defenders against. The score doubles for all twenty points, for no trumps, for no friend, and when the others take eleven. Changing trumps after the spare cards raises the bid by two, or by one for no trumps. Most points after the deals wins.

A good hand

The cards with powers. The Mighty, the ace of spades or the ace of diamonds when spades are trumps, takes any trick and may be played whenever you like, even when you could follow suit. The joker comes next and may also go to any trick. Lead it and you name the suit to follow, but on the first and last tricks it has no power and ranks lowest. If you hold the three of clubs (the three of spades when clubs are trumps), leading it from the second trick on calls the joker out, powerless, unless its holder plays the Mighty instead.

The usual mistake

Bidding past your side's reach. A failed bid costs the President double, so count your points, the Mighty and the joker before you bid. Changing trumps after the spare cards is the other way to overreach, since it raises the bid.

Played differently where you are?

Card games change from table to table, and we researched some of these games instead of playing them. If Mighty goes differently where you play it, tell us. That's one of the things the closed beta is for.

The closed beta is by invitation. How to ask to join.