---
layout: base.njk
title: Jonkler Rules (WIP v0.2)
subtitle: gettttt jonkled
permalink: /jonkler/
---

## setup

use a partial deck. for N players, use 8N+5 cards total, including Aces, Kings, and one joker.

3p: A 2 3 4 5 6 K  
4p: A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 K  
5p: A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T K  
6p: A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T J Q K  

basically this is "ranks from Ace up to 2N, plus Kings and a joker."

## start of round

there are 8 rounds. in the Rth round, deal R-many cards to each player, plus 5 cards face down to nobody. In each subsequent round, shuffle ONLY the cards from the previous round, plus N-many more.

after cards are dealt, players place their bids, clockwise, with the dealer bidding last. Your goal is to bid the *exact* number of tricks you will win this game. As in Oh Hell, the dealer may not pick a number that would cause the bid total to equal the round number (e.g. if everyone else bids 0 in the first round, the dealer cannot bid 1).

## tricks

the dealer leads the first trick in every round, by playing any card from their hand. each other player going clockwise plays a card according to these rules:
- if you have a joker or an ace, you may play it. jokers and aces are "suitless". playing one of these is always allowed, never required.
- if you do not play a joker or an ace, and you have at least one card that matches the leader's suit, then you *must* follow suit.
- if you cannot follow suit, you may play any card.

exception: if the leader plays a joker or an ace, then the next player may play any card. if they play another joker or ace, the player after them may play any card, etc. as soon as a suit is played, that is the suit that must be followed.

the highest card that follows suit is the winner of the trick, *except*:
- aces are low, suitless cards that lose every trick. if two aces are placed, the first ace wins the tie, and the second ace loses the trick.
- the joker is the next lowest card. it loses to anything except an ace.
- spades are always the "trump suit", i.e. they are higher than all other suits, even when played out of suit. if any spades are played, the highest spade wins (note that the ace of spades is *not* considered to be a spade for this purpose).
- if the winning card would be a king of any suit, then, and *only* then, the joker is considered to be the highest card and the king GETS JONKLED.

after each trick, the winner becomes the leader of the next trick. repeat until all cards are played, then begin the next round. 

after each round, the next player clockwise becomes the new dealer.

## scoring 

a perfect bid of B scores 5R + 10B points. a failed bid scores 1 point per trick taken. at the end of round 8, the player with the most points wins.

there are no bonus points for jonkling, but you get to brag about it.