How to Play Krypkasino

Krypkasino is a game from the fishing family of card games with a very unique twist. While in most games of this type (such as Cassino and Basra) players attempt to capture cards in order to score points, in Krypkasino a player's goal is to avoid capturing these point scoring cards. This game is widely played in Sweden but is mostly unknown outside that area.

Krypkasino is designed to be played by 2 to 6 players, each playing individually. However, a partnership variation is sometimes played, which is described in the variations section below. Krypkasino uses two standard 52 card decks shuffled together. For the best gameplay experience, these decks should be of the same back design, however decks with differing backs can still be used as necessary.

Determination of seating positions and first dealer can be done using a number of methods, with drawing for high cards commonly used. If two or more players draw cards of the same rank, those players should redraw until drawing a card no other player has previously drawn. The players would thus seat themselves in the order, from highest to lowest of cards drawn. The player drawing the highest card of all is set as the first dealer. Thereafter, the deal passes in a clockwise rotation around the table.

Once the first dealer has been determined, this player should then thoroughly shuffle the deck and offer it to the player to his immediate right to cut. After the cut, the dealer then begins dealing out the cards for the hand. The number of cards dealt is directly dependent on the number of players in the game, as per the following:

Number of Players	Cards Dealt to Each Player	Cards Dealt to Table	Pattern of Deal
2	6	4	Three face-down cards to each player in packets of three, two face up to the center of the table, three more face-down to each player.
3	5	5	Three face down to each player, three cards face up the center of the table, two face down to each player, lastly two more face up to the center of the table.
4	5	4	Three cards face down to each player, two face up on the table, two more face-down to each player and lastly two more face-up to the center of the table.
5	4	4	Two cards face-down to each player, two cards face-up to the middle of the table, two more face-down to each player, two more face-up to the table.
6	5	2	Three face-down to each player, two face-up to the table, lastly two more face-down to each player.

The cards are always dealt in a clockwise rotation around the table, each time starting with the player to the dealer's immediate left.

After the deal, each player picks up his hand and play of the hand can then begin. At the start of the game, if any of the original face-up cards are court cards (Jacks, Kings, or Queens), these cards are set aside and will be awarded to whichever player makes the last capture of the hand. Play begins with the player to the dealer's left having the first turn, with the turns continuing in a clockwise rotation around the table.

On his turn, each player must play one card from his hand to the table. He does this in such a way as to attempt to avoid capturing point scoring cards from the table. However, if the card played can capture any cards from the table, these cards must be captured. All captured cards for a player are set aside by that player for scoring at the end of the hand. The following are the ways cards are captured:

If the card played to the table has the exact same rank as one or more cards on the table, he must capture all these cards, including the capturing card.
If any combination of cards, when the face value of the cards is added together, totals to the same as the card played, those cards must be captured, along with the card played.

For purposes of card captures from the table (Capture Value), each card in the deck has a specific value. The following chart shows the value of each card to be found in the Krypkasino deck:

Card	Capture Value in Hand	Capture Value on Table
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10	Face value on card	Face Value on Card
Jack	11	11
Queen	12	12
King	13	13
Ace	14	1

Note that an Ace has a capture value of 14 when played from the hand, but one found on the table has a capture equivalent value of 1.

If a card played fulfills multiple criteria he must capture all the cards for which it can capture. If a card played is unable to capture any card (called krpka or creeping) the card is simply left face-up on the table with the cards already found there.

Tabbe Capture

Sweep (Tabbe): In most cases a player, on his turn, is free to play any card remaining in his hand to the table. The only exception to this is if the player has a card which would capture every card on the table (called a tabbe) through the criteria for capturing listed above. If able to do this, the player must play the card that would capture all these cards, adding all these cards to his captured cards pile. Capturing all such cards also earns that player a penalty, so to signify that a sweep was captured by the player, one of the cards captured is placed face-up on the players capture pile while all other cards captured are placed face down in that same pile. In addition to a penalty for taking the sweep, the player immediately preceding this player, who is said to have set the Sweep, is entitled to subtract five points from his own score. If a player has a card which can make such a sweep, he must play it.

Double Sweep (Dubbeltabbe): In addition to a standard tabbe, a dubbeltabbe can also occur. This is when, there is only one card remaining on the table, and the next player has the exact same card (in rank and suit). That player must make the capture, taking both the card from the table and his own capturing card and adding them to his own pile. This earns double the number of bonus points for the player capturing the sweep, and allows the directly preceding player to subtract points from his own score.

After each player has played his last card, the dealer then deals four more face-down cards to each player and the game continues as before. This continues until the deck is exhausted and the players have played their last cards. On dealing the last batch of cards for the hand (there is just enough cards remaining in the deck for each player to receive his last batch of four), the dealer should announce "Last Cards" to inform all the players that this will be the last deal of the hand. After the last card has been played, any remaining cards on the table, as well as the court cards removed at the start of the hand are added to the capture pile of the player who made the most recent capture during the last hand. After this, each player examines his capture pile and the scores for the hand are calculated. The following shows the scoring value for certain cards or captures in this game:

Scoring Event	Scoring Value
Capturing a Ten of Diamonds (called the Storan)	3
Capturing a Two of Spades (called Lillan)	2
Capturing an Ace of Spades	2
Capturing an Ace of Hearts, Diamonds, or Clubs	1
Capturing any card of the Spade Suit, except the Ace	1
Capturing a Sweep (Tabbe)	5
Capturing a Double Sweep (Dubbeltabbe)	10
Being the player immediately preceding a player capturing a Sweep	-5
Being the player immediately preceding a player capturing a double sweep	-10

Each player should keep a running total of his score from hand to hand until a set number of hands is played. Each hand should have a total of exactly 42 points scored during that hand (not counting scoring for tabbes and dubbeltabbes), which is the total possible score from normal captured cards during one hand. This number of hands to be played for a complete game should be mutually decided before the start of the game and should be such that each player has been the dealer an equal number of times. At the end of this set number of hands, whichever player has the accumulated lowest grand total is declared the game winner.

Variations and Optional Rules

Partnership Krypkasino: As mentioned in the base game, Krypkasino can also be played as a partnership game. This is possible in the case where there are four or six participants. In this version, the players are divided into two teams of an equal number of players. When seating at the table, each player should have a player from the opposing partnership on both sides.

One partner should accumulate all the cards captured by his partnership during the hand. At the end of the hand, one score is retained for each partnership, and at the end of the game, the partnership with the lowest score is declared the winners.

In all other aspects this game is played identically to the standard version.