Banakil: rules and how to play

The deal

Two packs and two jokers, 106 cards. Each player gets 18 cards; the next card starts the discard pile and the rest is the stock. The player after the dealer starts. Four players play in two teams with partners opposite, to 303; three play each for themselves to 203, and two to 150.

Melds

• Run: 3 to 12 cards in a row of one suit, from Three up to Ace (the Ace is high only), with at most one Two and one joker.
• Set: 3 or 4 Threes, or 3 or 4 Aces, of different suits, with at most one joker and no Twos.
• Twos and jokers are wild.

Your turn

Draw the top card of the stock, or take from the discard pile: choose any card and take it with every card above it. If you take a single card, you can't discard that card this turn. Then lay down melds in front of you; there is no opening minimum. Once you have a meld down, you may add cards to your own melds or your partner's, and swap a joker in one of those runs for the natural card it stands for, as long as the joker goes back into a meld that same turn. End your turn by discarding one card, or go out by melding or adding your last card.

Scoring

• Melded cards count for you and cards left in hand count against you: 3 to 6 half a point, 7 to King 1, Ace 1.5, Two 2, joker 4.
• Cards you add to your partner's melds count for your partner, and partners add their two scores together.
• Going out adds 20. Going out in one turn that began with no melds on the table at all scores a flat 40 instead.
• A player who never laid a meld scores a flat -20.
• If you must draw and the stock is empty, the hand ends at once with nobody going out. When someone reaches the target the highest score wins; a tie at the top plays another hand.